random question but curious if anyone here has actually worked on film or tv productions as a drone op. i see job postings occasionally and they always want like 5 years experience and a massive insurance policy and basically everything short of a blood oath. im not a total beginner, ive been flying seriously for about three years and done a ton of commercial work but the film side always seemed kind of impenetrable.

a buddy of mine who does camera work said i should just show up on low budget indie sets and offer to help out for cheap or free just to get the credits, but that feels kind of demoralizing after doing real paid work for a while. also not sure if thats even how it works for drone ops specifically. anyone been through this or know someone who has

the film thing is real, its a very closed network and credits matter more than almost anything else. your buddy isnt wrong that working cheap on indie stuff is how most people get started but i would frame it differently — you're buying experience and relationships, not just working for free. the DP you work with on some tiny indie project might end up on a bigger production in two years and remember you.

the insurance thing is non negotiable though, productions wont even talk to you without proper liability coverage and a lot of them want additional insured added to your policy for the production company specifically. that part costs money but its just the cost of doing business if you want to go that route.

honestly the indie route worked for me but it took way longer than i expected. did probably six or seven low budget shorts over like a year and a half before i got my first actual paying film gig and even that was a small regional commercial not real film work. but the people i met doing those indie shoots ended up being genuinely useful connections so i dont regret it. just go in with realistic expectations about the timeline