An aerial shot either tells the audience something the ground cannot, or it is a postcard the editor eventually cuts.
Atlanta doubles for everywhere, which is exactly why the aerials matter: the wrong establishing shot tells the audience they are in Georgia when the script says otherwise. Knowing which parts of the metro and the surrounding countryside read as which region is a genuinely useful thing for a drone unit to know.
We work with directors and DPs the way any other camera department does — in prep, on the shot list, and on set as part of the plan rather than a novelty parked to one side. That means matching the look of your A camera, hitting the same marks take after take, and knowing which moves read on screen and which just show off the aircraft.
Atlanta sits under Hartsfield-Jackson, the busiest airport on earth, and its Class B shelf reaches across most of the metro. LAANC coverage is good here, but the ceilings are real and the traffic underneath them is constant. Suburban production country to the south sits closer to the approach paths than most crews expect.
Georgia's tax credit turned this into one of the highest-volume production markets in the country. Trilith, Tyler Perry Studios, Blackhall and Assembly all run features and series concurrently, which means aerial crews here compete on availability as much as on reel. The units that stay busy are the ones a line producer can reach on short notice.
We shoot the downtown skyline, the studio campuses, and the Georgia countryside — and we travel. CineDrones works nationwide, so if your production is basing in Atlanta and shooting somewhere else entirely, that is a normal week for us.
Cinema payloads carrying the sensor your show is already shooting, so the aerial cuts against the ground unit without a fight.
Our aerial units have worked on Ozark, Jack Ryan, Bosch, Mayans M.C., SEAL Team, NCIS: New Orleans, Fear the Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Modern Family, 9-1-1, Goliath, The Resident, Raising Dion, Castle Rock, Doctor Sleep and Chef's Table, for Netflix, Amazon, Apple, HBO, Hulu, Showtime, Sony, CBS, AMC, MTV and Bravo. See the work →
That is most of the job. We shoot to match your capture format and color pipeline so the aerial cuts in without a grade fight. If your show is on a specific body, tell us in prep and we will build around it.
Fly low, fly close, fly inside, and cost a fraction. A helicopter still wins on altitude, endurance and long lens work over open ground. Any vendor who tells you drones replaced helicopters entirely is selling you something.
Yes, and it matters. An aerial unit parked to one side as a novelty produces novelty shots. One that sits inside the camera department produces coverage the editor can actually cut with.
AERIAL CINEMATOGRAPHY — OTHER MARKETS: Albuquerque Austin Chicago Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami New Orleans New York Salt Lake City
Get ready to elevate your production to new heights with CineDrones! Operating in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Albuquerque, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Salt Lake City, and New Orleans, we bring the power of cutting-edge drone technology to every project. Whether you're capturing breathtaking aerial footage, thrilling FPV shots, or immersive drone-based virtual reality, our expert teams of FAA-certified pilots, aerial camera pros, and drone techs have you covered. Fully compliant with Part 107 regulations and protected by a $5M aviation liability policy, we guarantee precision, safety, and creativity. Plus, with Local 600 union and non-union crews available, we’re ready to deliver jaw-dropping results wherever you need them!