Most drone companies are one pilot and a marketing site. Productions find out which is which on the day.
A drone company that works New York is really a permitting company that also flies. Between the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, the City's own drone restrictions and three overlapping Class B footprints, the difference between a shoot that happens and one that does not is decided weeks before anyone loads a case.
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 come through the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, and aerial work sits on a separate track from a standard street permit. The City has been opening a narrow, structured pathway for permitted drone operations, which is exactly the kind of thing a producer needs a crew to already understand rather than research after the fact.
New York City is Class B three times over, boxed in by JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, with helicopter routes running the rivers below that. On top of federal airspace, the City has its own long-standing restrictions on where a drone may take off and land, enforced by NYPD rather than the FAA. Flying here legally is a two-agency problem.
We shoot the Manhattan skyline, the bridges, the boroughs, and the waterfront — and we travel. CineDrones works nationwide, so if your production is basing in New York 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 Los Angeles Miami New Orleans 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!