The Producers Guild of America (PGA) warned filmmakers about using drones on set during the recent “Produced By” conference, the Hollywood Reporter says. Drone cameras “are used regularly without proper insurance; It’s illegal and [regulators] are starting to prosecute people,” Hub Entertainment Insurance’s managing director Christie Mattull told the crowd.
In a session about safety – and liability – on film sets, drones were pointed out as a risky tool for filmmakers. “Drones are highly regulated and you have to make sure you have FAA permission, insurance. … There shouldn’t be any cheap drone operators. You need three people, and insurance starts at $5,000 a day,” the Reporter quotes Legendary Entertainment’s VP of Production Safety Jim Economos.
Despite the PGA’s warnings- and messages from insurance providers and production safety specialists – according to the results of Motherboard’s recent FOIA request on drone penalties, there have not been any fines levied against commercial drone operators in any application to date. Because they are vastly less expensive and more nimble than helicopters, drones are growing rapidly in popularity as a production tool; and the industry has room to expand.
By October of last year, the Los Angeles Times reported, the city of Los Angeles had issued over 60 drone permits for filming – only a year after the FAA began allowing them for the first time. Prior to the FAA’s decision to allow drones on film sets, drones were commonly used in South America and other countries, the Times says.
While only around 10% of U.S. productions are using drones currently, the numbers are expanding rapidly. That’s because even with the ridiculous insurance costs quoted above, a drone and crew can work for less than half of the estimated $25,000 per day that a helicopter costs to get similar aerial shots. And drones – smaller, lighter, and more nimble – can get shots that really can’t be achieved by other methods.
If the FAA were to allow night flight and remove current restrictions about using drones only on a closed production set, the drone filming industry could explode in numbers – despite dire warnings from the PGA.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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