Since the start of 2019 aerial shooting in various cases becomes more practical when cranes or aircraft are impractical or unsafe. Like in a metropolitan city like gurgaon, if you are doing a corporate promotional film, use of helicopter is risky and expensive.
Any director will prefer drone as it gives better footage with low cost. Also corporate houses are not ready to take the cost of cranes and helicopters.
Not just DOPs or photographers love drone who deploy these magic wings to to get hard shots/angles, but also by location managers who look after sites, logistics etc
Here is one line said by a popular cinematographer Harish Jee “I can see a drone replacing the main ground camera in the next 10 years. Like in future drones will replace boom mikes or replace light batteries”
Drones will also help in vfx. Drones combined with LIDAR ( light and radar ) can produce a 3d map of the area. This can be used in the vfx software to alter the scene.
Drone will be able to do lots of things, but wait a minute. There is one big big big hurdle. Public safety and national security cannot give free hand for drone flying. This film industry moves at a fast pace and waiting for a long period is simply not feasable. The main point is corporate houses will never wait for any production to waste time on taking drone approvals. Also corporate companies in gurgaon and ncr have a tight fast deadline based work culture.India is maturing to drones. DGCA has laid down certain rules. Things are moving in right direction, but still national security is also important.
For flying in a different country drone rules can vary. Its advisable to do research befor going.
Filmmakers like the team at cuts & camera productions who use drones hope that eventually, as drones become more important and common and prove their safety, they will clear to the government many of the queries that are becoming obstruction in their nationwide adoption.
