Flock
Get your head in the clouds
The Pitch
Have you ever caught yourself staring out of a window wishing you could fly? Flock can help you get there.
Now, thanks to drone video, any pilot can see the world from above, but it’s time to take it one step further. It’s time to share the feeling of flight on a large scale. How? Flock is a mobile community where you can join immersive, 360-degree flight experiences at the touch of a button. You don’t need a drone. But if you have one, we’ll help you share your view with the world.
Features
On startup, you’re presented a selection of drone videos from around the globe, filterable by popularity, proximity, or by pilots you follow.
The world map view taps into Flock’s geotagging capability and enables the user to travel the world by selecting 360º drone videos by geographic location. This unparalleled viewing experience is made available by Google Cardboard, a simple, affordable virtual reality viewer that can be bought or built by anyone. Virtual reality and drones are a match made in heaven, just load your phone into the Cardboard viewer and you’ll be airborne. However, if a user doesn’t have a virtual reality viewer or does not prefer it, a flat, 2-dimensional viewer is still available in the app.
While the Flock experience is immersive, it’s not isolating. Users can express themselves through their profiles, and connect with other viewers and pilots by following, liking, and sharing what they see on a connected social media account. If you are a pilot with a 360-enabled drone, it is easy to upload your own drone footage within the app to share with the world. You can even mark your videos with highlights so viewers can quickly access outstanding segments of your flight.
At Flock, we live by the mantra “be all there.” This is not a video database, this is an unparalleled viewing experience enhanced by Google Cardboard. One swipe, and the view changes from standard video to virtual reality compatible. Just load your phone into the Google Cardboard set (or similar device), and you are airborne. But if you don’t have a headset, or find virtual reality dizzying, our single-screen high-definition flights are still here for you.
While the Flock experience is immersive, it’s not isolating. Users can express themselves through their profiles, and connect with other viewers and pilots by following, liking, and sharing what you see.
Why
It’s 2015, and each day brings a gold rush of new technologies that may be intimidating at first. We seek to make drones, and their unique aerial perspective, accessible.
Many pilots are already exploring the world in new ways, and it’s time to give them the opportunity to showcase their talent on a global platform. Our platform. Flock.
How
Coding: Swift
Drone of choice: DJI Phantom 2 Vision+
360º Video: 360 Fly
Group
Andrew Wardlaw: Tech + Video Director
As the tech and video director, I am responsible for maintaining and sharing a technical understanding of our drones, the creation and delivery of the project promotional video, and the development of any hardware or software required for our project.
Emily Dardaman: Producer + Branding Director
As producer, my primary responsibility is maintaining open channels of communication, both internally and with our audience. I make sure we’re on schedule, keep our brand consistent, and ensure quality control. Together with the other members, I work to guide the team in group organization, communication, and culture.
In branding, I oversee the development of a distinctive brand voice, which affects everything from web design to content editing. Practically, a brand is composed of design elements and copy, and that falls in my non-exclusive role as well.
Katie McKenzie: Web Design Director
As the director of website design, I’m creating the website for our platform, keeping it consistent with our overall brand and look. I will work closely with Emily on branding, Andrew with any technology or programming, and Kelsey Ann with all content.
Overall, I ensure all design related material is cohesive and consistent with the website, logo, poster and promotional video. Our website is a critical component of our brand, and I’m excited to be able to showcase it to the world.
Kelsey Ann Williams: Content Writer + Presentation Director
As the content writer and presenter I will be writing most of the content for the website, posters, and communicating our ideas for the Drone project. As the lead presenter I will be planning most of our class presentations and the final presentation. I enjoy speaking in front of people and communicating ideas in an organized and effective way.
