Drone videography adds the moving shots that make a film feel big: a slow reveal of a lodge, a car on a mountain pass, a bride and groom walking out of a chapel seen from above, a factory at full shift. Across South Africa it is booked for weddings, tourism, adverts, music videos, documentaries and company films. Paid aerial filming needs a licensed pilot and a certified operator, and on larger shoots a camera operator as well. Send one request and drone video crews in your area quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation.
Kinds of aerial video work
Tell crews what the footage is for, because it changes the drone, the crew and the edit:
- Weddings and events: short aerial clips of the venue and the guests outside, flown at a safe distance and cut into the main film.
- Tourism and hospitality: slow, smooth reveals of lodges, game reserves, wine farms and coastline for websites and social media.
- Adverts, film and music videos: planned shots with a larger drone, often two operators (one flies, one runs the camera) and a production schedule.
- Corporate and industrial: plants, mines, logistics yards and building projects for company films and investor updates.
If you only need stills, a drone photography shoot costs less. For fast chase shots, ask whether the crew flies FPV drones.
Licences, permits and safe distances
All paid aerial filming in South Africa is commercial flying. The pilot needs a Remote Pilot Licence (RPL) and the company an RPAS Operator Certificate (ROC), so ask to see them, along with proof of liability insurance. Filming over crowds, public roads and busy beaches is restricted, which is why a good crew plans its flight paths around the guests rather than above them.
Locations need permission too. National parks, nature reserves, estates, stadiums and municipal land often need written consent or a filming permit, and some sites near airports are not available at all. Give crews the exact location early so they can check the airspace and the permits before quoting.
What drives the cost of a filming day
Drone videography is usually quoted by the day, at about R9,800 to R35,000. A single pilot with a folding drone for a few hours at a wedding sits near the bottom. A two-person crew with a heavy-lift cinema drone, spare batteries, travel, permits and a full production day sits near the top. Editing, colour grading, music licences and extra versions for social media are often priced separately, so ask.
Weather can cost a day. Wind on the coast, Highveld afternoon thunderstorms and winter haze all change plans, so ask how the crew handles a postponed shoot and whether a standby day is charged.
Briefing crews so quotes compare
Send each crew the same brief: the location, the date and time window, what the film is for, the length of the final cut, the shots you have in mind and whether you need ground filming too. Ask for a showreel with similar work, the frame rate and resolution they deliver, the crew size, who edits, how many revisions you get and when you receive the files. If you only need a drone and a pilot for your own production team, mention it: some operators quote a flying day without editing. Readers who want to fly for themselves can look at drone training first.
What to include in your request
- Location, date and time window
- What the film is for and its final length
- The shots you have in mind
- Whether you need editing and grading
- Venue or permit permissions already in hand
Drone Videography for different clients
- Hobbyists and families: aerial clips of a family celebration, a farm or a road trip, edited
- Farmers and growers: harvest, herd and landscape footage for a farm brand, a co-op or a tourism venture
- Estate agents and developers: walk-through style aerial films of developments, estates and commercial buildings
- Builders, engineers and installers: time-lapse style aerial updates of a project from groundbreaking to handover
- Mines, plants and utilities: plant, mine and logistics footage for company films, training and investor updates
- Photographers, film crews and agencies: wedding films, music videos, adverts and documentary shots from licensed crews
- Security companies and estates: aerial footage of a site layout for planning guard routes and camera coverage
- Municipalities, schools and NGOs: aerial video for municipal projects, school promotions and conservation campaigns
Frequently asked questions
How much does drone videography cost per day?
Can a drone film my wedding guests from above?
Who will actually reply to my request?
What should I get back after the shoot?
Drone Videography by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg