Topping Out The Motley: Drone Video of a Nashville High Rise at Full Height
Every tall building has a moment when it stops growing. For The Motley, the first residential tower on Church Street in Midtown Nashville, that moment arrived this September when crews finished the concrete at the top of the structure. The tower is not finished. Windows, mechanical systems, interiors and amenity spaces all still have to happen. But the frame now stands at its full height, and Nashville Drone Co documented it from the air.
We have been flying regular construction progress for Axiom Builders and IPB Properties on The Motley, so the topping out was less a one-off shoot and more the next chapter in a record we have been building for months. This article walks through what the milestone means, what the project looks like on paper, and what developers and general contractors should expect from drone video that is made for construction rather than for show.
What topping out actually means
In construction, topping out marks the point when a building's structure reaches its highest level. On a concrete high-rise like The Motley, that means the final floor has been poured and the frame is complete. The ceremony that usually follows is a thank you to the crews who got it there. REJournals reported that the project team and trade partners held a topping out ceremony for The Motley on Sept. 3, with a barbecue lunch for the workers who helped raise the tower to its full height.
It is worth being clear about what topping out is not. It is not completion. A tower at this stage still needs its exterior envelope, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, elevators, interior finishes, retail build out and amenity spaces. Connect CRE reported a late 2027 completion target for the project, and REJournals reported that the tower is expected to welcome its first residents in 2027. That makes the months ahead some of the most visually dramatic on the schedule, as a gray concrete frame turns into a finished building. It is also why documentation at this stage matters so much.
The Motley at a Glance
The Motley sits at 1401 Church St., on the former Country Delite Farms property. IPB Properties is the developer, Axiom Builders is the general contractor, and Nashville-based Hastings Architecture led the design. According to REJournals, Charter Construction is providing the structural concrete services.
The first phase is the 26 story north tower. Nashville Post reported the tower at about 300 feet tall, and REJournals put this phase at 326 rental residences with ground floor retail and a full amenity package. The complete project is planned as three towers. Nashville Post cited roughly 1,194 residential units across all phases, along with about 70,000 square feet of retail and a public plaza, while REJournals described the finished community as nearly 1,200 residences.
The project has drawn attention beyond the construction trades. ULI Nashville scheduled a hard hat tour at the site on Sept. 1, 2026, with speakers from Axiom Builders, IPB Properties and Hastings Architecture, to talk through the design vision and the challenge of turning an industrial site into a walkable destination.
Why Axiom and IPB brought in Nashville Drone Co
Axiom Builders and IPB Properties engaged Nashville Drone Co to record regular construction progress on The Motley. The reason a developer and a general contractor want that kind of coverage is simple. A project this size changes every week, and memory is a poor record. Drone video and photography fix the condition of the building at specific moments, from the same vantage points, so anyone on the team can see what happened and when.
Our approach comes from experience on Nashville high rises. Our founder, Keith Stancil, brings over two decades of professional entertainment marketing experience to the way we plan and cut video, and he holds an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate. We have documented tall construction in downtown Nashville, including the Paramount Tower project, where one of our aerial images became The Billion Dollar Drone Photo. For progress work we rely on the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and most recently the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, both cameras we are using for construction documentation, music videos and marketing film alike.
That mix matters. Construction progress work sits between filmmaking and field operations. The footage has to look good, but it also has to be accurate, repeatable and safe to capture on an active site.
What topping out looks like from the air
A topping out flight is different from a typical progress pass. The building reaches its maximum height for the first time, so the questions we ask about framing change. We are no longer only showing a tower rising out of a site. We are showing how it sits against the Midtown skyline, how it relates to the streets around it, and how the full mass of 26 stories reads from the angles that residents, neighbors and passersby will actually see.
Our approach to a milestone like this is the same discipline we bring to every visit. We return to established camera positions so the new footage lines up with earlier flights. We fly at a consistent time of day so changing light does not distort the comparison. We include slower orbits and rising reveals that show the top of the structure and the surrounding site in one continuous move. And we shoot in the same sequence each time, so the clips cut together cleanly into a timeline.
There is a storytelling side as well. A topping out video is often the first piece of project media that works for more than one audience. The construction team uses it as a record. The owner can use it with investors and lenders. Leasing and marketing teams can use it to show the tower's presence on the skyline while residences are still months from move in. One well planned flight can serve all three.
Why progress video does more than occasional photos
Still photos are valuable, and we deliver them on every visit. Video adds context that stills cannot. Motion shows how a site is organized, how traffic moves around it, where materials are staged and how the structure relates to its neighbors. Over the life of a project, a library of consistent progress video pays off in several ways.
