Two companies, one owner, one standard
CineDrones is the aerial department. Drone cinematography, FPV, heavy-lift for full-size cinema cameras, aerial lighting, VR and 360, on-camera prop drones and stunt drones built to be destroyed on camera. Flying sets since 2013.
Cinematic Immunity is the production company. Commercials, brand films, documentary, creator media and original series — creative development through final delivery.
Same owner. Same production discipline. Different jobs.
Most people who find CineDrones need one thing: an aerial unit for a day, dropped into a production somebody else is running. That is still the majority of our work and nothing on this page changes it.
This page is for the other conversation — the one that starts “we don’t actually have a production company yet.”
Which one you need
Hire the aerial unit when you have a production, a schedule and a crew, and you need someone to fly it. You send the shot and the dates; we file the FAA authorization, coordinate the film permit and put an aerial department on your call sheet. That is what the rest of this site is about.
Hire the production company when there is no production yet. When the deliverable is “we need a brand film” or “we need a YouTube show” or “we need six pieces a month and we have no idea how to make them.” That is Cinematic Immunity, and the aerial unit is simply part of the kit rather than a separate booking.
The honest version: if you already have a producer, you probably do not need us to be your producer.
What Cinematic Immunity actually does
Four categories, and the same production standard runs through all of them.
Film
Commercials · Brand films · Campaigns · Documentary · Lifestyle · Automotive · Aerial cinematography
Creator
YouTube · Short form · Personal brands · Podcasts · Creator strategy · Channel development
Production
Creative development · Pre-production · Directing · Cinematography · Drone · Production crews · Post production
Originals
Original shows · Documentaries · Creator series · Digital entertainment · Development
The positioning is deliberate and worth quoting directly, because it is the thing that separates this from a freelancer with a camera: every service above is run by the same production discipline used on network television and major studio sets — real creative development, real production discipline, and a final cut built for how people actually watch.
Creator media, and why a channel is not a show
This is the part most production companies do badly, so it is worth being precise.
A channel is a folder. A show is a format — something people come back for on purpose. Posting good videos into a folder is not the same as building something with a hook and a recurring structure that makes subscribing rational.
The work runs in three phases:
- Format development. The concept and the recurring structure that makes someone subscribe rather than watch once.
- Production rhythm. Consistent set, lighting and schedule, because a show that arrives unpredictably is not a show.
- Audience growth. Titles, thumbnails and clips treated as part of production, not as an afterthought bolted on at the end.
It covers concept and format, production, editing, short-form adaptation, thumbnail design, title work, distribution strategy, analytics and audience growth. It is built for founders, entrepreneurs, athletes, experts and creators — people with expertise, a personality or a story who want an audience that chooses them rather than a follower count.
What it costs
Almost nobody in this business publishes rates. Here they are.
Basic — $7,600/month
For local businesses and founders getting serious about content for the first time.
- 2 produced pieces monthly
- 1 dedicated shooter + editor
- 2 rounds of revisions
- Short-form cutdowns included
- Monthly strategy check-in
Pro — $12,800/month
For growing brands, dealerships and multi-location businesses that need to stay in front of their market.
- 4 produced pieces monthly
- Dedicated producer, director and DP
- 3 rounds of revisions
- Full short-form and social cutdowns
- Creator and channel development
- Priority scheduling
Premium — $24,000/month
For brands running full campaigns across film, creator media and originals at volume.
- 6+ produced pieces monthly
- Full dedicated crew, on call
- Unlimited revisions within scope
- Originals and series development
- Multi-market production across Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles
- Dedicated account lead
All three are starting retainers. Final scope is confirmed in the proposal, and studio and gear rental are billed separately. If your job is a one-off film rather than an ongoing programme, say so and it gets quoted as a project instead.
Where it works
Salt Lake City is home base. Las Vegas has an active crew. Los Angeles runs a lean team. The company travels worldwide.
Those three markets can run on one campaign — that is what the Premium retainer is built for, and it is unusual. Most production companies in any one of those cities are only in that city.
