A drone photographer has used his skills with the lens to showcase Warner Beach in a lockdown music video. Zayne Botha, 34, was part of a group of filmmakers from all over SA, who collaborated with recording artist Matinino to create a video for her latest single, ‘21 Days’.
“The brief was to document moments happening inside our homes over the lockdown period. My wife and two children feature in the video and the closing shot is of our driveway in Gus Brown Road with the words ‘Stay Strong’ written on it in chalk. Even aside from the local connection, I think it’s a great message of encouragement at this time.”
Zayne was contacted by another filmmaker and friend from Cape Town, who was heading up the production side of the video, and asked if he would like to contribute to the project. “He reached out to me during the second week of the original lockdown period. Collaborating with other creative people always excites me and I knew that we would be a part of creating something very cool. We’re been buried under a relentless avalanche of grim news and social media is awash with negativity at the moment, so the opportunity to inspire hope and encourage people was something that really appealled to me.”
He shot about 15Gb of footage with his trusty DJI Mavic Air drone over two days and sent about 10Gb of it to an editor in Cape Town.
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“I’ve been in video my whole adult life, having studied television production at DUT. I’ve worked as freelance cinematographer and editor ever since graduating in 2006. Drone technology has been around for a good few years now, however I was a late adopter and though I have now been flying for about three years, I still fly as a hobbyist and keep it separate from my paid work, since to fly a drone commercially you have to be licensed with the South African Civil Aviation Authority.”
The initial release of the video was postponed due to the lockdown extension, as the recording artist Matinino wanted to rewrite and record the single to make it more relevant to the new, extended lockdown parameters. “I got to see the finished project on Sunday, 19 April, the same evening it was uploaded to Youtube. I think the end result is fantastic. It gives one a glimpse into the homes of everyday South Africans and it makes you realise we are all in this together.
“My family and I have been doing great during the lockdown. It’s tough, as we are a family who loves the outdoors, so it’s been a huge adjustment. But at the same time it’s given us an opportunity to slow down and take stock of what’s important.”
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