Most drone companies are one pilot and a marketing site. Productions find out which is which on the day.
Los Angeles has more drone companies than any city on earth and a very short list that studios will actually hire. The filter is not creative, it is procurement: an approved vendor packet, a $5M aviation policy the risk department accepts, and crews who have been on a lot before. We have been through that process with the majors since 2013.
CineDrones has been a working aerial department since 2013, with the depth to put multiple units on a show and the insurance and permitting infrastructure a studio production office needs before it can hire you at all. We handle it end to end: airspace authorization, permits, the shoot itself, and delivery in whatever format post is expecting.
Film permits for the City and County of Los Angeles run through FilmLA, and a drone unit adds requirements a ground-only permit does not carry. Nearly everything worth shooting also sits inside the Thirty Mile Zone, which changes how your day is budgeted before a single rotor turns.
Los Angeles is one of the hardest places in the country to fly legally. The basin sits under LAX Class B, and inside that footprint you are also threading Burbank, Van Nuys, Santa Monica, Long Beach and Hawthorne. Most of the city a production actually wants to shoot sits in controlled airspace with low or zero-foot LAANC ceilings, which means authorization is a planning problem, not a formality.
We shoot the Hollywood sign, downtown, the coastline from Malibu to Palos Verdes, and the studio lots — and we travel. CineDrones works nationwide, so if your production is basing in Los Angeles and shooting somewhere else entirely, that is a normal week for us.
A full toolkit rather than one aircraft: cinema payloads, FPV, heavy lift, prop and stunt builds, and aerial lighting.
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 →
It is a procurement process, not a creative one. Risk management reviews your insurance, safety record and operating procedures before a production office is allowed to hire you. We have been through it with the majors since 2013.
Yes. Multi-unit days are normal for us, and having a second aircraft on standby is often cheaper than losing an hour to a battery swap or a downed aircraft.
A $5M aviation liability policy, with certificates issued to the production naming whoever your legal department needs named. That is usually the first question a UPM asks and the one that ends most conversations with smaller vendors.
DRONE COMPANY — OTHER MARKETS: Albuquerque Atlanta Austin Chicago Las Vegas 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!