Drone Industry Blog Aerial Filming Notes from Los Angeles Sets
Working notes on aerial filming and drone cinematography from a Los Angeles crew: FAA Part 107 compliance, airspace and night waivers, TFRs, heavy-lift camera platforms, and what actually happens on set. Written for the producers, coordinators, and camera crews who hire aerial units in Southern California.
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78 posts, newest first
Film & TV Production
Drone Shots in Music Videos: Planning Aerial Sequences That Survive the Edit
How music video aerial sequences get planned and flown: in-camera transitions, playback timing, matching the A-camera, and lessons from a VMA-nominated long-form video.
Film & TV Production
Documentary Drone Cinematography: What Three Netflix Docs Taught Us About Aerial Units for Nonfiction
What documentary productions need from a drone unit: small footprint, one-take discipline, travel readiness, and delivery specs. Notes from three Netflix documentaries.
Film & TV Production
Drone Insurance for Film Production: COIs, Additional Insureds, and What Production Actually Needs
What film productions need from a drone operator's insurance: aviation liability, COIs, additional insureds, waiver of subrogation, and the paperwork timeline.
Film & TV Production
Filming Off-Road Racing with Drones: What the Baja 1000, King of the Hammers, and Formula Drift Taught Us
How we film off-road racing with drones: multi-aircraft coordination, helicopter deconfliction, low chase angles, and the crew broadcast motorsports demands.
Film & TV Production
Drone TFRs in Los Angeles: How Temporary Flight Restrictions Affect Film Production
How Temporary Flight Restrictions affect drone filming in Los Angeles: stadium TFRs, wildfire TFRs, VIP movements, and how productions schedule around them.
Film & TV Production
Drone Filming at Venice Beach: LA County's Pilot Program for Film and TV Productions
How LA County's Venice Beach drone pilot program works for permitted film and TV: what the Board approved, what FilmLA requires, and the airspace over Venice.
Film & TV Production
How to Staff an Aerial Unit for a Los Angeles Shoot: The Producer's Vetting Checklist
How Los Angeles producers vet an aerial unit before the deal memo. Part 107 waivers, cinema payloads, insurance, airspace, crew structure, and rate sheets.
Gear
DJI Inspire 3 vs Freefly Alta 8: When Each Cinema Drone Wins
When to use the DJI Inspire 3 vs Freefly Alta 8 for film and TV production. Camera package, shoot environment, and cost decisions for LA aerial.
Film & TV Production
Drone Cinematography in Restricted LA Airspace: LAX, BUR, LGB, and VNY
Class B and Class C airspace mechanics around LAX, Bob Hope, Long Beach, and Van Nuys. LAANC authorization for LA film and TV production.
Film & TV Production
The Drone Producer's Compliance Checklist: Part 107, Night Waivers, LAANC, COIs
Part 107, night waivers, LAANC, COIs, and FilmLA permits. The compliance checklist producers should expect from any drone vendor in Los Angeles.
Film & TV Production
Aerial Cinematography for Director-Led Commercial Production
How aerial cinematography fits director-led commercial production. Working with Reset Content, Porch House, Furlined, and MALKA on premium spots.
Gear
Choosing the Right Drone for an ARRI Alexa Mini Package
Matching a heavy-lift drone to an ARRI Alexa Mini package. Freefly Alta 8, Inspire 3 with X9, payload math, and color matching for cinema production.
Film & TV Production
The Drone Department: Why Your Aerial Unit Should Operate Like Camera, Not Like a Vendor
Most aerial units are booked as vendors. The drone department model integrates with camera. What changes in pre-pro, shoot day, and delivery.
Gear
Cold Weather and Altitude: How They Cut Your Drone's Flight Time and What We Do About It
Cold weather and altitude cut drone flight time. Here is what that means for your LA shoot and how we plan around it before the call sheet.
Drone Blog
Why Camera Prep Saves Luxury Commercial Productions: What Almost Went Wrong on the YSL Libre Shoot
A burned-out gimbal, vintage Panavision lens motors stiff in the cold, focus rings needing maximum torque. What camera prep caught before the YSL Libre shoot.
