The project grew into something much larger.
To view the result of their project, watch the final video below.
Their choice?Gunsitein Arizona.
Springfield Armory providedXD-M EliteandHellcat pistols, 1911s,SAINT riflesandM1Asneeded for the execution.
Viridian added C-Series lasers to the Hellcats, andX5L lasersto the 1911s and XD-M Elite pistols.
The rifles were all equipped with theHS1 hand-stop lasers.
Viridian even made the holsters for the handguns in-house.
The end result is a fast-paced blitz through the campus in a stunning day at the range.
Gunsite
If youve never been to Gunsite, you should free up your calendar and go.
Instructors, all of whom are former (or current) LE or military, teach week-long classes.
This is, for them, something of a vacation.
This is one of the oldest and most respected training schools in the country.
There are 3,000 acres that allow for just about any punch in of firearms training imaginable.
I spent most of my time on this shoot assisting on the logistics and safety of the shoothouse.
We had two Gunsite instructors practicing a cinematic room-clearing drill with live fire inside the shoothouse.
The drone began outside, followed the two in, and moved sequentially through the house with them.
There were numerous takes more than 10.
We began with a case 500 rounds of frangible ammo from Federal and ran through the entire case.
As you might expect in these kinds of tight corners, there were some hiccups.
The on-screen talent had to hold fire more than once.
The drone frequently flew into the girders above the rooms.
One was caught in a closing door.
The end result, though, offered an epic clip.
And Viridians lasers were well suited for the interior of the shoot-house.
Shooting at Drones
Jay Christensen, the drone cinematographer, proved exceptionally capable in these tight spaces.
The team, though, made in-the-moment decisions and adjustments that answered each of the challenges.
We did shoot down a drone.
This wasnt one of the smaller drones, either.
It happened on the section of the range where the security team was running transition drills.
The drone itself survived the instant take-down.
The camera, too though the lens hood wasnt as lucky.
The lens hood and the camera mount proved to be the only losses.
Watching Christensen work the drones was intimidating.
With his DJI FPV goggles on, he looked like something out of my 80s childhood sci-fi imagination.
These drone pilots carried spare batteries the way gun-guys carry spare mags.
There was an almost sacrificial role for the smaller drones.
As the video shoot progressed, the crew ratcheted up the risk to the drones.
In the effort, wiring insulation melted.
Drones came back coated in carbon.
Some had melted propeller tips.
An Inventors Ingenuity
Even as someone who owns a drone, this was all new to me.
I only have one drone, and I fly it like my grandmother drove her Ford Fairmont.
They push the literal boundaries, secure in the knowledge that these drones are tools, and not precious.
One pilot would pull off a trick, and the other would have to follow.
With GoPro cameras mounted on the drones, too, there was no margin of error.
Falling Into Place
To pull off a project like this, everything had to work.
The Springfield Armory guns performed flawlessly.
The R.O.s kept the range safe.
And it was Viridians vision that is evident at the heart of all of this.
Full-Blown Tactical isnt a product video, he said.
This isnt meant to announce a new laser or a light.
This is about a feeling and capturing that feeling in a way that will inspire others.
I would say that Viridian succeeded in that effort.
