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October 28, 2015
In The Mix

The Drone Zone

Fox's Minority Report takes full advantage of present-day futuristic technology.

Libby Slate

With Fox’s Minority Report set in 2065, it’s no surprise that director of photography David Moxness has turned to some high-tech toys to capture its futuristic world.

The first television sequel to a Steven Spielberg–directed film, the drama series picks up 10 years after the events of the film.

“We’ve been using drones for some of the [composite blue screen–green screen] plate work, and photographing some air scenes as well,” says Moxness, an Alberta, Canada, native who discovered his father’s 8mm camera at 11.

“It’s a little bit of a learning curve, but it’s fun. We’re in a world that doesn’t exist yet.”

Via monitor and headset, Moxness oversees at least three drone team members: a certified pilot who operates the craft, a camera operator and at least one spotter. “When we shot on top of a parking garage,” he explains, “we had a production assistant on the sidewalk — we couldn’t have any pedestrians within 100 feet of the drone.”

The series follows three psychic siblings known as Pre-Cogs (Laura Regan, Stark Sands and Nick Zano) who can foretell murders before they occur.

Apart from the drone work, Moxness oversees filming of the visions of the Pre-Cogs, each of which offers a different perspective. “It makes for a long day,” he says, “but the visions are fun to do.”

Because of the show’s complexity, Moxness alternates episodes with fellow D.P. Barry Donlevy — while one is shooting, the other confers with the next week’s director and helps map out special effects. He’s worked that way previously, on such shows as the CW’s Smallville, Fox’s Fringe and NBC’s Revolution; his other credits include USA’s Graceland, ABC’s Forever and the Reelz miniseries The Kennedys, for which he was Emmy-nominated.

“I enjoy the challenge of very sophisticated work,” says Moxness, whose friends call him Moxie. “This show is not a procedural. It’s not formulaic. This is a fresh approach.”

For more on Fox's Minority Report, see "The Radiance of Laura Regan."

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