I'm Aaron Lieber, a director and cinematographer in San Clemente, Orange County, and I fly my own DJI Mavic 4 Pro under an FAA Part 107 license. The aerials come from the same person who shoots the ground and water package, so they are graded to cut with everything else. When the shot is bigger than a drone, I coordinate a helicopter with a Shotover gimbal.
Most productions hire aerials as a separate line item: a drone operator who shows up, flies, hands over cards, and leaves. The footage often looks like it came from a different film, because it did. When the director-cinematographer on the ground is also the pilot, the aerials are planned in the same shot list, lit by the same sun at the same hour, and graded in the same pass.
That is how I work. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is part of an owner-operated package that also includes a RED V-Raptor, a Nikon ZR, Zeiss CP.2 primes, and a custom water housing. A DJI Transmission video village lets the client and agency see what the camera sees. Aerial coverage is flown by a licensed pilot with a Part 107 certificate, so brand productions fly legal, and drone operations are covered under Part 107 and additional aviation liability.
The owned Mavic 4 Pro covers the aerial wides most brand, athlete, and coastal shoots need, flown by the same person running the ground camera. No extra crew line, no handoff.
When the shot is bigger than a drone, I bring in a helicopter with a Shotover gimbal. That is how the Jaws sequence in Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable was made.
On ocean shoots, aerials run alongside the in-water unit and the long lens on the cliff. One creative voice across all three. More on the water cinematography page.
Bethany surfed Jaws. I built a water-safety team, coordinated multiple operators, and put a Shotover gimbal on a helicopter. I conceived and shot the helicopter sequence. The film premiered at Tribeca and now streams on Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
Custom housing in the lineup, helicopter and Shotover overhead, water-safety team built and briefed. Getting the camera where most rigs can't go, 2008 to 2026, cut into one reel.
Aerials are written into the same shot list as the ground and water coverage, so every flight has a job in the edit.
Locations scouted from all three angles, with the flight plan built around the light, the tide, and the talent's schedule.
Flown under Part 107 by the director-cinematographer who is also running the ground camera.
Aerials graded in the same pass as the ground package, delivered in every aspect ratio the campaign needs.
Send the location, the shots you need from the air, the dates, and the budget. I'll come back with an aerial plan that cuts with the rest of the film.
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