Dirty Seagulls' drone footage captures Rome's eerie lockdown emptiness
During the Covid-19 lockdown, the Italian drone collective Dirty Seagulls produced spectacular first-person-view (FPV) videos of Rome's deserted monuments, including Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, the Altare della Patria, and the Pantheon. The four-member group, composed of certified drone pilots and videomakers, obtained official permits to document the city under lockdown. Gianmarco Gabriele, a pilot, videomaker, and social content creator, explained that they built a custom micro drone measuring 8 cm and weighing 150 grams, equipped with a stripped-down GoPro Hero6 weighing only 20 grams, specifically for proximity flights. The footage was commissioned by a newspaper covering the Roman lockdown. The videos are available on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The collective aims to offer Romans unique, unrepeatable images of this historical period.
Key facts
- Dirty Seagulls is a collective of four Italian drone pilots and videomakers.
- They used a custom micro drone (8 cm, 150 g) with a modified GoPro Hero6 (20 g).
- The drone flies in FPV (First Person View) mode.
- Footage shows empty Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Altare della Patria, and Pantheon.
- All flights were conducted with official permits during the Covid-19 lockdown.
- The video was commissioned by a newspaper covering the Roman lockdown.
- Gianmarco Gabriele is a pilot, videomaker, and social content creator for the group.
- The videos are published on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Entities
Artists
- Gianmarco Gabriele
- Dirty Seagulls
Institutions
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Piazza Navona
- Piazza di Spagna
- Altare della Patria
- Pantheon
- Piazza della Rotonda