DRONE TECHNOLOGY
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Celestial is uniting people one star at a time, by painting shimmering tales through the use of drones and LEDs Words Oliver Webb S over the Danube River at a music festival in Linz, Austria, drone light shows have become a popular form of live outside entertainment. Leading the way in this new artistic medium is Celestial, which was founded by a group of filmmakers, technologists and event specialists. Experts in large-scale drone light shows, the Celestial team comprises an array of backgrounds in theatre, music, film, animation and technical operations. Since forming in 2020, the company has ince their first appearance in 2012 – unless we’re counting Steven Spielberg’s 1977 sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind – for a performance collaborated with world-class talent, from poet laureates and indigenous artists to Hollywood actors and Grammy- winning musicians. With the whole sky as their playground, they’ve created engaging stories and entertainment ranging from city celebrations, brand showcases and global sporting events to recreating beloved tales such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Steve Winter serves as head of creative development at Celestial. “We work on a combination of commissioned and ticketed shows, but they share the same commonality: using the night sky as our canvas to tell stories that are impactful and meaningful,” he begins. “Ultimately, our goal is leveraging cutting-edge drone technology to invent aerial displays that merge art, theatre, music, narrative and innovation. Our focus is on producing something that feels immersive and unique but, crucially, is also sustainable and visually stunning. In that way, we feel as though we are pushing the boundaries of what live entertainment can be.” Winter oversees the creative aspects of the Celestial drone shows to ensure the production delivers a seamless blend of storytelling, technology and artistry.
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