Rally Studios gained worldwide attention with Bryant Lake Bowl drone footage. Now check out their Mall of America video.
Rally Studios, the Minneapolis creative studio that gained worldwide attention with its drone footage of Bryant Lake Bowl, is at again — this time in a first-person video that captures the highs and lows of Mall of America and its theme park, Nickelodeon Universe.
The Rally team had a goal of not only setting up a drone shoot inside Mall of America, but also to bring in nostalgic storytelling from their days growing up in Minnesota and frequenting the Bloomington mall, said Jay Christensen, a cinematographer at Rally Studios.
“Our entire team has always been huge fans of Mall of America and dreamed of setting up a drone shot there even before the Bryant Lake Bowl footage caught like it did,” Christensen said in a mall-issued news release.
The 2-minute, 17-second video brings viewers through the mall’s atrium for a look at the public art installation, Kaleidoscope, before flying into Nickelodeon Universe, the seven-acre Nickelodeon-branded theme park located in the center of the mall. From there, the drone chases roller coasters and weaves in and out of other attractions before taking viewers eye to eye with the giant sculptures atop The Lego Store.
The video, “The Quack Attack is Back,” also follows along the Rally crew in Rollerblades as a nod to the mall scene in the 1994 movie D2: The Mighty Ducks.
“Working with the Mall was a collaborative effort that brought together like-minded folks who wanted to try making the seemingly impossible possible. And that’s just what we did,” Christensen said. “After a busy morning of strapping on Rollerblades and chasing rollercoasters with a drone, we are extremely proud of this footage and look forward to future shoots with the Mall of America team.”
Rally Studios is best known for its recent release of “Right Up Our Alley,” an 87-second, viral video of a one shot first-person view drone swooping through Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis that has captivated millions of people worldwide.
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| The new drone clip pays homage to The Mighty Ducks, the ‘90s hockey film shot in the Twin Cities. |
The video started picking up viral steam when it was posted on Reddit in March, and has been featured in news outlets worldwide, including BBC News, CNN and the New York Times. According to Rally Studios, it caught the attention of James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, who on Twitter described the video as “stupendous” and then formally invited Rally to join his crew in London later this year when they shoot Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
From TravMedia:
Rally Studios releases latest drone film project of Nickelodeon Universe in Mall of America
BLOOMINGTON, MN— April 28, 2021
Rally Studios, a Minneapolis creative studio, today released their latest drone film project capturing amazing and one-of-a-kind footage of Mall of America and its theme park, Nickelodeon Universe.
On the heels of their drone footage from Bryant Lake Bowl, the creators behind Rally Studios set out for another iconic Minnesota drone shoot: Mall of America.
The team at Rally Studios had a goal of not only setting up a drone shoot inside Mall of America – but also to bring in nostalgic storytelling from their days growing up in Minnesota and frequenting Mall of America. Viewers are sure to recognize a nod to a popular movie filmed at Mall of America in the early '90s.
“Our entire team has always been huge fans of Mall of America and dreamed of setting up a drone shot there even before the Bryant Lake Bowl footage caught like it did,” said Jay Christensen, Ariel Cinematographer at Rally Studios. “Working with the Mall was a collaborative effort that brought together like-minded folks who wanted to try making the seemingly impossible possible. And that's just what we did. After a busy morning of strapping on rollerblades and chasing rollercoasters with a drone, we are extremely proud of this footage and look forward to future shoots with the Mall of America team.”
The drone footage brings viewers through the Atrium of Mall of America for an unparalleled view of the public art installation, Kaleidoscope, before flying into Nickelodeon Universe, the seven-acre theme park located in the center of Mall of America. From there, the drone chases roller coasters and weaves in and out of other attractions before taking viewers eye to eye with the giant sculptures atop The LEGO store.
“The Rally Studios team are brilliant creators and collaborators,” said Chris Grap, lead storyteller and experience designer for Mall of America. “Their pride and passion for Minnesota and Mall of America was infectious and led the vision for this one shot. It was a true honor working with them every step of the way. Stay tuned, this definitely won't be the last time our teams work together.”
The drone footage from Mall of America can be viewed here.
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From TCB:
Rally Studios Pilots Drone Flight Through Mall of America
In the wake of its Bryant Lake Bowl success, the Minneapolis production company pays homage to Minnesota with a flight through the Bloomington megamall.
Rally Studios, the Minneapolis production company behind a recent viral video of Bryant Lake Bowl, is documenting another Minnesota icon: the Mall of America.
The company’s latest drone video takes viewers on a flight through the Bloomington mall and its indoor theme park, Nickelodeon Universe.
Chris Grap, lead storyteller and experience designer at the Mall of America, said that the viral bowling alley clip and the evident passion behind it inspired him to work with Rally Studios.
“I’m a huge fan of Bryant Lake Bowl, and the reasoning behind Rally Studios working with them showed who they are: honest, passionate, compassionate storytellers from our community,” Grap said. “They love Minnesota; they love Mall of America. Working with them to help them achieve their vision was a privilege.”
The new video begins with footage of the “Kaleidoscope” public art installation before zooming into Nickelodeon Universe, the 7-acre theme park inside the mall. Titled “The Quack Attack is Back,” the drone video pays homage to—you guessed it—The Mighty Ducks, the classic ‘90s hockey movie shot in the Twin Cities.
The Rally Studios team aimed to highlight their nostalgia of growing up in Minnesota and frequenting Mall of America.
“Our entire team has always been huge fans of Mall of America and dreamed of setting up a drone shot there even before the Bryant Lake Bowl footage caught like it did,” said Jay Christensen, aerial cinematographer and drone pilot at Rally Studios, in a news release. “Working with the mall was a collaborative effort that brought together like-minded folks who wanted to try making the seemingly impossible possible. And that’s just what we did.”
Grap said he hopes the collaboration brings a sense of joy and excitement to viewers. He said this won’t be the last time the teams work together.
“There are definitely more icons throughout Mall of America waiting for their time to shine,” Grap said.
Last month, Rally Studios made international headlines for its swooping footage of Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater on West Lake Street in Minneapolis. The video, called “Right Up Our Alley,” has now been viewed nearly 2 million times on YouTube alone, and even received praise from James Gunn, the director and screenwriter behind Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad.
The bowling alley clip was shot as part of a project to support iconic Minnesotan businesses hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent social unrest.
Two weeks ago, Rally Studios auctioned off the video as a non-fungible token (NFT) with the intention to donate all proceeds to the Lake Street Council, a Minneapolis nonprofit that supports local entrepreneurs and artists. The unique piece of digital artwork sold for 2 Ethereum, valued at about $4,670.
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Originally published: Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 00:50 BST.
Source: Pioneer Press; H/T: Fox 9.
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