A helicopter flyover of a crowded urban city can make for an awesome and dramatic establishing shot in a film. But it’s expensive and impractical for most amateur filmmakers — or so we assumed until we saw the fantastic flyover footage Paul Wex was able to create using Nokia’s Here mapping service and a hell of a lot of patience.
By painstakingly panning and screenshotting the 3D overhead views of major cities like New York, Chicago, Toronto, Berlin, London and many others, Wex was able to later assemble incredibly convincing clips that you’d swear came from some expensive helicopter rig. Until you spot the occasional rendering or modelling error. But try and suspend your disbelief for a few moments and just enjoy this for what it is. [Paul Wex Films via Dvice]