Editing the First Class Drones 2025 Reel
- Josh Dusang
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Every year we release a reel showcasing the best moments from our drone cinematography, FPV drone footage, and Film and TV productions throughout the year.
Turning 20TB of Footage Into a Cinematic Drone Film
There’s a moment in every edit when you realize the work is finally done.
For me, it didn’t happen when the final render finished. It happened when I was watching the reel back one more time and found myself banging my hands on my desk to the beat of the music.
No pausing.
No frame adjustments.
No rewinding to fix something small.
Just the video, the music, and a massive smile on my face.
That’s when I knew the First Class Drones 2025 reel was finished.
Starting With 20 Terabytes of Footage
Every year we create a highlight reel showcasing the work our team accomplished throughout the year. It’s something we look forward to internally and something our audience has come to expect.
But the 2025 reel was different.
The process started with nearly 20TB of footage captured across the year. Before I could even think about editing, I had to filter through everything and condense it down to just over 4TB of the best footage.
This wasn’t just about selecting great shots. It was also about practicality. To maintain fast editing performance and ensure our Thunderbolt SSD drives could handle playback smoothly, I needed to keep the working footage within a manageable size.
Even after narrowing things down, the project still contained more than 450 clips.
Before editing began, everything had to be organized.
Every clip was sorted into folders based on the production it came from. This step may seem simple, but it becomes critical later when sequencing the reel. When you know exactly where each shot came from, you can start building moments around projects rather than randomly stitching clips together.
Only once everything was organized did the real editing process begin.
Choosing the Music
Before importing a single clip into the timeline, I needed the music.
We use Epidemic Sound for all our royalty free music needs, and once I had a clear idea of the footage available, I started searching for a track that matched the tone of the year.
Instead of choosing the typical high energy electronic track that many reels rely on, I went in a different direction this year. The song had more of a cinematic, old west style feel to it.
That decision shaped the entire edit.
Music determines pacing.
Pacing determines structure.
And once I understood the pacing of the song, I knew exactly how the reel needed to be built.
Preparing the Timeline
With the music selected, it was time to start importing footage.
The reel was built on a 23.976 timeline, which meant every clip needed to work within that environment.
In the past, managing colour spaces across multiple camera systems was one of the most frustrating parts of editing. Different cameras shoot in different colour profiles, which meant constant conversions and manual adjustments.
Thankfully, Premiere Pro 2026 makes this process dramatically easier.
Its AI colour management can automatically normalize footage into Rec.709 from a wide range of formats, including:
DJI Log
Sony Log
ARRI Log
RED Log
Rec.2020
Apple ProRes 422 HQ
CinemaDNG RAW
& other various RAW drone formats
Once everything was imported and colour spaces were aligned, I created proxy files so I could smoothly review the large volume of footage.
After laying everything out on the timeline, the total footage came out to more than 17 hours of video.
That’s when the real work began.
Watching Every Frame
Going through 4TB of footage is not a quick task.
Every single clip had to be watched.
And while reviewing footage, I was constantly thinking about the music. The reel had to feel like the visuals were part of the soundtrack itself.
Throughout the year our cameras captured footage at a wide range of frame rates:
23.976
23.98
24
25
29.97
30
47.95
48
50
59.94
59.98
60
120
240 fps
Premiere handles mixed frame rates extremely well, which meant I could focus on how each shot should move rather than forcing everything into the same format.
Some shots needed to slow down.
Some needed to stay real time.
Others needed speed ramps to match the rhythm of the music.
One trick I used frequently was listening to the background elements of the song. If there was a ramping sound effect building toward a beat drop, I would often ramp the video speed to mirror that energy.
When visuals and music move together like that, the edit feels completely seamless.
When the Footage Starts Speaking
At some point during the process, something interesting happens.
The footage and the music start guiding the edit.
If you work in any creative field, you probably know exactly what that means.
For me, the first moment this happened was during the first chorus beat drop.
An FPV clip from our Kaytranada production landed perfectly on that moment in the song. It had a twist to it that worked beautifully with the music, and it became the first section of the reel I fully built.
I won’t spoil the moment for anyone who hasn’t seen the reel yet.
But that clip set the tone for everything that followed.
