Drone footage is video captured from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), providing sweeping aerial perspectives, elevated vantage points, and dramatic establishing shots that are impossible to achieve from the ground.
Drone cinematography has transformed video production by making aerial footage accessible and affordable. Previously, aerial shots required helicopters, cranes, or other expensive equipment. Modern cinema drones equipped with stabilized cameras can capture smooth, cinematic 4K or higher footage from virtually any altitude and angle, creating visuals that add scale, grandeur, and production value to any project.
Common drone shots include establishing reveals (flying over a landscape to reveal a building or location), top-down overheads (looking straight down for graphic compositions), tracking shots (following a subject from above), and orbit shots (circling around a point of interest). Each technique serves different storytelling needs — a slow reveal builds anticipation, while a fast tracking shot conveys energy and speed.
Drone footage requires careful planning regarding regulations, permits, weather, and safety. Most jurisdictions require licensed drone pilots and impose restrictions on flying near airports, over crowds, or above certain altitudes. A professional drone operator handles all regulatory compliance, carries appropriate insurance, and has the piloting skill to capture smooth, cinematic footage. When incorporating drone shots into a project, factor in the additional planning, weather dependencies, and potentially separate crew requirements.
B-roll is supplementary footage that is intercut with the primary footage (A-roll) to provide visual variety, context, and illustrative imagery that supports the main narrative.
A time-lapse is a technique where frames are captured at intervals much longer than standard video, then played back at normal speed, dramatically compressing hours, days, or months of change into seconds.
A tracking shot is a camera movement where the camera physically moves through space to follow, lead, or move alongside a subject, typically achieved using dolly tracks, a Steadicam, or a gimbal.