Our Custom Drone Solutions Transform Maple Leafs Hype Video

Introduction: A New Era of Hockey Hype Videos

The Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to kick off their season with a hype video unlike any other, one that would literally take fans into the action from a bird’s eye view. To achieve this, the team turned to FPV drone videography and custom drone solutions that could capture dynamic shots both outside Scotiabank Arena and up close with the players themselves. The result was a fast-paced drone flythrough that left hockey fans buzzing and video professionals impressed. In this blog post, we pull back the curtain on how a specialized drone crew made it happen, from a blue LED equipped drone flying toward the arena to an agile mini drone weaving around Austin Matthews and Mitch Marner.

The journey was anything but simple. It involved two drones flying in tandem, custom built rigs with lightweight LEDs, careful safety measures, and meticulous planning with the Maple Leafs organization. Let’s dive into how these custom drone solutions helped create an energetic Maple Leafs hype video and an unforgettable media day shoot.

Challenge 1: FPV Drones Meet Austin Matthews

The project began with a bold idea: use First Person View (FPV) drones to give fans an immersive perspective of the Maple Leafs’ world. FPV drones are normally associated with high speed racing, but they have quickly become an exciting cinematic tool for creative sports content. Unlike traditional camera drones, FPV drones are flown via goggles that give the pilot a live feed, allowing razor sharp maneuvers and fluid motion through complex environments.

The Maple Leafs, alongside their media and production team, collaborated with our experienced drone crew to map out the concept. During pre production, every shot was storyboarded and every flight path walked through on foot. The goal was clear: capture the passion and energy of Leafs hockey with an up close immersive view of the players, while keeping everything safe and within regulations.

Challenge 2: Two Drones, One Daring Shot

One of the most jaw dropping sequences planned was a drone on drone shot: a drone outfitted with bright blue LEDs racing toward Scotiabank Arena, filmed by a second drone flying in pursuit. This meant choreographing two drones in the sky simultaneously, a daunting task even for veteran pilots. The blue lit drone served as a dynamic subject, its LEDs glowing with the Maple Leafs’ signature blue as it streaked through the early evening air. The second drone’s job was to chase and film this flying light, capturing the approach to the arena from a dramatic angle.

Executing this shot required precision timing and teamwork. Two pilots stood side by side and launching the drones one after the other. The lead drone, decked out in custom LED lights, accelerated toward the arena facade. The chase drone followed a few meters behind and above, keeping the LED drone center in its frame. Both drones had to remain steady despite swirling winds around downtown Toronto. Any misstep could mean a mid air collision or a lost shot. To avoid interference, the drones were set to different control frequencies and the pilots communicated constantly.

The LED itself was a custom addition, engineered to be bright enough to stand out on camera but lightweight enough not to hinder flight. The team used a strip of high intensity blue LEDs powered by a tiny battery, all strapped to the drone without compromising its balance. This lightweight LED rig was essential, even a few extra grams can affect a drone’s agility and battery life. The payoff was huge: as the LED drone swooped toward the giant Scotiabank Arena letters, the second drone captured the shot. It’s a moment you can relive in the final hype video below.

Flying in Tight Quarters: FPV Thrills on Media Day

If the outdoor flight was about open air precision, the media day shoot was the opposite: flying an FPV drone indoors, in tight quarters, around actual NHL players. The Maple Leafs invited the drone crew to their training facility on media day to capture players in full gear from up close. Imagine a drone buzzing through a hallway and suddenly whipping onto set, where Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are waiting in their uniforms, grinning as the drone whizzes by. These kinds of shots bring fans into spaces they’d never normally see in motion, but they also pose major technical and safety challenges.

The biggest hurdle was navigating tight spaces safely. Standard racing drones are fast but not designed to fly inches from people or walls. For this reason, the team used a custom-built, 250-gram ducted FPV drone, essentially a mini drone with protective rings around its propellers. At under 250g (about half a pound), this unit is light yet sturdy, and the ducted propeller guards ensure no spinning blades are exposed to people. Even if it were to brush a player or a wall, the guards would prevent injury or damage. The drone was so small and stable that it could thread through sets and hover within arm’s length of players’ faces, giving an ultra intimate perspective..

Inside this tiny flyer was a stripped-down GoPro camera. By removing the GoPro’s casing and using the drone battery for power, the crew reduced weight to the absolute minimum while still capturing crisp 4K footage. This naked GoPro provided broadcast quality visuals without weighing the drone down, a true custom solution for the task. In fact, building “naked” action cameras onto sub 250g drones is a bit of an art form in FPV. The Maple Leafs’ drone team employed this technique to get the best of both worlds: cinematic image quality and an agile craft that could safely buzz around hockey sticks and shoulder pads.

