[Video] A Mesmerizing Timelapse of Mui Ne From Above

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March 31, 2017

It’s safe to say that Rufus Blackwell has a soft spot for Vietnam.

Last year, the timelapse photographer and filmmaker won Travel Photographer of the Year’s Travel Shorts category for his two-minute homage to Saigon, and before that the UK native was putting together a dreamy timelapse of Ha Long Bay.

Now sponsored by DJI, the outfit responsible for many of the jaw-dropping drone videos of Son Doong, Blackwell’s latest project took him to Mui Ne, where the filmmaker played with experimental video techniques over several months.

The resulting clip is a two-minute romp above the coast of Mui Ne, peppered with kite surfers and fishing boats. With new equipment in hand, Blackwell filmed surfing and kite surfing competitions while developing the video, a worthy challenge for the filmmaker.

“Kite surfing and surfing are very active sports,” he tells Saigoneer. “It can be hard to film such a dynamic and fast-moving action. The other danger is ditching the drone in the water or hitting a kite in mid-air. You need to be really safety-conscious to avoid accidents or loss of kit. One mistake and the drone is gone.”

Under this pressure, Blackwell managed to capture a mesmerizing view of the beach at sunrise along with the action of Mui Ne’s water sport competitions.

Take a look at the Mui Ne Sessions, courtesy of Blackwell and DJI, below: