Questions, answered

Drone filming for commercials and brand films, film and TV, real estate and architecture, hotels and wineries, events and construction progress. If your project falls somewhere in between, get in touch anyway. Some of the best work does.

Anywhere the project is. We’re based in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, so a lot of our shoots happen between Ojai and the Ventura coast, the Conejo and San Fernando Valleys, Malibu, the Westside and downtown LA. We travel regularly for the right project, in California and beyond; travel is simply part of the plan and the quote.

Please do. Reference frames, films and storyboards are the fastest way to agree on a look. We’ll tell you which shots work at your location and suggest alternatives where something isn’t possible or isn’t wise.

As early as you can. Some flights can be planned in a few days. Others need FAA authorization or film permits that take weeks. If your dates are fixed, mention them in your first message and we’ll tell you straight away whether the timeline works.

What you’re making, where, when and what you need delivered. References, a shot list and a budget range all help, but don’t worry if some of it is undecided. That’s what the consultation is for.

Much of the Los Angeles basin sits inside controlled airspace around airports like LAX, Hollywood Burbank, Van Nuys and Santa Monica, and in Ventura County around Camarillo, Oxnard and Point Mugu. Flying there needs FAA authorization. Some locations can be approved within minutes, others take longer, and a few are off limits. Send the address early and we’ll check before anything else.

Often, yes. In the City of Los Angeles, unincorporated Los Angeles County and many other cities, film permits are handled by FilmLA. In Ventura County, the county handles unincorporated areas and most cities issue their own. Shooting somewhere else? We’ll find out what the local rules are. Either way, we’ll tell you exactly what the aerial side requires so it can be included in your permit.

It depends who manages the land. National park land, including the NPS-managed parts of the Santa Monica Mountains, generally doesn’t allow drones to take off or land. California State Parks set rules park by park, and many city beaches have their own. We check every location and find a legal take-off spot, or a better location nearby.

Short-term no-fly zones the FAA puts in place for things like wildfires, stadium events and VIP visits. They’re common in Southern California and can appear with little notice. We check for them before every shoot and again on the day.

Wind, rain, fog and low cloud can all stop a flight or change the look. Along the coast the marine layer often sits until late morning, and Santa Ana winds can make inland canyons unflyable. We plan backup windows, and agree before the shoot how delays are handled.

Every shoot has a site-specific plan: take-off and landing areas, who stands where, and clear rules for when we will and won’t fly. Everyone on location gets a briefing, and the pilot’s call on safety is final.

Through a secure download link, organized and clearly named. Formats, resolutions and whether you get raw media, selects or a finished edit are agreed before the shoot.

Either. Many productions want raw media for their own editors; others want selects or a finished edit. We’ll confirm what’s included when we scope the job.

Tell us about the project through the consultation form. We’ll reply to arrange a call or video chat, talk through the idea, the locations, timing and deliverables, and outline next steps. There’s no obligation to book.

Nothing formal. A few lines about the project, some references, likely locations and dates, and a rough budget range will make the conversation more useful.