Search for aerial cinematography services near me and you will get a long list of drone operators, real estate photographers, and hobbyists who bought a camera drone last month. Sorting through them is hard, because the work looks similar in a thumbnail. The differences show up later, when a shoot needs a waiver, a night flight, a crowd, a crane in the frame, or a firm deadline.
Nashville Drone Co is a commercial drone photography and video production company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded and is operated by Keith Stancil, an FAA Part 107 certified pilot with over two decades of professional entertainment marketing experience. The company serves 15 Middle Tennessee cities and has flown for developers, builders, brands, event producers, and entertainment clients. This article explains what aerial cinematography really involves, how Nashville Drone Co approaches it, and what you should expect when you hire a crew.
What Aerial Cinematography Actually Means
Aerial photography captures a still image from above. Aerial cinematography builds a moving story with the camera in the air. The difference comes down to planning, motion, and finishing. A cinematic drone shot has a start point, an end point, a speed, and a reason for existing. It might rise past a building facade to reveal the skyline behind it, track along a ridge line as the sun clears the trees, or push toward a stage as a crowd fills in.
Good aerial cinematography also depends on what happens after the flight. Footage is shot with the edit in mind, color corrected so clips match, graded for mood, and cut to music or a script. When a company sells drone clips with no thought about how they will be used, you get B-roll. When a company shoots for the finished piece, you get film. Nashville Drone Co treats every project as the second kind. Before the drone leaves the case, the team talks through where the video will run, who needs to see it, and what the footage must accomplish, whether that is selling units, documenting progress, promoting an event, or supporting a music release.
The Experience Behind the Camera
Keith Stancil built a career in entertainment marketing that now spans over two decades. That background shapes how the company works. Entertainment marketing teaches you to think about the audience first, to hit deadlines tied to releases and events, and to stay calm around artists, producers, and crews who each have their own priorities. The company’s roots are in music and film. Early aerial cinematography work includes the Wynonna Judd film Between Hell & Hallelujah and multiple major label music videos. From there the work grew into commercial real estate, high rise construction, live events, and brand storytelling. Today the same attention to composition carries over to a concrete pour at dawn or a 60-story tower at night.
FAA Compliance and Safety
Any company offering aerial cinematography for hire in the United States must hold a Part 107 remote pilot certificate. Keith Stancil is Part 107 certified, and Nashville Drone Co carries liability insurance. That matters because property owners, general contractors, and venues often require proof of coverage before they allow a drone on site.
Nashville can be a complicated place to fly. Parts of the metro area sit inside controlled airspace around Nashville International Airport, and downtown combines dense development, temporary flight restrictions during major events and heavy pedestrian activity. Nashville Drone Co plans each flight around airspace authorizations, altitude limits, and site conditions before arriving.
For events, the company has gone a step further. In September 2026 the FAA issued Keith a long term waiver for sustained flight over open air assemblies and over moving vehicles. Those flights are flown on the DJI Avata 2 and DJI Mavic 3 Pro, each fitted with an ASTM-compliant ParaZero SafeAir parachute system. That waiver is why Nashville Drone Co can cover concerts, festivals, and tree lightings in ways many operators cannot. If any company tells you it can fly over your crowd, ask to see the paperwork.
A Fleet Matched to the Shot
Different shots call for different tools, so Nashville Drone Co flies a small fleet instead of relying on a single camera.
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the highest rated drone in the fleet. It captures 100 megapixel photos, 6K video, and 360 degree panoramas, which makes it the choice for high resolution stills, panoramic documentation, and polished marketing video.
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is the workhorse. It has shot films, music videos, marketing video, and construction progress footage, and was the drone used to capture the Billion Dollar Photo of Paramount in Nashville.
The DJI Avata 2 handles first person flying, which opens up tight, fast, immersive moves that a standard camera drone cannot produce.
Gear matters less than judgment, but the right camera for the job still protects both your budget and your image quality. A twilight skyline needs a different approach than a low pass through a barn.
