Perhaps the greatest compliment an aspiring filmmaker can receive is a raving endorsement from one of the best in the game. Sometimes, a few words of praise from a Hollywood great can make a person's entire career. With that in mind, it looks like something big is on the horizon for two video hobbyists from Minneapolis, after their mesmerizing clip caught the attention of James Gunn, the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
A drone shot of a bowling alley taken by Jay Christensen and Anthony Jaska of Rally Studio went viral earlier this week after Gunn shared their video on his Twitter account. Calling the shot "stupendous," the Marvel director was so awed by it that he even extended an invitation for the two filmmakers to join him in London when they shoot Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 later this year.
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Christensen was the man behind the drone controls in the video and he clearly showed off his impressive skills. It takes a certain level of mental focus to maneuver the drone the way he did, flying it at intense elevations and through incredibly tight spaces. One commenter has even said the sequence is reminiscent of Star Wars' Han Solo piloting the Millennium Falcon as he tries to escape the Space Slug in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Jaska, on the other hand, was praised by commenters for guiding the sequence and ensuring that all of the actors hit their marks. The best part is, they were just having fun with it - according to Jaska, they had been getting "prolific" with the first-person view concept lately and thought that Bryant-Lake Bowl, the location where they filmed the video, would be the perfect place to experiment.
Surprisingly enough, the two have admitted that the hardest part of the shot to capture wasn't through the bowling lanes, but through the front door. Christensen said that it was very windy at the time of filming, plus there was a parking meter in the spot where they wanted the drone to be, so they needed to work around those obstacles to make the shot work.
Their hard work has clearly paid off, as several directors aside from Gunn have also approached the duo for upcoming projects. One of the interesting concepts they've been asked to do involves telling a story in a timepiece or some sort of historical re-enactment where the drone flies "through a whole different time period," says Christensen.
As for Gunn's offer to hire them for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Jaska responded by simply saying: "It all seems crazy, but who knows?"
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to release sometime in late 2022.
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Source: James Gunn|Twitter