FAA Part 107 licensed aerial cinematography, thermal survey and location scouting across the Big Island and all Hawaiian Islands.
The cinema drone fleet pairs two DJI Inspire 2 aircraft (Zenmuse X7, 6K CinemaDNG) with the DJI Inspire 3 (Zenmuse X9-8K full-frame), backed by Mavic 3 Cine and Mavic 4 for agile coverage in confined, coastal and forest environments, and Autel thermal drones for wildlife surveys and low-light scouting.
We handle airspace authorizations, LAANC approvals and restricted-zone waivers, including coastal airspace, so a production is compliant from day one. Aerial reconnaissance and location scouting document access points, lighting windows and conditions before a crew arrives.
Our aerial work appears in National Geographic's World's Most Dangerous Sharks and throughout our own natural history productions: lava ocean entries on the Big Island, humpback whales in Hawaiian waters, and coastlines from Kauai's Nāpali Coast to the Big Island's volcanic shore. Thermal platforms also support search and rescue operations over jungle, lava fields and open ocean.
Related
- Cinema — Malaʻe Productions has filmed Hawaii's natural world for broadcast since 2003 — as Directors of Photography and cinematographers on PBS Nature's Sharks of Hawaii, National Geographic's Wild Hawaii: Secrets of the Deep and Wild Hawaii: Land of Fire, and Discovery Channel's Sharkcano and Sharks of the Fire Goddess.
- Equipment & Production — Broadcast-grade production equipment based on the Big Island of Hawaii and available statewide, operated by crews who know the islands.
- Equipment Rentals — Rent RED cinema cameras, Shotover gimbals, DJI drones, Nauticam underwater housings and full production packages on the Big Island, with delivery statewide and a price match guarantee.
- FAQ — Answers to the questions we hear most from production companies, networks and independent cinematographers planning shoots and equipment rentals in Hawaii.