The city of Romainville, located on the doorstep of Paris, is set to showcase its best assets through a drone photoshoot and video production. This initiative the town has captured stunning aerial views, highlighting the town’s iconic landmarks and ongoing urban development projects. However, the realization of these drone shoots required meticulous preparation and logistics to comply with numerous technical, legal, environmental, and weather-related constraints.
Step 1: Map Location
Drone filming in a vibrant city like Romainville (especially during the busy holiday season) begins with detailed mapping. The municipality’s communication department identified and mapped 15 filming locations, including Simone Veil Park, the Île de Loisirs at Corniche des Forts, the central market, and the Cité Maraîchère.
This map location phase is crucial to organizing logistics and optimizing filming time for each location.
Step 2: Aerial Constraints
Romainville’s proximity to Paris and two major airports Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle to the north and Orly to the south brings specific aerial restrictions. These areas limit the maximum altitude for drone flights, requiring operators to adhere strictly to regulatory guidelines.
Additionally, the Fort de Noisy area is classified as a no-fly zone for video and photo capture. This restriction means operators must carefully respect the geographic boundaries established by the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).
Step 3: On-Site Scouting with the Town Hall
A on-site scouting session, organized in collaboration with Romainville’s communication department, was particularly useful. This visit helped validate the differences in urban environments across different areas and pinpoint strategic locations for take-offs and shots, all while considering local constraints. This collaborative effort allowed us to refine flight plans and guarantee optimal capture while respecting the unique urban landscape.
Step 4: Authorization Requests and Site Management
To guarantee compliance, specific authorization requests were submitted to the town hall, particularly for using public buildings as launch sites. These administrative steps were essential to ensuring the safety and legality of the filming process.
In addition to the usual permits and approvals for operating in populated areas, temporary agreements have been obtained with construction site managers in active renovation areas, enabling safe flight zones. These partnerships reflects the collective effort of local stakeholders to support the project’s success.
Step 5: Team Support and Coordination
During the shoots, we were warmly welcomed by municipal staff. The involvement of technical teams and field agents significantly eased the logistics and organization of the filming sessions.
Many thanks to everyone involved for their support.
Step 6: Weather Challenges in December
December’s short days and unpredictable weather presented additional challenges. Conditions like wind, drizzle, and low light required careful planning and flexibility to adapt flight schedules to available slots. Despite these constraints, we captured fresh, unique perspectives of the city that highlight Romainville’s charm, even in winter.
A Collaborative Project for Romainville
This aerial drone project illustrate the synergy between professional operators, municipal teams, and local stakeholders. By integrating regulatory, technical, and weather-related constraints, we successfully produced over 300 high-quality photos and 150 videos, offering a new vision of the city.
As with our previous construction monitoring missions, we hope Romainville’s town hall will call on DCOMDRONE again for new shoots in the spring. This would provide an opportunity to document the city’s ongoing urban and ecological transformations, contributing to a better quality of life in Romainville.
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