Just over a decade ago, there existed a blanket ban on all commercial drone usage across the United States. Fast forward to today, that ban has thankfully been lifted. We’ve since witnessed drones and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) playing increasingly vital roles in the production of many of Hollywood’s biggest film blockbusters. In addition to their inherent cost savings, camera-equipped drones also offer new and exciting creative possibilities for directors, directors of photography (DPs), and cinematographers.
Drones in Film & Moves Statistics
- As of May 2022, 855,860 drones are currently registered with the United States Federal Aviation Administration
- 37% of the drones registered with the FAA (316,075) are for commercial operations (which filming falls under)
- As of 2021, the filming & photography drones segment held the largest share of the commercial drones market (per Fortune Business Insights)
- According to the FAA, the number of commercial drones is expected to double by 2024
- The commercial drones market is projected to reach $47.38 billion by 2029 (per Fortune Business Insights)
- Drones being flown must be within the operator’s line of sight and must not exceed an altitude of 400 feet
Drones Use Cases in Film
Ever since the ban on commercial drone use lifted a decade ago, many Hollywood film and television productions have leveraged drones to supplement and/or replace legacy filming equipment like camera cranes, jib arms, car-mounted U-Cranes (a.k.a. chase cars, motocranes, Russian Arms, etc.), as well as helicopter-mounted camera packages.
In addition to capturing stunning aerial footage for establishing shots and adrenaline-pumping action sequences, drones also open up a world of creative possibilities for directors, DPs, and cinematographers. Their compact size, maneuverability, and significantly lower cost allow film and television productions to create shots that were previously either impossible, extremely dangerous, or cost-prohibitive to achieve using the aforementioned legacy filming equipment. Furthermore, productions have increasingly begun to rely upon drones for pre- and post-production use as well, such as remote location scouting, aerial 3D mapping and scanning, story development, building shot lists, etc.
Drones Cost Savings in Hollywood Productions
Car-mounted U-Cranes (a.k.a. chase cars, motocranes, Russian Arms, etc.) can cost an average of $200,000 to $550,000 to build out (including vehicle, crane, as well as the various built-in filming equipment). Rental prices typically start at around $5,000 to $10,000 a day. This varies depending on the rental company as well as the equipment included on each vehicle and does not include insurance and the day rates for the driver, crane operator, camera operator, etc.
Additionally, the price to build out a camera-equipped helicopter is even higher still. The helicopter alone can cost anywhere between $500,000 to multiple millions, not to mention the cinema camera packages which can cost as much as some supercars as well. Renting a helicopter equipped with cinema cameras will typically set you back at least $25,000 per day, plus an additional $8,000-$10,000 for the crew, equipment, camera system, and insurance. Camera drones cost a pittance to own by comparison, and productions can hire camera drone crews for as little as $5,000 per day.
Examples of Drones in Film and TV
Below are a small selection of notable films and tv shows that have utilized drones as part of their production:
Films:
- Ambulance (2022)
- Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
- Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
- Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
- No Time to Die (2021)
- Red Notice (2021)
- The Harder They Fall (2021)
- West Side Story (2021)
- The Greatest Showman (2017)
- Skyfall (2012)
While very popular in action films and quick-moving sequences, drones can truly serve any type of filming type. Additionally, they notably add an aerial dimension to shots and can provide safety and shooting benefits for crews.
Television Shows:
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
- Severance (2022 – Now)
- Ted Lasso (2020 – Now)
- Killing Eve (2018 – 2022)
- Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018 – Now)
- Ozark (2017 – 2022)
- The Handmaid’s Tale (2017 – Now)
- Stranger Things (2016 – Now)
- The Crown (2016 – Now)
- Westworld (2016 – Now)
Big-budget productions, as well as lower-budget films and shows, have integrated drones into their shot plans. Finally, learn more about the growing popularity of drones and their different applications at Adorama Drones.
