Most producers and UPMs who hire a drone operator for the first time approach the process the same way they would book any other vendor: confirm the availability, confirm the rate, add it to the call sheet. The drone operator shows up. The shoot happens.
That approach works until it does not. And when it does not, the problem usually traces back to the pre-production gap: something that was not confirmed, not permitted, not coordinated, not documented before the shoot day began.
Professional drone operation on a film or television production is a compliance-intensive activity. The FAA has rules about where drones can fly, when they can fly, and what documentation the operator must carry. Local permitting authorities have requirements about what is needed before an unmanned aircraft lifts off on a permitted production. Insurance requirements for named productions have specific structures that have to be set up in advance. None of this can be resolved on the morning of the shoot.
The document that organizes all of it is called a Plan of Activities.
What a Plan of Activities Contains
A Plan of Activities, POA, is the operational document that a professional drone operator prepares before every permitted shoot. It is submitted as part of the permitting package to FilmLA and any other relevant permitting authority, and it stays with the crew on shoot day as the complete reference for the operation.
A properly prepared POA includes:
Every location where the drone will operate. Not a general area. Specific locations, with addresses or GPS coordinates where relevant. If the production is shooting in multiple locations across a day, each location appears in the POA.
Time windows for each location. When the drone will be operational at each location, in the sequence the day will unfold. This information is cross-referenced with LAANC airspace authorization windows, which are tied to specific locations and time slots.
Aircraft information. The specific drone that will be flown at each location, identified by FAA registration number. If a backup aircraft may be substituted, that registration is also included.
Operator information. The name, FAA Remote Pilot Certificate number, and contact information for each operator on the crew. Currency of the certificate, meaning the pilot has completed the required recurrent training within the applicable window, is documented.
Insurance documentation. Proof of liability coverage at the required amounts, with the correct parties named on the policy. For most major productions, this means the production company, the studio, and often the location owner are all named as additional insureds. This is set up before the POA is finalized, not on shoot day.
Emergency procedures and safety protocols. How the crew handles equipment malfunctions, airspace incursions, or on-set safety situations. This section satisfies both FAA and permitting authority requirements.
The completed POA is a single document that any law enforcement officer, FilmLA inspector, or production safety supervisor can read and immediately understand what the drone operation is, who is doing it, where and when, and what their qualifications are. There is no need to make calls, verify credentials on-site, or wait for documentation that should have been prepared in advance.
Why Flexibility Is Built Into It
A POA that locks every detail down so tightly there is no room to adapt is not a useful operational document. It is a liability.
Productions change. Shot lists get modified. The director decides to move to a different angle. The location that was confirmed at 4 PM the day before is slightly different than what was planned when the permit was written. A professional drone operator writes a POA that covers these realities, specific enough to satisfy permitting requirements, structured with enough operational flexibility that a normal production day’s variations do not require emergency amendments.
We have been writing Plans of Activities since 2014. That experience shows up in the document: we know exactly how much specificity the FAA and FilmLA require, and we know how to build in the flexibility that keeps the day moving when production does what productions do.
How This Connects to the Three-Day Rule
The POA cannot be written without a confirmed location. The location drives the airspace check, which drives the LAANC authorization request, which has a specific window tied to a specific place and time. It also drives the insurance certificate, because the location owner may need to be named as an additional insured, and getting that certificate amended takes time.
This is why the three-day minimum lead time exists. Three business days from confirmed location to shoot day is the minimum that allows a properly prepared POA to be written, submitted, and approved without a last-minute scramble. We have done it faster when the relationship with FilmLA and the insurance broker allowed it. We have also seen productions get into trouble when the location was not confirmed until 24 hours out.
The three-day window is not an arbitrary preference. It is the time that the compliance process requires.
What This Means When You Are Evaluating Operators
When you are bringing on a drone operator for a production, ask whether they produce a POA for each shoot. A professional will know immediately what you are asking and will tell you what their document contains. An operator who has never heard the term is telling you something important about how they approach compliance.
The POA is not the most visible part of what we do. The shot is what you see. But the POA is what allows the shot to happen legally, safely, and on schedule.
Book a consultation to discuss your production’s aerial requirements.
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We produce a full Plan of Activities before every shoot: airspace, permits, FSO coordination, and equipment configuration. Three business days minimum lead time for Los Angeles productions.
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