DRONE VIDEO SERVICES
Aerial Cinematography
I provide aerial footage for commercial, corporate, documentary, event, and agency-led productions where the drone work is part of the production plan.
For me, drone footage is not just about getting the camera in the air. It is about knowing why the shot matters, how it fits the edit, how it works with the rest of the footage, and how to fly safely around people, locations, schedules, and production realities.
I’m licensed and insured and have been flying drones commercially since the technology first became available. Since then, my aerial work has included major live events, national brands, documentary-style productions, feature-film work, and professional shoots throughout Wisconsin and beyond.
Aerial footage that belongs in the production
A good aerial shot usually does not need to announce itself as a drone shot.
There is a place for the big move - the wide reveal, the dramatic establishing shot, the scale of a venue, crowd, facility, or landscape. When the project calls for that, I can capture it.
But often, the best aerial work is more subtle. A slow rise. A controlled reveal. A move that feels like a jib, crane, or high-angle camera position. A perspective that helps the story without pulling attention away from it.
That is where experience matters. The job is not just to fly. The job is to know what kind of aerial shot the production actually needs.
Experience with large events, film, broadcast, and controlled environments
My production and drone work has appeared on Amazon Prime, Netflix, local broadcast networks, and national outlets including PBS, CBS, NBC, and A&E.
That experience includes aerial footage for major Wisconsin events such as Harley-Davidson Homecoming and Summerfest, with crowd shots of more than 70,000 people. Those shoots required planning, coordination, timing, communication, and a clear understanding of how drone work fits into a larger event environment.
I have also shot drone footage for a feature film. On that production, the work required the same kind of judgment that matters on any professional set - knowing the shot, working with the crew, managing the aircraft, and staying focused on what the final scene needed.
Another unusual project involved filming on Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport property. Every flight was coordinated live with the airport control tower, including flights over aircraft at the gates and around the tower itself. Getting the right sunset shot through the tower glass took several cleared flights, each one timed and approved with the tower.
Common projects include:
Commercial and corporate productions
Agency and production company shoots
Brand films and documentary-style projects
Large events and live venues
Industrial, construction, and facility b-roll
Broadcast-style productions
Projects where timing, safety, location access, and coordination matter
Built for professional shoots
My drone work is a good fit for productions where aerial footage needs to be planned, coordinated, and captured with the same care as the rest of the shoot.
I often provide drone footage as one part of a larger shoot. That may mean combining aerials with interviews, b-roll, event coverage, or other production work. It may also mean working as a dedicated drone operator alongside another crew.
Either way, the goal is the same: capture aerial footage that serves the final video.
A drone operator who understands cameras, coverage, and crews
I have spent more than 30 years working as a videographer, Director of Photography, and production professional. That changes how I approach drone work.
I am thinking about movement, composition, continuity, lighting, edit points, lens feel, safety, location restrictions, and how the aerial footage will cut with everything else being shot that day.
That matters on professional productions.
Sometimes the drone shot is the hero shot. Sometimes it is a quiet transition. Sometimes it is simply the one angle the ground camera cannot get. Knowing the difference is part of the job.
2013 - Feature-film production work in Milwaukee with Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings. Taken shortly after my drone flight.
Available for productions throughout Wisconsin
I am based in southeastern Wisconsin and regularly work throughout Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, and the surrounding region.