If you have been researching the cost of a drone light show, you may have come across the term “stock drone show”.
But what actually is one?
Put simply, a stock drone show is a professionally designed drone show that has already been created. The story has been developed, the soundtrack chosen, the scenes designed, the drones animated and the entire performance carefully choreographed to the music.
Instead of paying for a new show to be created from scratch, you can book an existing production and have it performed at your event.
That can make a very significant difference to the price.
Why does a bespoke drone show cost more?
It is easy to assume that most of the cost of a drone show comes from physically putting the drones into the sky.
There is certainly a lot involved in delivering the show itself. We need the aircraft, batteries, control systems, pilots, crew, transport, insurance, aviation permissions, site planning and all of the other infrastructure required to operate a professional drone display.
But there is another substantial part of the cost that the audience never sees.
Creating the show.
A bespoke drone show normally starts long before anybody arrives at the venue.
We might begin by discussing the story you want to tell, the important moments, imagery, logos, characters or messages you want to include.
From there comes:
- Creative development
- Storyboarding
- Soundtrack development
- Drone animation
- 2D and 3D scene design
- Transitions between scenes
- Choreography to music
- Programming and technical preparation
- Client previews and revisions
- Off-site testing
A good drone show is much more than a collection of pictures appearing one after another.
Music, movement and animation work together. A formation might appear at a particular musical moment, transform on a beat, rotate through a crescendo or reveal the next part of the story precisely as the soundtrack changes.
All of that takes time.
With a bespoke drone show, that creative work is being carried out specifically for one client.
With a stock drone show, we have already done it.
The same production, performed again
The easiest comparison is probably theatre.
If you commission a completely new musical, somebody has to write the music, develop the story, design the production, rehearse it and build everything from scratch.
If you buy a ticket to an existing West End production, all of that creative work has already happened.
You still get the costumes, lighting, performers, sound, scenery and production. You simply aren’t paying the entire development cost yourself.
A stock drone show works on a similar principle.
We create the production once and then perform it for multiple clients.
That allows the cost of creating the show to be spread across many performances rather than being borne by one event.
FlightShows pioneered stock drone shows in the UK
When drone shows first started appearing in the UK, they were predominantly large bespoke productions for brands, councils, festivals and major events.
We wanted to change that.
FlightShows became the first UK drone show company to introduce dedicated Wedding Drone Show packages, using professionally produced stock shows to make this kind of entertainment accessible to couples who could never justify commissioning an entirely bespoke drone production.
It was really the starting point for our stock-show model.
Rather than spending tens of thousands of pounds creating an individual show for every wedding, we created the show once, refined it carefully and made it available to many couples.
The result was a dramatically lower entry price without removing the thing that actually matters to the audience: a great show.
That idea has since expanded far beyond weddings.
What stock drone shows are available?
Our current library includes shows created for a range of different occasions.
Wedding Drone Shows
Our Wedding Drone Shows were where the idea began.
These are romantic productions featuring imagery and animation designed specifically for weddings, with packages currently starting from £6,500.
Celebration Drone Show
Our Celebration Drone Show is designed for birthdays, anniversaries, parties, corporate celebrations and other big occasions.
It is deliberately versatile, with celebratory imagery that can work for many different types of event.
It is also the stock production we will often suggest for events such as birthdays or New Year’s Eve when a completely bespoke production isn’t required.
Christmas Drone Show
The Christmas Star is our complete Christmas drone production, following the journey of a star through a series of festive scenes.
Rather than simply displaying unrelated Christmas pictures, it was designed as a proper story with its own soundtrack and narrative.
Diwali Drone Show
Our Diwali Drone Show uses 150 drones to tell a story inspired by the Festival of Lights, incorporating imagery such as diyas, lotus flowers and other recognisable symbols of Diwali.
Chanukah Drone Show
Our Chanukah Drone Show was developed around the imagery and traditions of Chanukah, including formations such as the menorah and dreidel.
Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night
We have also developed a stock Guy Fawkes production for Bonfire Night events.
