Tag: filming

We’re absolutely thrilled at Hover UAV to introduce one of our clients, Profly Cinema! The team at Profly Cinema, fuelled by their relentless creativity and passion, have been collaborating closely with our team, leading to an extraordinary achievement – securing close proximity approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority!

Profly Cinema was founded by two world-class drone racing pilots Ben Mortensen and Rudi Browning. Ben and Rudi are highly skilled pilots having won FAI World Championship titles in 2018 and travelled extensively around the world racing drones at the highest competitive levels. When Covid put an end to international travel and racing, they transitioned their dynamic piloting skills to the film industry.

For over twelve months we have been consulting with Profly Cinema to develop their manuals and procedures which has led to a number of CASA approvals that allow them to legally fly their drones with First Person View (FPV), conduct extended visual line (EVLOS) of site operations, fly at night, and in close proximity to talent.

Chief remote pilot Ben Mortensen said “Our piloting skills and film experience have rapidly earned us a reputation in the industry as the ‘go-to pilots’ for specialised drone operations. With our CASA approvals, we can legally conduct drone operations in a safe and controlled environment for our clients and capture unique, creative, and engaging shots. We’ve invested heavily in our systems, procedures, and the latest drone technology.” Profly Cinema offers a comprehensive range of drone services, featuring state-of-the-art platforms such as the Inspire 3 with RTK, Cinema FPV, Gimbal FPV, GoPro FPV, and Close Proximity Drones.

Ben said “Given the complex legislative requirements regarding RPAS operations in Australia, it’s been great to have the support of the team at Hover UAV. Their legislative knowledge of the industry is second to none. As we are rapidly expanding they have also helped us with some workload by handling CASA applications and negotiations on our behalf.”

Rudi Browning explained “We identified a gap in the Australian market” and “It was a natural progression for us to go from drone racing to film. Racing allowed us to develop the skills to fly and perform under pressure. We can now transform that skill and deliver creative content for the film industry.” When asking Rudi what it’s like working in the film and TV industry, Rudi said “It’s so much fun. We get to travel to amazing locations and work with amazing people.” Rudi also says “It comes with incredibly long hours and can be stressful. Sometimes you only have one chance to get the shot, so you need to be on your game. Plus, flying a drone through the air with a $50K camera on board is not for everyone, so you need to be confident with what you do and have the equipment and skills to match.” 

Rudi and Ben also spend their time educating school students about drone safety, highlighting and promoting CASA’s Know Your Drone Campaign. “We love to share our story about what it’s like being a professional drone pilot and how we’ve turned our passion into a career,” Ben and Rudi said. “Kids see some of the stuff we do and the cool shots we get with a drone, but it’s important for the general public to understand we have special approvals and procedures in place to do what we do and it’s done in a controlled environment. It’s important that drone pilots understand they need to remain 30 meters from people, and that’s why we like to help educate future upcoming drone pilots.”

Hover UAV are proud to work with the team at Profly Cinema and help them achieve their goals and we look forward to seeing some more of their work on the big screen. They are in a unique position within the film industry by having truly world-class pilots headlining the company’s operations.

You can check out their work at www.proflycinema.com