The advances in drone automation over the last few years have opened up all sorts of doors. Pre-planned flight paths, GPS locks, and waypoints offer the closest thing to aerial motion control we’ve seen. We can run near identical flights over and over. It’s provided a host of new opportunities for filmmakers. Especially those who want to show the passage of time.

This isn’t a timelapse in the traditional sense. That is to say, it’s not simply showing the time sped up. It’s a blending from one time to another. This short from Bristol, England based drone filmmaker Jack Johnston highlights the technique perfectly. Filmed as part of a sequence for the BBC’s Springwatch Special, it shows cherry blossom trees in Japan bursting into colour.

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