Some things can only be shown from the air, and some only across months. Aerial work gives a project its site and its skyline; timelapse gives it a record of how it came to exist. Both are logistics problems as much as camera problems.
Developers and contractors who need documented progress for stakeholders, investors and marketing, not just for the site file.
Architects who need a completed building shown in its wider context.
Agencies and brands needing aerial plates as part of a larger production.
Clearance comes first. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia the permission to fly a particular airspace on a particular day is the constraint that decides whether a shoot happens at all, so we resolve it before scheduling anything else.
For timelapse we plan the camera position for the whole build programme, not just the current phase, so the sequence holds together from groundwork to handover.
Aerial coverage places a project in its context: the approach, the masterplan, the relationship to a coastline or a skyline. For tall or dense sites it is often the only way to show the scheme as a whole.
We fly for composition rather than for the sake of altitude. In practice that means planned moves, matched to the ground coverage, at the same time of day the rest of the shoot is scheduled around.
A construction timelapse is a long-run commitment: a fixed camera position, maintained power and connectivity, and a consistent frame held for months or years. Get the position wrong at the start and the sequence never recovers.
The output is used two ways. Internally it is a progress record for programme and stakeholder reporting. Externally it becomes launch and handover content, which is usually where the budget justifies itself.
Filming from the air in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is regulated, and the requirements differ by emirate, by city and by proximity to controlled airspace. Downtown Dubai, the Marina, and much of central Riyadh each carry their own constraints.
We handle the clearance process as part of pre-production, including site-specific permissions on secured and restricted locations. Where airspace cannot be cleared, we will say so early rather than discover it on the day.
We take aerial & timelapse commissions across the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, and across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, AlUla, NEOM and Diriyah. Travel, permits and local crew are arranged as part of the production.
Yes. We operate with the required civil aviation permissions in both countries and arrange the site and airspace clearances for each specific shoot.
It depends entirely on the location. A straightforward site can clear in days; controlled airspace, central districts and secured locations need considerably longer. We advise on realistic lead times at briefing.
For the length of the build. We have set up positions intended to run across multi-year programmes, with maintenance visits scheduled through the period.
Yes, and that is the usual arrangement. Aerial is generally one part of a larger shoot rather than a service booked on its own.
Yes. We work across Saudi Arabia including the giga-project and heritage sites, where access and permissions are arranged with the relevant authority in advance.