PROFESSIONAL 360/180 IMMERSIVE DRONE SHOTS
HIGH RESOLUTION AERIAL SHOTS IN 360 OR 180-DEGREES
Kiwi Aerial Shots specializes in immersive drone footage for film productions and VR tours. For over 8 years, we’ve been capturing 360-degree footage with drones and helicopters, and we’re now producing cutting-edge 180-degree aerial shots for the Apple Vision Pro. Depending on the production, target platform, and resolution requirements, we carefully select the best VR drone and camera setup for the job. Our immersive and spatial drone recordings are widely used from 360 VR corporate videos for the Meta Quest 3 at trade shows, to large-scale 180-degree dome experiences for theme parks, and 3D spatial content for the Apple Vision Pro. Since the rise of VR, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of technique and technology, developing our own custom drones and immersive camera rigs for stabilized VR footage. We have been assembling a team of specialists to create professional Immersive Experiences (IX) and can offer you everything you need for immersive drone shots. And if the required technology doesn’t exist yet? We build it ourselves, right in our Amsterdam workshop, packed with gear and experts, where we design custom drones and immersive & spatial VR setups for ground-breaking immersive film productions.
VR AERIAL SHOTS FOR THE APPLE VISION PRO, CORPORATE VIDEO AND BIG DOME PROJECTIONS
WE MAKE 360 VR around the world
180 DEGREES PROJECTIONS & APPLE VISION PRO
360 VR helicopter aerial shots
360-DEGREES DRONE PORTFOLIO
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH IMMERSIVE DRONE AND HELICOPTER PRODUCTIONS
For 14 years, our drone company has been pushing the boundaries of aerial cinematography, and for the past 8 years, we’ve specialized in 360-degree drone filming. Our footage has been used in Giant Screen film productions, VR corporate videos, nature documentaries, and educational content.
Over the years, we’ve gained extensive experience with various camera setups, the unique post-production process, and the art of crafting immersive 360-degree and spatial 180-degree content that truly resonates with audiences. Most of our 360-degree drone footage is designed for VR headsets, used at trade shows and exhibitions where visitors can experience an immersive world through an Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3.
We also have expertise in filming for large dome productions, known in the U.S. as ‘Giant Screen’ films. In the Netherlands, you’ll find these experiences in theaters like Omniversum, while in the U.S., the giant ‘Sphere’ in Las Vegas sets the standard. We were honored to contribute to a MacGillivray Freeman film production, Cities of the Future.
Beyond drones, we capture immersive aerial footage from helicopters, a technique that allows for higher-altitude flights and long, uninterrupted flight paths spanning several kilometers. A great example of this is our work for the Floriade 2022 attraction, where visitors stood in a large basket wearing VR headsets, experiencing a breathtaking hot air balloon ride over the Netherlands.
On Pampus Island near Muiden, we filmed a 360-degree experience about the Amsterdam Defense Line, which is projected onto massive screens, surrounding groups of eight visitors in a fully immersive environment. For GVB Amsterdam, we captured a future tram route in 360 degrees by helicopter, and in the Amazon rainforest of South America, we filmed the lush jungle and majestic waterfalls from the sky.
From helicopters and drones to RC buggies, we’ve been part of numerous cutting-edge productions, always pushing the boundaries of immersive aerial cinematography.
"ABOVE BIG CITIES, An OFFSHORE WIND FARM, AND DEEP IN THE AMAZONE"
VR drone technics
CUSTOM BUILD DRONES AND CAMERA RIGS FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULT
A 360-degree camera captures the entire surroundings using multiple lenses simultaneously. By mounting these 360-degree cameras under our drones, we create an immersive experience from a flying perspective.
Capturing 360-degree drone footage requires a specialized rig to securely attach the camera beneath the drone. We developed our own custom 360-rig, which ensures enough distance between the VR camera and the drone, preventing excessive movement and stabilization issues. This setup allows for easier sky replacement in post-production, effectively removing the drone from the shot while avoiding unwanted warping effects. However, one challenge of a low-hanging camera is that the drone cannot land conventionally and must be caught manually. To solve this, we designed a retractable camera system, allowing the drone to land safely after recording.
