LOS ANGELES—Thirteen years ago, I set off to turn my dual-fascination with flying drones and filmmaking into a career. But as I started to fully explore the potential of this idea, the FAA started doubling down on regulations surrounding drone use, including making it mandatory to possess a “333 exemption” for commercial drone operation—which requires a full pilot’s license.
Unwilling to give up on my ultimate dream, I began flying for about a dozen drone companies a little over a year later. What I learned from that experience, combined with my own creative thinking for close proximity flying, led to what today is Beverly Hills Aerials—where we push the boundaries of aerial cinematography through innovation, efficiency and our unique talent.
When it comes to the cinema drones themselves, DJI has always been our preferred manufacturer. The brand not only provides reliable and accessible products, but each generation of their Inspire series drone includes substantial upgrades to the camera quality, sensors, and features that improve our workflow efficiency.
My experience with DJI dates all the way back to the first generation of DJI’s Phantom drone— the Phantom 1. These drones have played a substantial role in my journey to becoming Beverly Hills Aerials’ Chief Pilot, along with developing our business and our filmmaking practices and processes today. Our company has truly grown with DJI as they release new and improved cinema drones.
DJI Inspire 3
We use DJI’s latest iteration, the Inspire 3, for production most often right now—it’s both the most capable and versatile drone here at Beverly Hills Aerials. One of the most important upgrades of the DJI Inspire 3 for us is its camera sensors. With nine visual sensors, it provides a robust omnidirectional sensing system and comprehensive protection for flying.
Additionally, the DJI Inspire 3’s dual native ISO is extremely helpful for filming during the night or in darker settings. It allows our footage to be sharper than before, making for really beautiful low-light video. Its custom lens adapters also make it compatible with several lenses for different landscapes and conditions to capture a variety of settings.
The drone’s larger field of view is also particularly helpful for filmmaking, as it lets the pilot get closer to the subject, allowing for increased precision and confidence. The DJI Inspire 3’s O3 Pro video transmission system also lets the drone fly further without losing signal, getting shots we haven’t been able to before like unique air-to-ground clips. The drone is also compact and we can travel with it in a single case—ideal for when we have jobs outside of the Los Angeles area.
The DJI Inspire 3 has been instrumental when a smaller footprint matters for flying through tight spaces, around talent or when there are multiple location changes. For example, it’s been particularly useful when shooting content centered around automotives, and we’ve used it to produce several car commercials, including for Audi.
Spider-Man Noir
When filming longer-form productions including TV series and movies, the DJI Inspire 3 remains a top choice for us—you just can’t beat it. In fact, we use DJI’s Inspire 3 in nearly every TV show we shoot, including recently for Sony’s “Spider-Man Noir” and “9-1-1.”
Perhaps our most exciting use of the DJI Inspire 3 has been for the production of “Happy Gilmore 2”, which is set to release this year. We used it filming for the movie last fall, and its adaptability and ability to travel well made it a great choice for the New Jersey-based set.
DJI drones have truly been a game-changer throughout my journey and allowed me to bring my visions to life through exceptional footage. Due to their versatility and advanced features, they’ve been a dependable choice and will continue to be a key asset for us.
More information is available at www.dji.com.
