Maritime & NavyMarketing & Commercial

    Maritime Drone Cinematography: Thrudark × Call of Duty Endowment

    Thrudark
    •
    Maritime / Brand campaign

    A four-person crew, a DJI Inspire 3, and a submersible that wouldn't sit still.

    Cinematic maritime tracking
    Shot at SeaMaritime OperationsDrone VideoDrone Launch & Catch (Hand-catch)

    "Back In The Game"| ThruDark X Call of Duty Endowment Feature Film

    Burn the Boats Films came to us for the Thrudark × Call of Duty Endowment campaign — requesting a maritime drone filming shoot tracking a subsea craft submersible on open water. We sent a DJI Inspire 3 and an experienced four-person aerial cinematography crew, and delivered broadcast-grade footage that cut straight into the edit. Maritime media, done properly. Filming over water isn't filming on land with extra wind. Coordinating with surface vessels, planning around tide and sea state, accounting for spray on the glass, flying within CAA limits while a moving subject pulls away from you — it's a specialism, and it's a corner of the industry we work in often. For Burn the Boats Entertainment, that meant the maritime side of the shoot was a known quantity from the moment we landed on site.
    PRE

    Pre-Production

    Production briefing with our client. Site and sea-state assessment, marine coordination with the surface vessels, weather window planning, and a full risk assessment including obtaining approval to fly in restricted airspace. CAA-compliant flight planning around the submersible's working area.

    SHOOT

    Production

    Four-person aerial unit on site — pilot, camera operator, safety observer and focus puller — flying the DJI Inspire 3 with the full-frame X9-8K Air. A mix of chasing tracking shots and sweeping establishers, with the focus puller pulling creatively through every pass over the submersible under instruction from the director. Continuous comms with the production team and the surface vessels.

    POST

    Post-Production

    Footage offloaded, backed up and handed to our clients edit team ready to cut. Post support available through finishing where needed.

    Cinema-grade aerial cinematography for a brand campaign with no margin for a missed shot — a fast, low-to-water subsea craft submersible, captured in changeable maritime conditions.

    What we brought to the shoot:

    • DJI Inspire 3 with full-frame X9-8K Air
    • Four-person aerial crew: pilot, camera operator, safety observer and focus puller
    • Maritime coordination with the surface vessels on the day
    • End-to-end delivery: pre-production planning, risk assessment, on-set crew and RAW data transfer for production

    Equipment Used

    Zenmuse X9-8K AirDJI Inspire 3

    Filming Locations

    Portsmouth

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