The Story Behind Aerial Action

Meet Dom

I'm Dom, founder of Aerial Action. I grew up around my parents' film production company, so cameras, shoots and edits were part of normal life long before drones came along.

Later I spent around eight years in the marketing team at the Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath. That's where I learned what footage actually has to do for a business. It has to help people understand a place, and want to go there, before they've even arrived. They're still one of my best clients today.

When I started flying action drones, those two sides fitted together. I don't really see the drone as the product. It's another way of moving a camera. Sometimes that means a big aerial establishing shot. Sometimes it means following somebody through a doorway. "Flying cameraman" is about the most accurate job title I've come up with.

How I approach a shoot

Every job starts with what you're trying to show. Then I work out which camera gets it best: an action drone moving through the space, a traditional drone for the wide view, a camera on the ground, or a mix of all three.

Before anything flies I get permission from the site, do a risk assessment and plan the route. On busy or indoor jobs that usually means signage and spotters, and often a small sub-250g aircraft. If the weather isn't right, I'd rather move the flight than come back with poor footage.

Founder-led, but it scales

For most projects you'll deal directly with me, from the first call to the final files. If a shoot needs more than one pilot or extra coverage, I bring in other experienced operators.

Clients so far range from local venues and businesses to agency shoots, and I've filmed for BBC East Midlands on request.

I also work the other way round. If a production company or agency already has the crew and the edit sorted, I can slot in for the drone shots and hand over the raw files.