Drone filming,
planned before it leaves the ground.
Aerial video and photography of premises, sites, projects and events, flown within the Civil Aviation Authority’s rules and fully insured.
A drone shows what a camera on the ground cannot: the size of a site, how a building sits in its surroundings, the progress of a project from one month to the next. Getting that shot legally means checking the airspace, the people nearby and the permissions before the drone comes out of its case.
Drone Filming is part of our Content Creation service, flown during Content Visits or on its own for a site, a project or an event. Flights are planned from our Norwich office and flown across Norfolk and beyond.
Every flight, planned on paper first.
Before the day, we check the airspace for flight restriction zones around airfields and any other restrictions, request permission where it is needed, and agree the take-off and landing points with whoever owns the land. We also map who will be nearby, because how close a drone may fly to people depends on the drone and on the pilot’s qualifications.
On the day, the site and the weather are checked again before take-off. If it is not safe or legal to fly, we do not fly, and the flight is moved.
What drone filming covers.
Aerial work is planned around the site and what the footage is for. The plan sets out which of these a shoot needs, and why.
Aerial video
Moving shots of the premises, the site or the work, for brand films, reels and the website.
Aerial photography
Stills of buildings, land and projects from above, for the website, brochures, proposals and the press.
Project progress
The same viewpoints flown at intervals, so a development can be shown from groundworks to handover.
Property, land and estates
How a site sits in its surroundings, with its access and boundaries, seen from above.
Outdoor events
The scale of the day from above, flown within the rules on distances from people.
Flight planning and permissions
Airspace checks, requests to fly in restricted zones, and landowner agreement, all settled before the shoot.
Editing and grading
Aerial footage colour matched to the ground footage, so the two cut into the same film.
Insurance
Every flight fully insured, alongside public liability and professional indemnity cover.
Plan.
Before the day.
We study the site on the map, check the airspace and any restrictions, and agree where the drone will take off and land and what it needs to capture.
Permissions are in place before the shoot is confirmed.
Check.
On arrival.
The site, the weather and the people nearby are checked again, and anyone who needs to know about the flight is told.
The drone goes up only when every check is clear.
Fly.
The flight.
The drone is kept in the pilot’s direct sight throughout, flying the shots on the plan at the heights and distances the rules allow.
Nothing is flown that was not on the plan.
Edit.
Afterwards.
Footage and stills are edited and graded to match the rest of the shoot, and delivered with the other files.
Aerial shots go into the library for later use.
Drone Filming, in practice.
All Projects
Questions about drone filming.
What does drone filming include?
Flight planning and permissions, the flight itself, aerial video and photography, and editing so the footage matches the rest of your film or shoot.
Can a drone be flown near people and buildings?
Within limits. The UK rules set how close a drone may fly to people who are not involved, and whether it may fly in built-up areas, based on the drone’s class mark or weight and the pilot’s qualifications. We plan each flight around those limits, and if a shot would need more than the rules allow for that flight, we say so before the day.
What do drone pilots need in the UK?
For most drones flown outdoors, the pilot needs a Flyer ID, from passing the CAA’s theory test, and the organisation responsible needs an Operator ID, which is labelled on the drone. Flying near people under the Near People (A2) rules also needs an A2 Certificate of Competency, and flying beyond the Open Category needs an Operational Authorisation from the CAA.
Are you insured to fly?
Yes. We hold drone insurance, alongside public liability and professional indemnity cover. Anyone flying a drone for work in the UK must have third-party insurance as a minimum.
Can you fly near an airport or airfield?
Only with permission. Most airports and airfields are surrounded by a flight restriction zone, where a drone may fly only with permission from air traffic control or the aerodrome operator. We check for these zones when planning, and request permission early, because it can be refused.
Do you need the landowner’s permission?
To take off and land, yes. The person or organisation that owns the land must agree, so we arrange it in advance, whether the take-off point is on your site or a neighbour’s.
What happens if the weather is wrong?
We do not fly. Strong wind and rain make a flight unsafe and the footage unusable, so the forecast is checked in the days before and again on arrival, and the flight is moved if it needs to be.
What about the neighbours’ privacy?
Flights are planned to capture your site, not the people around it. The rules require pilots to respect people’s privacy, and we avoid filming anyone identifiable who is not part of the shoot.
How is it priced?
Every engagement has a defined scope and a stated fee, agreed in writing before any work begins. Tell us where you’re going and we’ll tell you what it would involve.
Alongside Drone Filming.
All of Content CreationReady to talk about your next stage of growth?
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