Aerial Cinematography for Construction and High Rise Development
Construction is one of the strongest uses of aerial cinematography, and it is a core specialty at Nashville Drone Co. A single high rise can take years to build, and the story of that build matters to developers, lenders, tenants, and the public. Nashville Drone Co has documented high rise construction for The Paramount and The Motley in downtown Nashville. For The Motley, Nashville Drone Co works with Axiom Builders and IPB Properties on regular progress video, including a recent video of the topping out. The company also produced marketing videos and aerial photography for Giarratana Development’s Paramount, a 60 story luxury high rise that broke ground in September 2025.
Progress video works best when it is consistent. Nashville Drone Co often returns to the same capture points, at the same altitudes and times of day, so months of footage cut together into a clean timeline. Contractors use that footage for owner updates, bid packages, and social media.
Night Aerial Cinematography
Night flying separates serious aerial cinematographers from casual ones. Low light demands sensor performance, stable flight, careful exposure, and a pilot who understands the lighting on the ground. Nashville Drone Co has built night work into its regular offering.
Nashville Drone Co has filmed Christmas light displays for Red Nose Lites for the last four years and created marketing videos for their advertising campaigns. That challenging night flying experience has made Nashville Drone Drone Co experts at night flying.
Live Events and Broadcast Work
Live events add pressure that no reshoot can fix. The moment happens once. Nashville Drone Co has a growing record in this space. Footage from its DJI Mavic 3 Pro was used in the live broadcast of the MLS League Cup final produced by Apple TV.
Nashville Drone Co also shot drone footage of the 20th Annual National Mixer Driver Championship, hosted by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association at Opryland Resort in Nashville, working alongside ESPN’s ground crew. That championship is scheduled to air on ESPN in 2027.
Event work depends on three things, legal permission to fly over people, reliable equipment, and a pilot who communicates well with production staff. Between the long term waiver, parachute equipped aircraft, liability insurance, and entertainment industry experience, Nashville Drone Co brings all three.
Real Estate, Land, Farms, and Hospitality
Aerial cinematography also tells the story of a place. Nashville Drone Co shoots commercial real estate, land and residential development, farms, estates, and hospitality properties across Middle Tennessee.
Where Nashville Drone Co Works
Near me only helps if the crew can actually reach you. Nashville Drone Co serves 15 Middle Tennessee cities and communities, including Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Nolensville, Spring Hill, Columbia, Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro, College Grove, Hendersonville, Smyrna, Leiper’s Fork, Dickson, and Kingston Springs. The company will also travel out of state for the rights jobs.
How a Project Works
Every project starts with a conversation about goals, location, timeline, and deliverables. From there the team plans flights, checks airspace, and handles permissions. On shoot day the crew captures video and photos, and in post production the footage is edited and color graded to match your brand and purpose.
Standard delivery is normally five days, and 24 to 48 hour rush service is available for projects with tight deadlines. Deliverables can include cinematic video, high resolution photos, 360 panoramas, and videos sized for social media.
What to ask any aerial cinematography company
Whether you hire Nashville Drone Co or someone else, a few questions separate professionals from hobbyists.
Is the pilot Part 107 certified, and can they show it?
Does the company carry liability insurance?
Do they hold the waivers needed for your project, such as flight over people?
Can they show finished work similar to what you need, not just raw clips?
What are the standard delivery time and rush options?
Frequently asked questions
How much does aerial cinematography cost in Nashville?
Pricing depends on the scope of the job and estimated time involved. Nashville Drone Co provides a custom quote for each potential project.
Can you fly in downtown Nashville?
Yes, with planning. Downtown sits in a busy airspace environment, so flights require authorization checks, careful scheduling, and site specific safety planning.
Do you shoot at sunrise, sunset, and night?
Yes. Golden hour, blue hour, sunrise, and night scenes are all part of the regular workflow.
Can you fly over a crowd?
Under the FAA long term waiver, flights over open air assemblies can be flown with the DJI Avata 2 and DJI Mavic 3 Pro with ASTM-compliant parachute systems.
How fast can I get my footage?
Standard delivery is normally five days, with 24 to 48 hour rush service available.
Start your aerial cinematography project
If you are searching for aerial cinematography services near you in Middle Tennessee, Nashville Drone Co offers certified pilots, insured operations, FAA waivers for complex flights, and a portfolio that includes high rise construction, live broadcast events, music and entertainment projects, and luxury hospitality, Contact us at info@nashvilledrone.co to talk through your project and get a quote.