Drone Light Show Winter Olympics 2018

Intel traveled to PyeongChang in an effort to be known for more than just microprocessors to position itself as an innovation leader by launching a world-first drone light show for the 2018 Winter Olympics. A 1,200-strong force of drones danced in formation at the Opening Ceremony, with mesmerizing dove, snowboarder, and Olympic Rings formations taking centre stage.

It was an entertainment spectacle, setting a Guinness World Record in the process and earning Intel the highest rated social engagement of any Olympic sponsor.

Role: Art Director & Designer

team in flight

While we had created a dream script in advance of our shoot, this was a docu-style film, and no one knew exactly how things would unfold once we reached South Korea. The story on the ground was compelling, sub-zero temperatures and stiff winds challenged both the drone team and the Shooting Star drones themselves. We were along for a crazy ride on a two-week shoot on the icy ski slopes of PyeongChang, holding our breath alongside the drone team to see if they could overcome the harsh conditions.

Video Stills

A combination of vérité and setwork alongside traditional interviews made the Olympic Drones production unique among former Intel drone videos—it followed a narrative instead of being mere content capture and was a visual knockout, drones aside.

Tech edit

We also created content specifically to showcase the more technical points of our drone technology as well as support the business unit.

Photography & Key Artwork

We created a suite of still assets to support our campaign, from regular photography to more fantastical, comped artwork. I worked with Dave Lehl, a photographer who specializes in long exposure, to create these pieces to be used in digital and print.

12 Billion Media Impressions in Under 12 Hours

The social reach of the drone show was more than we had ever anticipated, luckily we were prepared with a myriad of assets across multiple channels to make one of the most sharable moments of the games that much more memorable.

OVERVIEW Video

With media coverage from Good Morning American to the top voted post on Reddit the day of the event's activation, the drones stole the show for the Opening Ceremony.

GIFS

Trendy, sharable snippits of the show.

Agency

Savannah Hicks
Art Director, Designer

Ashley Wood
Sr Copywriter

AJ Musial
Creative Director
Photographer

Warren Frost
Creative Director

Isleen Pinpin
Producer

Tony Joo
Executive Producer

Jamie Ehrhart
Account Director, Brand

Katrina Yulo
Senior Strategist

Nam Nguyen
Global Director, Experience Design

Production

Nina Meredith
Director
Greenpoint Pictures

Soren Nielson
Director of Photography

Sean Lyness
Line Producer
Greenpoint Pictures

Dave Lehl
Photographer

Editorial

Brian Lagerhausen
Lead Editor
Beast

Seth Andrews
Asst. Editor
Beast

Finishing

Ricky Gausis
Colorist
Motion Picture Company

Jeff Malen
Audio Engineer
Lime Studios