Film review: ROTOR DR1

Review by David Paul Hellings

@HellingsOnFilm

“Synopsis: After a viral epidemic eliminated 90% of the world’s population, survivors struggle to rebuild and reconnect with the world they’ve lost. Autonomous drones, originally meant to deliver vaccinations for the deadly disease, now wander aimlessly through the sky and are hunted for their parts and power sources.  But when a 16-year-old boy named Kitch stumbles on a peculiar drone named DR1, clues about his lost father begin to surface and lead him on an incredible journey”.

– via Cinema Libre Studio.

Review:

Director and drone enthusiast Chad Kapper’s effective low-budget, post-apocalyptic science fiction tale aims to present drone technology in a positive manner in a time in which most of the world only knows of their military use. Making good use of locations, and using a largely inexperienced cast, Kapper presents a simple tale of a youth searching for his father in a society barely surviving after the majority of the population has been wiped out by a deadly virus. Was the long absent doctor/father responsible? Is he really the true monster that the son has come to see him as?

It’s refreshing not to see a monster-ridden land, seeing as most virus films these days seem full of zombies. Instead it is an empty city and countryside in which the currency of the day is the batteries from drones. There are aspects of teen angst, gangs that feed on the wreckage of what’s left of the world, plus a coming of age story that works well. The DR1 drone of the title provides an engaging character all of its own, leading our heroes on a journey with an initially uncertain resolution.

Director Kapper makes great use of limited resources to deliver a fascinating view of a future world in which the drones continue their daily work, seemingly unaware that the society that set them on their missions no longer exists. The cast work hard and provide a sympathetic collective of people who have lost their parents and role models and must now simply survive.

“Rotor DR1” is an original look at the world of drones and their positive roles in a world destroyed by disease and left to the devices of those survivors who would profit from the world they have inherited, and those who would seek to find more positive solutions.

Chad Kapper has approached his material from a place of good intention to deliver a tale that is well made, often beautifully shot, and creates an atmosphere free of Dystopian terror to focus on the human relationships. “Rotor DR1” is a worthy story that will hopefully open the gates to more films on the subject of drones and their place in the world. Well worth your time.

Sales information:

FIRST DRONE COMMUNITY COLLABORATED FEATURE FILM

ROTOR DR1 Coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand on October 20

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 23, 2015) Cinema Libre Studio has acquired Rotor DR1, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi feature film developed and produced by a community of drone enthusiasts and will be releasing it on DVD, Blu-Ray and Video on Demand as of October 20, 2015.

Executive produced and directed by Chad Kapper, Rotor DR1 grew out of the Flite Test community (see http://www.flitetest.com/ and www.youtube.com/flitetest), which Chad founded in 2010 and which has evolved to become the world’s premier online community for drone enthusiasts with over 400,000 members.

“As a drone enthusiast turned professional drone guy, I wanted to show drones in a positive light” says Kapper.  “Creating a movie was the perfect opportunity to show drones as technology that improved human lives, rather than antagonistic militarized drones that have been popularized lately.”

Posting this idea to online forums for drone enthusiasts, Chad soon had input from thousands of engaged community members about creating a community-collaborated web series and feature film.  Using forums, GoogleDocs, Facebook and Youtube–and without a script–the group embarked on developing a ten episode online series over twelve weeks in late 2014, with each episode shared with the Rotor DR1 community for feedback and further development.  Decisions on casting, wardrobe, props, dialogue, action scenes, episodic arcs, general storyline, and the backstory of the cataclysmic virus, were made in collaboration.  Community members, including top drone racers (RC Explorer), were even able to participate in the film’s innovative drone race, where real drones and no CGI were used.

> “What is Rotor DR1 ?– drone community collaboration” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3eBqelAhRQ

After partnering with Cinema Libre Studio, the episodes were edited together to make a cohesive and compelling feature film, which marks a milestone in the emergence of community driven media.

“The future of community collaborated entertainment is at the forefront of Hollywood’s mind,” says Rich Castro, V.P. of Distribution and Acquisitions at Cinema Libre Studio. “We believe this is the first high-quality, community-collaborated, narrative feature film to be released commercially in the U.S.”

See the trailer/embed here:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/rotordr1

Parts for the RotorDr1 model are also available at Flitetest.com and can be made with a 3d printer.

Website:   www.rotordr1.com | Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rotordr1

Sales release info:

Rotor DR1 comes out in the U.S. on October 20 on DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand.

The physical product is loaded with extras. DVD and BLu-ray can be purchased from our store (cinemalibrestore.com) and shipped internationally. Bestbuy.com also ships internationally.

On Demand options will be limited by territory by ISP, open initially to North America on Amazon Instant, Hulu and Vimeo.

TECH INFO

99 MINS

CLS1210

UPC 881394120927

English

NOT RATED

Genre: Sci-fi

All Regions

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