Projects
Shooting the YSL Libre Campaign with Dua Lipa: ARRI Alexa Mini, Vintage Panavision Glass, and a Drone at the Grand Canyon
How we shot the YSL Libre campaign with Dua Lipa across Malibu, Santa Clarita, and the Grand Canyon: ARRI Alexa Mini on an Alta 8 with vintage Panavision glass.
Drone Blog
Night Flight Waivers for Drone Production: What They Are, How We Got Ours, and What It Means for Your Shoot
Night flight drone waivers require a separate FAA petition. What our waiver authorizes, what it took to get, and what it means for your night shoot in LA.
Projects
Flying Drones Alongside a Jetpack: What We Learned on the White Rabbit Project for Netflix
Our first Netflix production put a drone in the same airspace as a jetpack, two FAA-regulated aircraft coordinating in real time. Here is how it worked.
Drone Blog
What a Plan of Activities Is, and Why Your Drone Operator Should Hand You One Before Shoot Day
Most productions have never heard the term Plan of Activities. What it is, why a drone operator produces one before every shoot, and what it means on your day.
Real Estate
Aerial Cinematography for Hilltop Estates and Acreage Listings
When a luxury listing requires dual-operator aerial, Alta 8 heavy lift, and a different production package than a standard residential drone shoot.
Real Estate
Working with Drone Tech Aerial as Your Aerial Subcontractor
A B2B guide for LA real estate photographers. White-label aerial workflow, billing, raw deliverables, liability, and standing accounts.
Real Estate
FAA Part 107 and Malibu Airspace: What Listing Agents Need to Know
LAX TRACON, LAANC authorizations, NOTAMs, and TFRs explained for Malibu listings. A practical airspace guide for luxury real estate agents.
Real Estate
What Cinema-Grade Aerial Does for a Luxury Listing That a Mavic Cannot
Why an Inspire 3 with X9 full-frame produces aerial footage that reads differently on MLS than prosumer drone work. A technical breakdown for listing agents.
Production
How We Shot Background Plates for Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+
How Drone Tech Aerial served as second unit aerial on Percy Jackson and the Olympians for Disney+, shooting VFX background plates at Santa Monica Beach.
Drone Blog
We Lost Our Home and Our Business in the Woolsey Fire. Then We Built a Service to Help Others Who Did the Same.
We lost our home and our business in the 2018 Woolsey Fire. How that shaped the wildfire documentation service we offer homeowners and law firms in Malibu.
Drone Blog
I Authored One of the First FAA 333 Exemptions for Commercial Drone Operations. Here Is What That Means in 2026.
In 2013, before Part 107 existed, I authored one of the first FAA 333 Exemptions for commercial drone cinematography, without an attorney.
Drone Blog
The Real Cost of Drone Production in Los Angeles: FSOs, LAANC, and What Actually Shows Up on Your Budget
Film permits, fire safety officers, LAANC authorization, here is what drone production actually costs in Los Angeles, and what your budget needs to account for.
Drone Blog
How Drone Tech Aerial Became a Netflix Approved Drone Vendor
The real story behind Netflix’s drone vendor approval process, what it takes, why it matters on set, and why most operators can never get in the door.
Drone Blog
What to Look for in a Drone Company in Los Angeles
How to choose a drone cinematography company in Los Angeles: certifications, payload, permitting, and on-set experience to verify before booking.
Drone Blog
Heavy Lift Drones for Film Production in Los Angeles: When and Why
Heavy lift drone services for film and TV production in Los Angeles. Freefly Alta X for large cinema cameras. FAA licensed operators, DJI Inspire 3 available.
Drone Blog
Why Law Firms Should Use Drones for Homes Lost in the Southern California Wildfires
Why law firms use drone documentation for Southern California wildfire cases: mapping, measurements, and evidence for lost homes.
Production
What kinds of shots are possible with drones?
Will drones replace helicopters in filmmaking? Where each platform wins, and the shots drones have made possible for productions.
Production
What is the most most popular drone for video work?