Communication
Owners, lenders and partners who are not in Nashville can understand the state of a project in a couple of minutes. The Motley is a good example. Nashville Post described IPB Properties as a Seattle-based subsidiary of Vancouver-headquartered Bosa Properties, with Vancouver-based Axiom Builders as general contractor. When the people funding and managing a project are far from the site, regular aerial video closes the distance.
Record keeping
Dated footage captures site conditions and sequencing over time. If questions come up later about how and when work progressed, there is a clear visual reference.
Marketing
Developers and builders often wait until a building is nearly done to think about media. By then the most interesting chapters, the foundation, the rise of the frame, the topping out, are gone. Progress footage collected along the way gives marketing teams real material to work with.
Logistics and Safety
Aerial views make laydown areas, access routes and neighboring activity easy to see in ways ground-level photos do not.
Flying near downtown Nashville takes more than a drone
Commercial drone work around a tall downtown building is governed by rules that are easy to underestimate. Anyone flying for compensation needs a Part 107 remote pilot certificate. Under 14 CFR 107.51, the general altitude limit is 400 feet above ground level, with an allowance to fly higher only while staying within 400 feet of a structure and no more than 400 feet above its uppermost limit. That exception is relevant on a tower, but it comes with conditions and does not remove any other requirement.
Airspace is the other piece. Downtown and Midtown Nashville sit in controlled airspace associated with Nashville International Airport, which typically means flights need FAA authorization before takeoff. The FAA's LAANC system provides near real-time authorization in many controlled areas, and some requests need additional coordination. Then there are site rules. Every active construction site has its own safety plan, and flights have to be coordinated with the general contractor's team so the crew knows when an aircraft is in the air.
None of this shows up in the finished video, but it determines whether footage can be delivered on schedule and without disruption. When owners ask what separates a casual drone photographer from a progress documentation partner, this is a large part of the answer.
What comes next at The Motley
With the concrete complete, the character of the work shifts. The exterior skin, interior framing and finishes will change the building week by week, and the footage will change with it. Nashville Drone Co will keep flying. The aim is a record that runs from early site work through completion, and the topping out video is one anchor point along the way.
Construction progress drone video across Middle Tennessee
Nashville Drone Co provides construction progress drone video and photography for developers, general contractors and concrete contractors across a 15 city service area in Middle Tennessee. If you are planning a high-rise or a large site and want a documentation program that runs the length of the project, we would like to talk. Visit nashvilledrone.co or email us at info @nashvilledrone.co
Why Construction Fly-Through Videos Have Become the Marketing Tool Nashville Builders Can't Afford to Skip
Construction companies used to rely on referrals, a solid reputation, and a handful of finished project photos to win new work. That formula still matters, but it no longer carries a business on its own. Buyers, investors, and future clients now expect to see a project before they ever set foot on a site, and the companies that show up with compelling visuals are the ones landing the next contract. This is where fly-through video has quietly become one of the sharpest tools in a builder's marketing kit.
A construction fly-through video is exactly what it sounds like. A drone pilot flies a low, cinematic path through and around a job site, capturing the scale, the layout, and the progress of a build in a way that feels immersive rather than static. It is not a slow orbit shot from three hundred feet up. It moves through the structure, weaves between equipment, and gives viewers a sense of standing right there on the site. For land developers, concrete companies, civil development firms, commercial builders, and residential builders alike, this kind of footage does something a still photo simply cannot. It tells a story of momentum.
Why Fly-Through Video Works So Well for Construction Marketing
It Shows Scale in a Way Words and Photos Cannot
Ground level photography flattens a project. A wide parking lot pour, a multi-acre grading job, or a commercial retail build all lose their sense of scale when viewed from a single fixed angle. A fly-through changes that instantly. Viewers can see the full footprint of a project, how it relates to the surrounding roads and neighborhoods, and just how much coordination went into the work. That context builds trust before a single sales conversation happens.
It Turns Progress Documentation Into a Marketing Asset
Most construction companies already capture some kind of progress record for internal purposes, whether that is for owners, lenders, or project managers tracking milestones. Fly-through video does double duty. The same footage that documents grading, foundation work, framing, and final buildout can be repurposed into polished marketing content. One flight, multiple uses.
It Performs on Social Media
Construction content has found a real audience on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. People are naturally drawn to watching things get built, especially when the footage is fast-paced and visually dynamic. A well edited fly-through gives a construction company something worth posting on a weekly basis, and that consistency is what keeps a brand in front of potential clients long after the ribbon cutting.