For organisers looking at replacing or complementing a traditional fireworks display, our guide to Bonfire Night Drone Shows explains the different stock and bespoke options available.
Our standard non-wedding stock drone shows currently start from £12,500.
So can I change a Stock Drone Show?
This is probably the most important thing to understand.
Fundamentally, no.
In the bluntest possible terms, a stock show is a bit of a “you get what you’re given” product.
That is precisely why it costs less.
The soundtrack is fixed because the animation has been meticulously designed around it.
The scenes are fixed.
The order is fixed.
The transitions are fixed.
If a formation changes exactly as a musical phrase reaches its climax, we cannot simply replace the song with another track and expect the show to work.
Likewise, changing scenes within the production can mean reworking transitions, timings, flight paths and choreography.
If you want to choose the soundtrack, decide exactly which scenes appear, tell a completely original story or build a show around your organisation, then what you are describing is a bespoke drone show.
And that is absolutely something we can create.
But a Stock Show can still be personalised
There is a useful middle ground.
A stock show does not necessarily mean your event cannot have anything unique in the sky.
One of the most cost-effective approaches is often to perform the complete stock production and then add one or two bespoke scenes to the finale.
- For a wedding, that might be the couple’s initials and wedding date.
- For a birthday, it could be a name and age.
- For an anniversary, perhaps a number or personal message.
- For a corporate event, it might be the company logo.
That gives you the benefit of a complete, professionally produced drone show without paying for an entire bespoke production, while still giving the audience a moment that could only belong to your event.
For many clients, it is the best of both worlds.
Stock Doesn't Mean Low Quality
This is another distinction worth making.
A stock drone show isn’t a cheaper show because less effort went into designing it.
Quite often, the opposite is true.
Because we know a stock production will be performed repeatedly, it is worth investing a significant amount of time in getting it right.
We can refine transitions, improve formations, adjust timing and continue developing the production as we learn from real performances.
The saving comes because that development cost doesn’t have to be paid again every time the show flies.
It is an economy of scale, not a reduction in production quality.
You can see what you are buying
There is another major advantage to choosing a stock show.
You can actually watch it before you book it.
With a bespoke production, you are commissioning something that doesn’t exist yet. We will develop storyboards, previews and animations during the creative process, but ultimately the finished show is being made specifically for you.
With one of our stock shows, you can watch the complete production beforehand.
You know the soundtrack.
You know the formations.
You know how the show develops.
You know how long it lasts.
There is considerably less creative uncertainty.
If you love the show you see, that is the show we will bring to your event.
The creative may be stock. The operation never is.
There is one part of a stock drone show that absolutely cannot be reused.
The operational planning.
Every venue is different.
Before performing any drone show, we still need to consider the launch area, audience position, surrounding obstacles, airspace, nearby airports, local restrictions and the safety requirements for that particular location.
Where necessary, we will deal with aviation permissions and airspace coordination specifically for your event.
So although the animation may already exist, the flight itself is still planned for your venue.
Choosing a stock show doesn’t mean cutting corners operationally.
It simply removes much of the creative development that would otherwise have to happen before we arrive.
Stock or Bespoke: Which should I choose?
The question is really about what you want the show to achieve.
If you want a spectacular drone show and one of our existing productions already suits the occasion, a stock show can offer exceptional value.
If you like an existing show but want a little bit of personalisation, adding one or two custom scenes can be a very cost-effective option.
If the whole performance needs to tell your story, use your soundtrack, feature specific branding or imagery, or deliver a particular creative message, then a bespoke show is probably the right choice.
There isn’t a better or worse option.
They are simply two different ways of creating a drone show.
Our stock productions allow us to take something that once belonged almost exclusively to major events and corporate budgets and make it available to weddings, private parties, community events and smaller celebrations.
And that was the whole reason we started creating them in the first place.
Want to see which option would work for your event? Explore our range of drone shows or get in touch with FlightShows and tell us what you’re planning.
