Benjamin Carter

I spent the last three months flying every FPV drone I could get my hands on, crashing plenty of them in the process, and shooting hundreds of clips in backyards, warehouses, and rooftops. The goal was simple: figure out which are the best FPV drones for cinematic shots in for real filmmakers, not just spec-sheet … Read more

Looking for the best DJI drones for filmmakers in ? Our team spent three months flying eight different DJI models across documentary shoots, commercial gigs, and indie film projects to bring you this guide. The aerial footage game has changed dramatically, and the right drone now does work that used to require a helicopter rig … Read more

When I started flying drones for film clients back in 2018, my kit consisted of a single consumer quadcopter and a prayer. Fast forward to , and the professional drones for aerial cinematography on this list now shoot full-frame 8K RAW, hold 51 minutes of flight time, and transmit rock-steady HD video 30km back to … Read more

I have shot weddings with five different drones over the past three years, and the right aircraft for the job is rarely the most expensive one. The best drones for wedding videography balance image quality, deployment speed, and discretion, because on a wedding day, every minute counts and loud props can ruin a quiet moment. … Read more

When I started shooting my first feature-length documentary three years ago, I spent the entire first day stuck on the ground with a tripod while my cinematographer got every aerial shot. We promised ourselves we would never shoot another project without a proper drone in the kit. Since then, our team has flown 14 different … Read more

I still remember the first time I flew a drone for a short film in . I was a one-person crew on a rainy morning shoot for a narrative short, and a $400 Mini-class drone gave me a sweeping establishing shot that would have cost me a full day with a rented jib. That single … Read more

Filmmakers don’t get a second take when a drone clips a tree branch. I learned that the hard way on a wedding shoot a few years ago when my non-avoidance drone kissed a string of patio lights and dropped into a fountain. That disaster pushed our team to rebuild our entire aerial kit around obstacle … Read more

When I started scouting for long-range drones for aerial video three years ago, I had no idea how dramatically the category would shift. The drones on this list deliver transmission ranges from 6km to a staggering 30km, with cinema-grade sensors that hold their own next to ground-based mirrorless cameras. I have flown most of these … Read more

I spent the last three months flying twelve different drones across mountains, coastlines, and deserts to find the best drones for cinematic landscape shots you can buy in . My goal was simple: capture the kind of sweeping aerial footage that makes viewers stop scrolling and start dreaming. Some drones delivered cinema-grade results that looked … Read more

Filmmakers chasing the kind of shots you cannot fake on a soundstage need underwater drones. The best underwater drones for filmmaking today go well beyond snorkeling cams, diving past scuba limits, holding steady in currents, and recording broadcast-quality 4K with proper stabilization. After spending weeks piloting eight ROVs through murky lakes, clear ocean water, and … Read more