It Speaks to a Wide Range of Construction Niches
Land developers use fly-through video to show raw acreage transforming into graded, ready-to-build parcels, which is powerful for attracting investors and future buyers.
Concrete companies can highlight the precision and scale of large pours, parking structures, and paving projects that are hard to appreciate from the ground.
Civil development firms benefit from showing infrastructure work such as roads, utilities, and site prep in a way that communicates complexity and capability.
Commercial builders get to showcase retail centers, office parks, and industrial buildings taking shape, which helps win the next bid from a developer or brand.
Residential builders can turn a single subdivision or custom home build into a library of content that markets both the builder and the homes themselves.
Nashville Drone Co Has Become the Name Construction Companies Trust
Plenty of companies in Middle Tennessee own a drone and can get a camera in the air. Far fewer understand what it actually takes to fly on an active construction site and come away with footage that builds a brand. Nashville Drone Co has built its reputation on that exact gap, and it has become the go to partner for construction companies across the Nashville area who want more than basic aerial clips.
Safety Comes Before the Camera
Job sites are not forgiving environments for careless flying. Cranes swing loads overhead, heavy equipment moves without warning, and workers are focused on their tasks rather than watching the sky. Nashville Drone Co treats every site visit as a safety operation first and a filming job second. Their pilots coordinate with site supervisors before a single flight, understand active work zones, and know how to read a construction site the way an experienced contractor does. That background is what allows them to work confidently around cranes, excavators, and active crews without becoming a liability on someone else's job site.
Real Experience Around Heavy Equipment
There is a noticeable difference between a drone operator who occasionally shoots a construction site and one who has spent real time flying around active builds. Nashville Drone Co falls firmly into the second category. Their comfort level around heavy machinery, tower cranes, and shifting site conditions means they can capture the close, dynamic shots that make fly-through video compelling, without slowing down the crew or creating a safety concern. Superintendents notice this kind of professionalism, and it is a big reason contractors keep calling them back for every phase of a project.
Marketing Experience Sets Them Apart From Other Drone Operators
Flying a drone is a skill. Turning that footage into content that actually generates leads is a different skill entirely, and it is the one that separates Nashville Drone Co from most other operators in the market. Their team edits with a marketing mindset from the start, building videos designed to stop the scroll on Instagram and LinkedIn rather than simply documenting a site. That approach has made them the trusted choice for construction companies who want their video content to do more than sit in a folder. It is built to circulate, get shared, and put the company's name in front of the right audience at the right time.
A Real Example: The Walmart Project With McCrory Construction
One of the clearest examples of this approach in action is Nashville Drone Co's recent work on a new Walmart construction site in the Nashville area for McCrory Construction. What started as a straightforward request for progress footage turned into something with a much bigger impact for the company.
The aerial video gave McCrory's team a clear, elevated view of the site that made it easier to track weekly progress and confirm that safety protocols and erosion control standards were being maintained throughout the build. But the value did not stop there. The same footage became a marketing asset that McCrory could use to show the scope and professionalism of their work to future clients and partners.
Ben Melton of McCrory Construction summed up the experience directly:
"Nashville Drone Co did an incredible job. The visibility captured in the drone footage of the construction site allowed me and my team to have an incredible insight to the weekly progress made as well as help us track and ensure that safety protocol was constantly being adhered to and quality of erosion control was being up kept throughout the project. The quick turnaround time also came in handy as we were using this footage for multiple reasons on a weekly basis. Highly recommend."
That kind of feedback captures exactly why fly-through video has become more than a “nice to have” for construction companies. It supports project management, reinforces safety accountability, and builds a marketing library all from the same flight.
The Bottom Line for Construction Companies in Nashville
Construction is a visual industry, yet so many companies still rely on outdated photography or no visual content at all when it comes to marketing their work. Fly-through video closes that gap. It gives land developers, concrete companies, civil contractors, commercial builders, and residential builders a way to show their work at a scale that matches how impressive it actually is.
Nashville Drone Co has built a track record of doing this the right way, with a safety first approach on active job sites and a marketing strategy that turns footage into real business results. For construction companies across the Nashville area looking to stand out, partnering with a team that understands both the site and the story is no longer optional. It is quickly becoming the standard.
To see examples of Nashville Drone Co’s construction video work and learn more about how a fly-through video could work for your next project, visit Nashville Drone Co
Contact Nashville Drone Co to get your project scheduled info@nashvilledrone.co