There is no single most popular drone for film and TV. How to match the platform to the project, from the DJI Matrice to the Freefly Alta.
Production
A Few Quick Facts About the DJI Inspire 2 and X7 Super 35mm Camera
Key specs of the DJI Inspire 2 with the Zenmuse X7 Super 35 camera: sensor, codecs, lenses, and where it fits in production work.
Production
Bit Depth of a DJI X7 Super 35mm vs Red Komodo
Comparing bit depth of the DJI X7 Super 35 against the RED Komodo, and when a heavy-lift RED package is worth it over an integrated drone camera.
Production
Freefly Alta 6 vs Alta 8 vs Alta X: Cinema Drone Comparison
Compare Freefly Alta 6, Alta 8, and Alta X for cinema heavy lift. Payload specs, camera options, and flight performance for Los Angeles film production.
Production
Drone Failsafe Technology as a Safety Feature on Film, TV and Commercial Sets
How drone failsafe systems work on film, TV, and commercial sets: return-to-home behavior, redundancy, and pre-flight safety procedure.
Production
Freefly Alta X vs DJI Inspire 2 for film television and commercial production
Freefly Alta X vs DJI Inspire 2 for film and TV production. Payload, sensor support, flight time, noise, and use cases compared by a Los Angeles crew.
Production
DJI Inspire 2 VS Mavic 3 Cine for production use
How the DJI Inspire 2 and Mavic 3 Cine compare for production work: sensors, codecs, and which shoots each platform fits.
Production
Inspire 2 VS Phantom Pro- Which is the right choice?
Choosing between the DJI Inspire 2 and Phantom Pro for production work: camera options, portability, and cost.
Production
DJI Mini Drones for Smaller Jobs
Where DJI Mini drones fit on production: small jobs, tight interiors, and quick-turn shoots where a lighter aircraft is the right tool.
Production
How Drones Have Changed Film and TV Production
How drones changed film and TV production: more flexible camera movement, faster setups than cranes or helicopters, safer shoots, and higher image quality.
Drone Blog
Can drones replace jibs in film production?
Where drones can stand in for jibs on a film set, where they cannot, and how each tool earns its place in production.
Drone Blog
FPV in film and TV Overview
How FPV drones are used in film and TV production: what they capture that conventional drones cannot, and where they fit.
Drone Blog
Dual Operator v/s Single Operator and the Correct Application of Each
Single operator vs dual operator drone crews: what each setup is, and which fits your shot list and budget.
Drone Blog
Access is Everything! We Have Part 107 Airspace Waivers for the Los Angeles Area
Why FAA airspace waivers take time: a client request near the Hollywood Sign and how Part 107 waivers actually work in Los Angeles.
Drone Blog
In Defense of Small Drones
Why small drones earned a place in our kit: how consumer platforms grew from GoPro rigs into capable production tools.
Drone Blog
Full Service Advertisement Production from a Drone Company in Los Angles
End to end production for advertising and promotional media, specializing in action sports and motorsports, from a Los Angeles drone company.
Drone Blog
Making Ojai Look like Georgia from a Drone
How we made Ojai stand in for Georgia from the air: location scouting and drone cinematography in the greater Los Angeles area.
Entertainement
P!nk Live @ The American Music Awards 2018
Drone Tech Aerial covering P!nk's performance at the American Music Awards on ABC, flown under a Part 107 night waiver.
Production
LAFD Training Videos
Aerial cinematography for LACoFD training films, shot with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Production
Porch House Pictures
Aerial work for Porch House Pictures, including track filming for the Porsche Type 64 auction documentary.
Events
Lululemon Athletica-ivivva
Aerial work for an ivivva (lululemon athletica) brand shoot, flown by Drone Tech Aerial.
Events
City of Malibu 25 Year Anniversary
Aerial photography and video for the City of Malibu 25 year anniversary, flown by Drone Tech Aerial.
Entertainement
Open Campaign
Aerial cinematography for an Open Campaign production, flown by Drone Tech Aerial.
