Case study
Filming the Bank of Lisbon Implosion
A 108-metre building in Johannesburg, brought down in a single controlled implosion, and one chance to film it.
When the Bank of Lisbon building in Johannesburg was imploded, there was no second take. The tower stood 108 metres tall and was brought down with 894 kg of explosives. We covered it with thirteen cameras, three of them in the air.
The moment
An implosion happens once. The charges fire, the structure folds and the dust follows, all within seconds, and none of it can be repeated for a camera that was in the wrong place or started late.
Aerial perspective
From street level, a falling building quickly disappears into its own dust. From the air you see the full height of the tower, the city around it and the way it comes down. That view gives the film its sense of scale; the other angles carry the detail.
Planning a one-take event
We flew three DJI Phantom 4 Pro drones alongside eight GoPros and two Canon cameras. On an event that can’t be repeated, several angles recording at once are the safeguard: if one position doesn’t deliver, the moment is still covered.
Camera positions, flight timing and the airspace around the site all have to be settled well before the countdown. Once the charges fire, nothing can be adjusted.
Our aircraft have changed since then (we now fly the DJI Inspire 3), but the approach to a one-take event hasn’t.
Planning an aerial shoot?
Tell us the location, the date and what has to be captured. We’ll come back with what it takes and a clear quote.