A row over filming became “aggressive”
Frenchay Christmas Tree farm in Bristol
A YouTuber became embroiled in a stand-off with staff at a Bristol Christmas tree farm in a row over drone filming.
Footage posted by Polite Camera Action recorded a disagreement between the drone pilot and members of staff at Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm, which became increasingly heated on both sides.
The page regularly posts interactions recorded while out filming with a drone and has more than 10K subscribers.
Several of the videos posted to the channel show confrontations with premises owners questioning why he is flying the device over their property and the laws of flying a drone over private land.
The video in Bristol, which was posted on Tuesday, December 9, captures the moment that staff from the farm, which is just off the M32, walk over to confront the drone operator who is standing on the pavement outside the premises, behind the camera.
He is simultaneously operating his drone while filming the staff who are demanding to know why he is there, what he is doing and asking him to remove his equipment and leave. He refuses and says he has “every right to be here”.
The video begins when a member of staff approaches the YouTuber and says: “I don’t remember giving you permission to [fly your drone]”, to which the man replies: “I don’t need permission.”
The member of staff then appears to start filming the drone operator on his phone while asking what he is doing and what the footage is being used for.
They then ask the drone pilot to “identify yourself and show your face”. A man who says the site is “my farm” then gets his own phone out and appears to film the interaction, noting they are at an “impasse” when neither agrees to move on.
He then asks the YouTuber if he is “unemployed” to which Polite Camera Action replies “what’s it got to do with you, you muppet” and goes on to say the interaction is “not very good advertisement for your Christmas tree business” and refers to him as a “doughnut”.
The YouTuber repeatedly asks “why don’t you go and look up the law” insisting that his use of a drone to film the site is legal.
The member of staff asks the YouTuber what the footage is going to be used for, to which Polite Camera Action refuses to answer.
The staff member said: “I would just like to know why you’re filming” to which the man replies: “I told you, I’m just getting drone shots.”
When pressed further and asked what “sort of content” is being filmed, the YouTuber said “Nah, I’m not telling you nothing. I’ll tell you what I want to tell you and that’s all I’m going to tell you” to which the member of staff says “okay, that’s fine”.
As the video continues, other members of staff come out and one describes the videographer as “super aggressive” after he tells them to “get out of my f***ing face” as “it’s not private property it’s a f***ing highway you muppet”.
They made it clear they did not want to be filmed and said they feel “uncomfortable” working with the drone overhead without knowing his intent, telling him: “If you had asked permission it wouldn’t have been a problem…it’s an invasion of privacy.”
The video goes on for about 20 minutes and becomes heated, with one staff member threatening to “shoot [the drone] down with a slingshot” and another telling him he is “f***ing disgusting”, and one telling him he is a “man of limited intelligence”.
The YouTuber later tells them: “If you hadn’t have come out here marching with that aggression, then I wouldn’t have been so aggressive myself.” He refers to one as a “little troll” after she calls him “the worst f***ing person I’ve ever seen”.
During the introduction he apologises to viewers for “getting animated” and says their comments “wound me up a little bit”.
Since the video has been posted a handful of people left negative reviews on the tree farm’s Google page, referencing the YouTube video.
Another Christmas Tree farm near the site, Frenchay Forestry Christmas Trees, has posted a statement on social media to make clear “this was not us”.
It said: “We are aware of a video circulating on YouTube of an interaction between one of our neighbouring Christmas tree farms and someone flying a drone over their property.
“As you can see on the video they are on the opposite side of the M32 to our outlets.
“We would just like to say that this is nothing to do with ourselves […].
“We are already seeing negative reviews come up on Google and will be reporting them as false as they appear on our business page.”
BristolLive reached out to Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm for comment but did not receive a response.