An aerial shot either tells the audience something the ground cannot, or it is a postcard the editor eventually cuts.
The lakefront gives Chicago the one genuinely clean approach into a major American skyline, and it is the reason aerials of this city still look different from aerials of anywhere else. The river through the Loop is the other one — tight, low and much harder to fly than it looks in the cut.
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.
Chicago is squeezed between O'Hare and Midway, both Class B, with the lakefront offering the one clean approach into the skyline. Wind coming off Lake Michigan is a genuine operational factor rather than a footnote, and downtown creates canyon effects that punish crews who have not flown it before.
Chicago carries a long-running slate of network series alongside features and commercial work, anchored by Cinespace. Producers here are used to cold-weather logistics and expect an aerial unit that can work through conditions rather than wait them out.
We shoot the Loop, the lakefront, the river, and the neighborhoods — and we travel. CineDrones works nationwide, so if your production is basing in Chicago 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 Atlanta Austin 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!