Flying an FPV drone around star players required not just technical skill but also nerves of steel. The pilots practiced the indoor flight paths repeatedly in an empty facility before bringing in the players. They identified tricky turns and potential obstacles and adjusted the route to avoid them. On the day of the shoot, crew briefings were essential: players and staff were instructed where to stand, how to react (or rather, how not to react) to the drone zipping by, and to always remain aware of the little flying camera in the room. The drone crew had spotters at the ready, crew members whose sole job was to keep eyes on the drone and alert the pilot of any unexpected people entering the flight area. With everyone on the same page, the stage was set for some truly incredible indoor shots.

Technical Innovations Behind the Scenes

Pulling off these complex shots required more than off the shelf gear. The team devised multiple technical innovations and custom modifications, true custom drone solutions, to meet the Maple Leafs’ needs:

• Lightweight LED Drone: As mentioned, one drone carried a custom LED setup. The team used just enough LEDs to create a vibrant blue glow, powered by a mini battery. This kept the drone light and nimble. The mounting had to be secure to handle the drone’s sudden moves, but also easily removable to swap batteries or make adjustments between takes. Tinkering with voltage and LED intensity was part of the process; the crew tested several shades of blue to match the Leafs’ colours and to ensure the light registered well on camera without lens flare.

• 250g Ducted Cinewhoop: For indoor flights, a ducted cinewhoop-style FPV drone was custom built at 250 grams (including camera). In Canada, drones under 250g fall into a safer regulatory category, meaning they can potentially be flown closer to people with fewer restrictions. More importantly, from an engineering perspective, every gram saved meant more maneuverability and safety.

• Naked GoPro Camera: To meet weight and size requirements, a GoPro action camera was stripped down to its core. The result was a camera module weighing a fraction of the original, yet still able to shoot high definition footage. Despite its DIY appearance, this custom camera rig delivered stunning visuals indistinguishable from a full-size GoPro.

• Parachute Safety System: For the larger outdoor LED and chase drone safety was paramount. Flying over public areas and near an arena meant accounting for worst case scenarios. The crew equipped both drones with an emergency parachute system, a small canister that can deploy a parachute to gently bring the drone down if there’s a malfunction or loss of control. Such parachute systems are actually certified for use in Canada to allow legal flight over people. Thankfully, the parachute never had to be used during the shoot, but having it in place (along with a rigorous pre-flight inspection of the drone’s motors, GPS, and batteries) provided an extra layer of safety that everyone.

• Communication and Monitoring Gear: Both drone operators used radio headsets to talk to each other and a designated safety supervisor on set. This allowed real time calls like “Starting chase now,” “All clear” or “Holding for reset” to be heard by everyone. Additionally, a wireless video feed from the chase drone was displayed on a monitor off to the side, so the creative director and Leafs media team could watch the shot in real time and give feedback without crowding the pilot. This live monitor feed generated a lot of excitement among the staff, seeing their players and arena captured in such an unconventional way had everyone buzzing.

  
  

Custom Drone Solutions: Stunning Footage and Fan Reactions

After all the planning, custom engineering, and heart pounding flying, what was the payoff? In a word: spectacular. The footage captured was unlike any traditional sports promo. The final hype video (shown on the arena’s jumbotron and shared on social media) showcased the breathtaking blue lit drone flying towards Scotiabank Arena, a shot that instantly grabs the audience’s attention. As it transitions to the interior scenes, viewers are taken on a rollercoaster ride around Maple Leaf Stars.

The players themselves were thrilled with the result. Many of them crowded around the monitor after each take, reacting with childlike excitement when they saw how they looked on the FPV footage. It’s not every day an NHL player gets to be part of a drone stunt, and their smiles and laughs on set were a testament to how engaging the process was. Some players even joked that it felt like being in an action movie or a video game. This enthusiasm translated to more spirited performances on camera, they amped up their interactions once they grasped how cool the shots looked. For instance, a couple of players started playfully attacking the drone with their sticks. From a fan perspective, the reaction was equally electric. The uniqueness of FPV drone videography brought a fresh energy to the Maple Leafs’ marketing, a perfect match for a team looking to energize its fanbase.

For video production professionals, this project was a case study in pushing the envelope. It demonstrated that with the right expertise and custom gear, drones can venture into previously impossible spaces. The use of custom drone solutions here (from the LED drone to the mini cinewhoop and parachute systems) showed how problems like night shoots, tight indoor flying, and safety constraints can be overcome with innovation and preparation.

Conclusion: Success

The behind the scenes story of the Toronto Maple Leafs hype video and media day shoot is a thrilling example of technology and creativity elevating sports storytelling. By leveraging FPV drone videography and tailor made drone solutions, the production team delivered an adrenaline pumping experience that captivated fans and earned the admiration of industry professionals. What started as a complex technical challenge, filming a blue LED equipped drone with a second drone, and zipping a tiny camera drone around NHL players , ended as a resounding success.

Go Leafs Go!

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