Drone video showcases Vancouver's bright side

A new video is giving people a breathtaking look at the lighter side of Vancouver.

The video, produced by Vancouver-based production company Heliwood Media Inc., showcases the brilliant lights adorning iconic locations such as St. Paul’s Hospital, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and VanDusen Botanical Gardens. Using steady cam rigs, hoverboards, and drones, the company showcased a side of Vancouver that can only be seen when the sun sets.

“When the first pictures of lights started being show in Instagram, [we] decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to give back to the most photogenic city in the world,” Jon Ross, co-owner of Heliwood Media Inc. and drone pilot/cinematographer for the company told Vancity Buzz. “We’re so fortunate to live in Vancouver, and when the lights started going up it was a no-brainer. We thought ‘let’s film this.'”

With the permission of Transport Canada as well as Harbour Air, the Heliwood team – comprised of Ross, co-owner Gordon More, producer Mike Boast, and secondary camera operator Spencer Robertson – shot hours of footage, about 20% of which made it into the video.

“That was the hardest part for me – deciding what not to put it,” says Ross. “There were some spectacular shots we just didn’t have room for, in a two minute song – but it was a blast to put together.”