For productions

River Thames drone filming

Aerials over the river and past London’s landmarks, flown from our boats, with the airspace and the PLA’s permission handled before the day.

By the Cinecraft team: skippers and drone pilotsFacts checked 7 Oct 20262 min read

At a glance

We fly from our own boats: a clear deck to launch and recover from, and a skipper who holds the boat steady for the pilot.
The drone boat can be the camera boat too, or a second boat alongside it, depending on the shots.
Most of the river through central London sits inside protected airspace. We hold long-standing permissions and handle the rest.
We supplied the drone boats for 72 Films on series 2 of 007: Road to a Million.

Why fly from a boat

A boat puts the drone where the action is: over the river, beside the subject and away from the crowds on the bank. It moves with a tracking shot, launches where the bank has no access, and brings the drone back on deck without coming ashore.

It keeps the production together too. The pilot, the monitor and the director work from the same boat, out of the weather, while the skipper places it for each set-up.

Drone pilot with a controller on the aft deck of a boat on the Thames, London Bridge behind and a drone on the deck — Our aft deck by London Bridge: room to launch and recover over the water.

How we fly from our boats

Launch and recovery. Depending on the deck, the drone takes off from and lands on a clear hatch, or is launched and caught by hand.
The skipper holds position. The boat stays steady while the drone goes up and comes back, whatever the tide is doing.
Pilot and spotter. The pilot flies, and a spotter keeps eyes on the drone and the traffic around it.
One boat or two. Sometimes the drone boat and the camera boat are one, sometimes they are separate, with one boat in shot while the other flies. It depends on the operation and the shots.

Drone pilot on our RIB holding the controller, the live feed from the drone on its screen and the river behind — Flying from our RIB on the BTS ARIRANG shoot: the live feed on board, and the drone caught by hand at Westminster after dark.

Drone crew on our RIB catching a cinema drone by hand after dark, with Westminster Bridge and County Hall lit up behind — Flying from our RIB on the BTS ARIRANG shoot: the live feed on board, and the drone caught by hand at Westminster after dark.

What we film

Boats and ships under way, tracked from the water and the air
Skyline and landmark reveals, by day and night
Superyacht arrivals and Tower Bridge lifts
Events and activations on the water
The working river: tugs, tows, piers and riverside projects

The BTS ARIRANG installation on the Thames, three lit red discs on a barge under tow past Hungerford Bridge and the Golden Jubilee Bridges at sunset — An activation on the water: the BTS ARIRANG installation passing Hungerford Bridge at sunset, on our drone shoot for Triple B Productions.

From our jobsDrone boats for 007: Road to a Million72 Films brought us in on series 2 for Prime Video. We supplied the boats and skippers, including drone boats that gave the aerial team a stable deck to launch and recover from on the water.Read the job

The airspace

From Putney to Woolwich, almost all of the river sits inside a restricted area or an airport or heliport zone, and every flight from a boat needs the PLA’s drone application too. We hold long-standing permissions across London and handle the rest as part of the job. The airspace guide shows every zone on the map.

Qualified and covered

Every Thames skipper holds a Boatmaster Licence with PLA local knowledge, or the equivalent. Our drone work runs under a CAA Operational Authorisation, and we carry £10m public liability, professional indemnity, aviation and marine insurance.

Sources