You are not hiring a drone. You are hiring the person flying it, the person pulling focus off it, and the paperwork that lets it leave the ground.
Atlanta runs more concurrent productions than almost anywhere, which means the operators who stay busy are the ones a line producer can actually reach when a unit drops out on Thursday. Availability wins work here as often as the reel does. We staff for that.
A CineDrones operator arrives as a unit, not a hobbyist with a case. FAA Part 107 certificated pilot, dedicated camera operator on the gimbal where the shot calls for it, visual observer, and the authorizations filed before the call sheet locks. We have worked on sets since 2013, which mostly means we know when not to fly — when the AD is behind, when the light is about to go, when the shot is better served by staying out of the way.
The Georgia Film Office coordinates statewide, and individual jurisdictions across the metro each run their own permit process. A production moving between the city, Fayette County and the studio campuses is moving between permitting authorities.
Atlanta's crew base grew faster than almost any market in the country and is genuinely deep now, but volume means the good people are booked. A unit that can confirm quickly is worth more here than one with a slightly better reel.
We shoot the downtown skyline, the studio campuses, and the Georgia countryside — and we travel. CineDrones works nationwide, so if your production is basing in Atlanta and shooting somewhere else entirely, that is a normal week for us.
DRONE OPERATOR — OTHER MARKETS: Albuquerque Austin Chicago Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami New Orleans New York Salt Lake City