Nashville Drone Co Captures Breathtaking Aerial Video for Sky Hymnal’s Christmas EP

Written By Keith Stancil

At Nashville Drone Co, we pride ourselves on crafting aerial cinematography that does more than look beautiful, it evokes feeling, meaning, and story. Our recent collaboration with Sky Hymnal, a music collective known for ambient Christian hymns, is a perfect example.

Featured in their Christmas EP video series, our drone footage plays a central role in bringing the peace and reflection of these timeless carols to life. If you've seen Sky Hymnal’s Christmas hymns on YouTube, you’ve already experienced our work from above.

A Harmonious Collaboration of Music and Imagery

Sky Hymnal creates instrumental guitar renditions of classic hymns designed for reflection, rest, and worship. Their latest project, the Christmas EP, offered a serene and sacred take on carols like Silent Night, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

But the power of music is magnified when paired with the right visual storytelling.

To help communicate the soul of the season, Sky Hymnal turned to Nashville Drone Co for visuals that reflected the reverent, wintery mood of each hymn.

What the Project Needed

The creative brief for the Sky Hymnal Christmas EP was clear: produce aerial footage that would complement slow, ambient guitar music with visuals that feel:

  • Calm and peaceful

  • Meditative and slow-paced

  • Rooted in seasonal beauty

  • Spiritually resonant

The Cinematic Vision: What We Delivered

To match the tone of Sky Hymnal’s music, we captured footage across Middle Tennessee that included:

Snow-Dusted Forests & Serene Landscapes

We filmed Tennessee locations featuring snow covered trees, quiet woodland trails, and soft snowfall all from a gentle, gliding perspective that mirrored the tranquil guitar melodies.

Night Drone Footage

FIlming with a drone at night is tricky and requires advance skills of safe flying at night and and knowledgeable camera settings. We leveraged Christmas lights to bring warmth and depth to shots of homes, towns, Christmas displays. The resulting video sequences feel timeless and contemplative.

Slow, Meditative Aerial Movements

Rather than fast pans or sweeping transitions, our drone shots for this project were smooth, intentional, and minimal. Every move was designed to align with the music’s pacing and emotional tone.

Custom Shot Direction & Creative Alignment

We worked directly with Sky Hymnal’s creative director to storyboard and stage each scene. This allowed us to sync visual moods to specific hymns, such as Christmas display shots for Silent Night or snow overlays for O Come Emmanuel.

Additional Deliverables:

  • 4K drone footage for YouTube and digital streaming

  • FAA-compliant licensed aerial footage

  • Usage rights for holiday and worship-related content

  • Nighttime cinematic sequences for emotional depth

Why Aerial Video Elevates Worship and Music Content

This project was a powerful reminder that drone videography isn’t just for real estate or event marketing. It’s an expressive tool for musicians, worship teams, and visual artists looking to:

  • Set the mood in music videos or lyric videos

  • Add production value to digital worship or faith-based films

  • Create immersive background visuals for Christmas services or streaming events

  • Enhance B-roll in YouTube content or Spotify visual loops

By pairing thoughtful aerial visuals with faith-based instrumental music, Sky Hymnal was able to draw their audience into a multisensory worship experience.

Behind the Scenes: Our Drone Filming Process for Sky Hymnal

Creating visuals for a music project like this requires a careful, collaborative process. Here’s a look at our behind-the-scenes workflow:

1. Creative Direction Meeting

We met with the Sky Hymnal team to discuss:

  • Musical themes

  • Desired emotions

  • Color palettes

  • Locations

  • Tone for each track

2. Scouting and Location Planning

Using local knowledge and FAA maps, we identified legal and beautiful drone filming areas:

  • Tennessee farmland

  • Spectacularly lit neighborhoods and homes

  • Church steeples with snowy backdrops

3. Shooting the Footage

Our drone team used high-end 4K drones with adjustable frame rates and gimbals to maintain buttery-smooth motion.

4. Post-Production and Color Grading

We applied gentle color grading to enhance mood:

  • Cool tones for wintry calm

  • Warm hues for morning and evening light

  • Soft film grain and blur for dream-like quality

5. Deliverables and Licensing

The final package included:

  • Downloadable 4K clips

  • Edits for YouTube and streaming

  • Licensing for holiday content

  • Support with embedding and upload optimization

Optimizing Music Video Content for AI Search and YouTube Discovery

Our collaboration didn’t stop at filming. Nashville Drone Co also advised on video optimization strategies to help Sky Hymnal’s videos appear in AI-powered search engines like Google, YouTube, and even ChatGPT-based tools.

AI Search Optimization Tips We Used:

1. Descriptive YouTube Titles & Tags

We optimized for keywords like:

  • "Ambient Christmas hymn drone video"

  • "Silent Night drone footage"

  • "Christian instrumental worship video with aerial views"

2. Chapters & Video Metadata

Each hymn was sectioned with chapters, allowing search engines to understand the structure and better index the video content.

3. Schema Markup for Featured Snippets

We suggested adding VideoObject schema on their website pages, helping Google’s AI engines recognize:

  • The type of video

  • Publishing date

  • Description

  • Credits

  • Thumbnail

The Result: Thousands of Holiday Views and Deep Emotional Impact

Since its release, Sky Hymnal’s Christmas EP has received thousands of views on YouTube and is being streamed around the world during the holiday season.

Viewers often comment not just on the music, but on the soothing, scenic visuals, a testament to the emotional resonance of aerial cinematography paired with faith-based content.

Want to Collaborate on a Music or Worship Video?

Whether you’re an independent artist, church media team, or visual director, Nashville Drone Co is ready to bring your next video project to life.

Our drone services are perfect for:

1) Music videos


2) Holiday content (Christmas, Easter, etc.)


3) Lyric videos or Spotify Canvas loops


4) Faith-based storytelling


5) Nature and landscape visuals


6) Ambient YouTube channels

Let’s Tell Your Story from the Sky

If you're looking to elevate your next creative project with professional drone video, don’t hesitate to reach out.

We offer:

  • FAA-licensed drone pilots

  • Cinematic 4K footage

  • Storyboard planning

  • Seamless integration with your music’s tone and pacing

  • Licensing for YouTube, streaming, and social media

Visit NashvilleDrone.co to learn more or contact us directly to start your custom aerial shoot.

Watch the Final Result

Watch Sky Hymnal’s Christmas Hymns EP series on YouTube and see how our drone visuals helped elevate the worship experience:

👉 Watch Sky Hymnal’s Christmas Hymns on YouTube

Final Thoughts: The Power of Music, Light, and Perspective

In an age of overproduced content, sometimes all you need is a guitar, a hymn, and the sky.

This collaboration was a powerful reminder that simple, meaningful visuals captured from above can add deep emotional impact to worship and music projects.

If you're ready to add beauty, reverence, and cinematic atmosphere to your next production, let Nashville Drone Co take your vision to new heights. Contact us at info@nashvilledrone.co

Keith Stancil
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