In early November 2023, a video recording with a giant luminous skeleton near the Burj-Halphus skyscraper in the UAE was widely dispersed on the Internet-it was supposedly a drone show arranged in honor of Halloween. We decided to check if this is a video of reality.
The eight -sequent video with the spectacular show of drones on November 1, 2023 was published by some Russian media (for example, “Arguments and facts" And Russia News), as well Information And Entertaining Portals. Video and users of social networks shared impressive videos ("VKontakte" Instagram*, X), a blog-platform (""Zen","Picabu") And video hosting (YouTube, Tiktok). The video became popular in Telegram: it was placed, in particular, in the channels "Cybertor"(879,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), 4ch (426 000), "KB"(249,000),"Truthfulness"(225 000),"Mousetrap"(208 000) and others.
In all reports of the Halloine show near the Dubai skyscraper "Burj-Khalifa" contains the same eight-second video or screenshots from it. “Verified” could not be found in the media (Russian and foreign) or social networks of the video, different from this short video. This raises questions: it is difficult to imagine that only one of the thousands of possible eyewitnesses to such a show shot and posted a video on the Internet. If the video were true, hundreds of other photos and videos of a luminous skeleton, captured from different angles, would be posted in social networks. At the same time, at the beginning of the viral video, passers-by are visible, which for some reason ignore that the skeleton the size of the “Burj Khalif” (a height This skyscraper is 828 m) is about to “step” on them-they just go along the street, not paying any attention to the incredible show, supposedly unfolding over their heads.
In the official one account The skyscraper on Instagram often publishes photos and videos of light shows and other events that take place next to the Burj Khalifoy, but there are no mention of the presentation with a giant skeleton of drones there. In addition, the flights of drones in the vicinity of the highest building in the world Forbidden. To draw such a show using hundreds of drones, a special resolution of the Main Directorate of Civil Aviation of the UAE would be required. At the same time, the video is completely incomprehensible why the show was allegedly held precisely in this-unfulfilled-zone: it would be logical to spend time on coordination with the authorities if any large-scale event on the occasion of Halloween and the Dronov show was part of it. However, nothing but a skeleton in the video does not indicate that the celebration is taking place: passers -by are not dressed up in masquerade costumes, there are no jewelry in the style of the holiday.
In addition, experts say that the movements of the skeleton are unrealistic. Preston Ward, the main pilot of the Drones of the American company Sky elements specializing in the show, Disassembled Video on your Instagram account. He also indicated that the audience in the video did not pay attention to the performance, and noted that existing technologies do not allow figures consisting of drones to move at such a speed. Ward knows what he is talking about, because in July 2023 his company Entered The Guinness Book of Records with the largest phrase (“Happy 4th of July 2023”, ever compiled by drones in the air. In addition to this air installation on celebrations The United States Independence Days, the company’s pilots “put” the drones and in other significant figures for the country, for example, in an eagle or astronaut.
Judging by the search results of Google, for the first time a video with a skeleton near the Burdzh Khalifa called the Scarecrow Halloween from the Geoscan Drone Show was published in Tiktok Russian company GEOSCAN, specializing in the production of drones and organizing the show with their participation (at the time of writing a video of the video from the account was deleted, but has been preserved Archive copy).
Previously, Geoscan really arranged spectacular drones show - for example, on World Cup by leaps in 2022 in the same Dubai or on celebrations 568th anniversary of the capture of Constantinople in Istanbul. These projects are described on the company's website, including quite detailed videos, which are captured not only directly shows from different angles, but also preparation for them. However, about a large-scale Hallowean performance next to the Burj-Halfoy there is neither a word nor on the website of Geoscan, nor in its accounts in Instagram, YouTube or Vimeo. Edition "Fontanka" asked The company about comments, and there they confirmed that this is not a shooting of a real show, but computer animation. Journalists noticed that on October 31, 2023, the official GEOSCAN group on VKontakte was also placed picture Giant figures of ghosts in the sky over St. Petersburg-this was also only computer graphics.
GEOSCAN company previously published on its social networks Renders of possible shows that Internet users took for real pictures and distributed with appropriate comments. So, "verified" in 2021 Disassembled The allegations that at the bottom of the dead in Mexico hundreds of drones in the sky lined up in the form of skulls. The primary sources of the pictures were then GEOSCAN posts on Instagram, where the company shared examples of how drones could decorate the celebration. At that time, the text under the photographs left no doubt that these were only renders, and not real shows. The disassembled video with a skeleton was not accompanied by such a unequivocal signature, so it is not surprising that users took it for the present.
Thus, a video with a skeleton, “walking” next to the Burdzh Khalifa skyscraper during Halloween, is nothing more than a company’s render that provides drone show services.
*Russian authorities They think Meta Platforms Inc., which owns social networks Facebook and Instagram, an extremist organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.
Photo on the cover: Tiktok screenshot Geoscan.show
Read on the topic:
- VC. Pouring light on magic: show drones. Guide for beginners
- Is it true that the picture shows the drone show during the day of the dead in Mexico?
- Is it true that a giant Barbie appeared next to Burj Khalifoy?
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