Production
Formula Drift
Drone coverage of Formula Drift for CBS Sports and Dust2Glory: tire smoke, street circuits, and chase angles only a drone can hold.
Production
King of The Hammers | Ultra4 Off Road Racing with Drone
Drone production and filming for the Ultra4 King of the Hammers. Unlimited off-road racing with drones and cameras at high speeds as well as rock crawling.
Production
SCORE San Felipe 250
Drone coverage of the SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race for SCORE Racing.
Entertainement
2017 AMA P!NK Performance Drone
Night waiver drone coverage of P!nk's live performance at the 2017 American Music Awards for Dick Clark Productions.
Drone Blog
Rover Skate Demo
Test footage from Rover, our drone camera car: a skate session shot low and fast from the ground rig.
Drone Blog
Flying with Multiple Drone Pilots at an Event
Filming qualifying for the 50th anniversary of the Baja 1000 in 2017 required coordinating multiple drone pilots to cover the race from different angles.
Demo Reels
2018 Demo Reel for Drone Service in Los Angeles and Southern California
2018 Demo Reel for Drone Service in Los Angeles and Southern California
Drone Blog
OSMO Pro/Raw Wired Video Adapter Review …No Brainer,Buy One!
Hands-on review of the DJI Osmo Pro RAW wired video adapter: direct connection to an Android device that flat out works.
Drone Blog
"Rover" Drone Camera Car Los Angeles
Take a look at building the most refined drone camera car in Los Angeles. No post stabilization required with this bad boy.
Drone Blog
First Official Drone Company of the SCORE BAJA 1000
Drone Tech worked with Brentwood Communications International Incorporated (BCII TV) and SCORE International Off-Road to become the first drone company
Drone Blog
Social Media Creation Utilizing Drone Footage
Drone Tech has been providing our clients in the Los Angeles area and beyond the ability to create daily social media content while shooting on location.
Production
Flying a Drone CBS Sports at the SCORE San Felipe 250
Filming the SCORE San Felipe 250 in Mexico: trophy trucks, desert racing, and an international-ready drone crew.
Drone Blog
We Have the FAA Part 107 Night Waiver for our Part 107 Legal Pilots
Drone Tech Aerial has the Part 107 Night Waiver to legally fly at night not just in Los Angeles but anywhere in the US with our legal drone pilots.
Demo Reels
Pro Racing Demo Reel 2017
A recap of our 2017 pro racing coverage, from the dust of the Baja 1000 and King of the Hammers to the tire smoke of Formula Drift.
Demo Reels
Late 2016 Demo Reel
Drone Tech Aerial demo reel from late 2016: aerial cinematography from film, TV, and commercial shoots across Southern California.
Drone Blog
Shooting 360 VR (GoPro) with a Drone
Flying a 360 VR camera rig over a citrus grove: an international client, a local FAA-exempt crew, and a virtual reality drone shoot.
Demo Reels
2016 Demo Reel
Drone Tech Aerial's 2016 demo reel: a year of aerial cinematography across film, commercial, and event work in Southern California.
Drone Blog
Flying a Drone Indoors in Los Angeles
When people visualize drone shots, they think high and away, wide landscape shots. Here at the Los Angeles drone company, Drone Tech Aerial, we think that
Drone Blog
Hiring a Drone Company for your Next Production? Here is Your Guide to Getting a Qualified Company and Permit..
A producer's guide to hiring a qualified drone company: how to vet operators, verify credentials, and get the permits right.
Drone Blog
Drone Tech Aerial Cinematography (DTAC) An FAA exempt drone operator in LA
The origin of Drone Tech Aerial: an FAA exempt drone company built in Malibu from a passion for aircraft and quality video.
Drone Blog
LA Drone Company, Drone Tech Aerial Cinematography, Goes FAA Exempt in 2015
Year in review 2015: Drone Tech Aerial secures a Section 333 FAA exemption and commercial drone insurance.
Drone Blog
Our Story as Seen in The Malibu Surfside News
The Malibu Surfside News tells the story of how Drone Tech Aerial started: inspiration, failures, and building a legal drone company early.