hollywoodreporter.com announcement
SEPTEMBER 04, 2015 2:03pm PT by Carolyn Giardina

Panavision will recommend Aerial MOB as their preferred drone company in the U.S.

Aerial MOB — a provider of drone services for feature and TV production — has reached an agreement with Panavision through which the camera and lens systems supplier will recommend Aerial MOB as its preferred drone company in the United States.

The recommendation from lens and camera systems giant Panavision could help boost business for Aerial MOB, which has recently provided drones services on series including Supergirl, Criminal Minds Beyond Borders, The Leftovers and The Voice. (Panavision customers are not required to work with Aerial MOB.)

“Their focus on providing advanced aerial technology, with an emphasis on safety and performance, forms a natural alliance of our two companies,” said Bob Harvey, Panavision’s executive vp, global sales and marketing.

A year ago this month, the Federal Aviation Administration approved operator exemptions for six aerial production companies to use small, unmanned aircrafts systems (UAS), or drones, for filming motion pictures and television programming in U.S. airspace. Aerial MOB was among those six companies, and additional exemptions have been granted since them.

This was big news when it occurred, as a growing camp in Hollywood has asserted that mounting cameras on drones offers new creative options, cost savings and, perhaps, safer sets. But regulatory issues had been a hurdle; in order to conduct a commercial operation with an unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace, users had needed a certified aircraft, licensed pilot and FAA approval. The FAA is currently working to loosen these regulatory restrictions.