Sometimes the drone is not the camera. It is the lamp you could not otherwise get into position.
Night exteriors in the Quarter have to preserve a look that is largely about existing practical light. Aerial lighting here is used sparingly and precisely — a motivated source added above, rather than a wash that flattens what the location already gives you.
Airborne lighting units standing in for a helicopter searchlight, moonlight over a wide exterior, a police spot, or a source that has to move with the shot. On night exteriors where a condor cannot reach or cannot get there in time, an aerial unit puts the light exactly where the DP wants it and moves it between setups in seconds.
Summer humidity and near-daily afternoon storms compress the usable window badly from June to September. Autumn through spring is the working season, and Mardi Gras reshapes the entire city's logistics for weeks.
Louisiana's incentive program built a real crew base here, and Second Line Stages anchors it. Productions come for a look that cannot be faked anywhere else, which puts a premium on aerial work that actually uses the geography.
We shoot the French Quarter, the river, the bayou, and the Garden District — and we travel. CineDrones works nationwide, so if your production is basing in New Orleans and shooting somewhere else entirely, that is a normal week for us.
Lighting units sized from a moving practical to a wide-exterior source, flown on airframes built for the weight.
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 →
Enough to serve as a motivated source over a wide exterior, though a condor still wins on raw sustained output. The advantage is position and speed: light exactly where the DP wants it, moved between setups in seconds.
Night operations are part of what we are approved for. Night is also when the airspace is quieter, which sometimes makes authorization easier rather than harder.
When access beats output — a location a lift cannot reach, a source that has to move with the shot, or a schedule where rigging time you do not have is the real constraint.
AERIAL LIGHTING — OTHER MARKETS: Albuquerque Atlanta Austin Chicago Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami 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!