CineDrones covers ten markets in total for aerial work: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Albuquerque, Miami, Salt Lake City and New Orleans.
Who runs it
Mike Fortin founded both companies.
- Twenty years in production, with more than 280 episodic television credits
- IATSE Local 600 Director of Photography
- SAG-AFTRA
- FAA-certified aerial cinematographer, with over 10,000 flight hours and a zero-incident safety record
- Co-author of LAFD and FilmLA drone safety protocols
That last one is the least glamorous line and the most useful. Someone who helped write the drone safety protocol a city film office uses is not learning the permitting process on your shoot.
The distinction that matters: this is not a startup crew figuring it out. It is studio-level production discipline, pointed at work for founders, brands and creators.
How the two work together on one job
The practical version, because it is the question producers actually ask.
A brand film with an aerial sequence runs as one production. One creative development process, one crew, one schedule, one post pipeline — and the aerial unit is already inside it, so the drone day is not a separate vendor booking with its own paperwork and its own coordination overhead.
A production that already exists and needs an aerial day stays exactly as it is. CineDrones shows up as the aerial department, files the FAA side, coordinates the permit with your team, and leaves. Nothing about Cinematic Immunity gets pushed at you.
A creator programme that wants aerials in the format is the interesting case — a recurring show that can use a drone as part of its visual language, without paying vendor rates every episode to do it.
What to send
For an aerial booking: the shot, the location, the dates and the camera package. Send it here.
For production: what you are trying to make, who it is for, and roughly what you are working with. If it is a retainer conversation, say which tier looks close and we will tell you honestly whether it fits.
Frequently asked
Does CineDrones do full production, or only aerial work?
Both, through two companies under the same ownership. CineDrones is the aerial department — drone cinematography, FPV, heavy-lift, aerial lighting, on-camera prop and stunt drones. Cinematic Immunity is the sister company that handles full production: commercials, brand films, documentary, creator media and original series, from creative development through post. If a job needs an aerial unit dropped into someone else’s production, you want CineDrones. If it needs the whole production built, you want Cinematic Immunity, and the aerial unit comes with it.
How much does a production retainer cost?
Cinematic Immunity publishes three starting retainers. Basic is $7,600 per month for two produced pieces, one dedicated shooter and editor, two rounds of revisions and short-form cutdowns. Pro is $12,800 per month for four produced pieces with a dedicated producer, director and DP, three rounds of revisions, full social cutdowns and channel development. Premium is $24,000 per month for six or more produced pieces, a full dedicated crew on call, unlimited revisions within scope, originals development and multi-market production. All three are starting retainers with final scope confirmed in the proposal, and studio and gear rental are billed separately.
Where does Cinematic Immunity work?
Salt Lake City is home base, Las Vegas has an active crew, Los Angeles runs a lean team, and the company travels worldwide. Those three markets can be combined on a single campaign under the Premium retainer, which is built for multi-market production.
What is creator media?
Building a show around a person rather than posting content to a channel. As Cinematic Immunity puts it, a channel is a folder and a show is a format — something people come back for on purpose. In practice it covers concept and format development, production, editing, short-form adaptation, thumbnails, titles, distribution strategy and audience growth, run in three phases: format development, production rhythm, then audience growth.
Who runs the two companies?
Mike Fortin founded both. He has twenty years in production and more than 280 episodic television credits, is an IATSE Local 600 Director of Photography and SAG-AFTRA, and is an FAA-certified aerial cinematographer with over 10,000 flight hours and a zero-incident safety record. He co-authored LAFD and FilmLA drone safety protocols.
Can I hire the aerial unit without the full production?
Yes, and most CineDrones work is exactly that — an aerial department dropped into a production someone else is running, with FAA authorization filed in-house and film permitting coordinated with the production team. Hiring the aerial unit does not commit you to anything else.
Cinematic Immunity — production and creator media. Salt Lake City · Las Vegas · Los Angeles · Worldwide. [email protected]
CineDrones — aerial cinematography. Hollywood, flying since 2013. FAA Part 107 certified, $5M aviation liability, Local 600 union and non-union crews. 310-905-9195.