Building Mini Sequences
The song I chose moved quickly, which meant the edit had to move quickly too.
Instead of relying on single memorable shots, I decided to build mini sequences tied to specific productions.
These sequences allowed viewers to experience multiple shots from the same project in rapid succession while still remembering the project itself.
Rather than remembering one drone shot, viewers remember the entire moment.
Some of my favorite sequences came from our Oasis and Kaytranada productions, where FPV drones and Inspire platforms worked together to capture angles that normally would not be possible.
These shots often require skilled dual operators, combining precise camera control with aggressive drone movement.
Traditional drones capturing untraditional shots.
And in many cases, the FPV footage just spoke to the music.
The Hardest Part of the Edit
The hardest challenge wasn’t organizing footage or building sequences.
It was cutting to the beat during the fastest parts of the the song.
The sections leading up to major beat drops move extremely quickly. That means every frame matters.
There was also a lot of decision fatigue.
Sometimes I would place a sequence in the timeline thinking it was perfect. Then later I would find another clip that fit the beat even better.
One example was a drone show sequence that I initially used for a beat drop but eventually replaced because another shot hit the music harder.
Those moments are exhausting, but they are also what elevate the edit.
The Color Grading Challenge
Once sequencing was complete, it was time to colour the reel.
Most of the footage had to be manually graded.
There were no LUTs.
No colour checker cards.
No controlled colour references.
Each sequence had to be balanced by eye.
The cameras used throughout the year all behave differently, including:
DJI drone, Air Unit & action camera footage
GoPro action cameras
RED cinema cameras
Sony cinema cameras
Unsurprisingly, DJI footage was the easiest to match.
The most challenging moments came from blending night time GoPro footage with Inspire 3 ProRes RAW shots. Mixed lighting environments and GoPro highlight behaviour required careful exposure adjustments to ensure each shot flowed naturally into the next.
Color grading became less about strict colour science and more about maintaining visual continuity between shots.
Watching the Reel on Loop
For nearly a week, editing became my full time job.
I would build 20 to 30 seconds of the reel, then watch it on loop for an hour.
Every time I noticed something small, I fixed it immediately.
Framing adjustments.
Scaling.
Warping corrections.
Timing tweaks.
Once a section felt perfect, I moved on to the next sequence.
Eventually the reel reached its full runtime of 2 minutes and 57 seconds.
When I watched it back in full, it genuinely felt like watching a ten million dollar commercial.
Everything worked.
The pacing.
The shot variety.
The transitions.
The storytelling.
The colour grade.
Gear Used in the 2025 Reel
DJI Mavic 2
DJI Mavic 3
DJI Mavic 4
DJI Inspire 2
DJI Inspire 3
Freefly Alta X
Custom built Cinewhoop FPV drones ranging from sub 250g 2 inch all the way up to heavy lift FPV platforms
DJI Osmo Action 5
GoPro action cameras
RED Komodo
Sony FX3, FX6, FX9 & Burano
Editing
Adobe Premiere Pro 2026
Lessons for Next Year
One of the biggest lessons from editing this reel was realizing how much time could be saved by reviewing footage earlier.
Going through everything at the end of the year takes days.
Next year I plan to review and organize footage after every production. Building sequences gradually throughout the year will make the next reel much easier to assemble.
Why We Make These Reels
At the end of the process, when the edit finally felt perfect, I watched the reel one last time.
The music hit the final beat.
And just like the first time, I found myself banging my hands on my desk to the rhythm of the track.
That’s when I knew we had something special.
Because when drones are flown safely, legally, and creatively, this is the kind of footage that our amazing team can capture.
And the First Class Drones 2025 reel is proof of that. 🚁🎬
Blog Written by:
Josh Dusang
Pilot, Editor and Sales at First Class Drones
Bio:
Josh has built a strong creative and technical foundation in digital media, technology, and aerial cinematography from a young age. With experience in video editing, drone operations, ground cinematography, and sound design, he brings both technical expertise and creative perspective to every project.
Today, Josh serves as Pilot, Editor and Sales at First Class Drones. He is excited about the future of drone technology and looks forward to the innovative projects on the horizon for First Class Drones.
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