When filming in 360 or 180 degrees, there’s often a choice between monoscopic and stereoscopic formats. Stereoscopic recording mimics human vision, capturing separate left-eye and right-eye perspectives to create depth and a true 3D effect. This spatial effect is crucial for VR headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and Oculus, as it enhances the immersive experience.
For drone footage, however, stereoscopic filming is often unnecessary because the subject is typically far from the camera, making the left-eye/right-eye difference negligible. Despite this, we believe that spatial drone filming for 180-degree content will eventually adopt stereoscopic drone camera setups, such as the Canon RF Fisheye lens. However, this filming method requires an entirely different drone setup.
For spatial drone recordings, where the camera captures a 180-degree field of view, it cannot be positioned directly under the drone’s propellers. To address this, we are developing a custom front-mounted camera rig, ensuring the camera stays completely out of frame, delivering seamless and immersive aerial footage.
NOTE: On mobile devices, these 360 videos can not be seen in full 360. Only the teaser ‘Cities of the future’ is a “normal” trailer.
360 experience Pampus
"AERIAL SHOTS IN 17K RESOLUTION WITH THE BLACK MAGIC CINE IMMERSIVE"
Professional 360-VR cameras
BLACK MAGIC URSA CINE IMMERSIVE | INSTA PRO 2 | OSMO 360 | 12K PYXIS | CUSTOM
The world of immersive film production is a complex and rapidly evolving industry, where the technology behind cameras, headsets, and VR post-production is still catching up with each other. Additionally, VR content has yet to fully break into the mainstream market for both consumers and professional users. However, with the arrival of the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera and the high-resolution capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro, we believe the industry is now moving in the right direction. As adoption grows, this will accelerate innovation in immersive technology.
At Kiwi, we are already actively preparing on drone cinematography with the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera. Using our heavy-lift drones, we can capture high-resolution, 180-degree spatial drone footage, bringing a new level of quality and immersion to aerial VR filmmaking.
From Insta360 to High-End Custom Setups
In the past, we primarily worked with Insta360’s VR cameras, including the Insta360 Pro 2 and the Insta360 Titan, both launched around six years ago. While the Titan seemed promising with its 11K resolution, it ultimately proved unreliable due to frequent software issues. The Insta360 Pro 2, on the other hand, performed well, and we have captured most of our 8K resolution VR footage with it. Unlike consumer-grade cameras such as the Insta360 X4 or Insta360 1-Inch, the Pro 2 offers a better dynamic range, though it remains challenging to work with in post-production. However, the ability to record in Apple ProRes makes it easier to edit and enhance.
For projects where resolution demands are lower or where heavy-lift drones are not viable, we also utilize the Insta360 X4. While not as high-end, this camera still delivers solid image quality, which we enhance using advanced post-production techniques and AI tools to achieve a professional look.
Custom-Built Immersive Camera Rigs
For large-scale productions, we have also developed our own unique immersive camera setups. In our Amsterdam Noord workshop, we are constantly experimenting with custom drones and camera rigs.
In 2021, for a spatial production, we engineered a one-of-a-kind helicopter rig capable of capturing a 310-degree field of view in 22K resolution. This setup utilized three RED MONSTRO cameras, presenting a major challenge in syncing and stitching footage. If we were to build a similar system today, we would likely opt for a multi-camera setup using KOMODO-X, as its global shutter technology provides a much more workable solution.
Staying Ahead in Immersive Aerial Cinematography
We continuously monitor the latest innovations in immersive technology and collaborate with leading spatial video experts worldwide. From the Achtel 9×7 camera and The Big Sky camera to Apple’s proprietary immersive camera and the new 17K Blackmagic URSA Cine with dual-lens technology, we stay ahead of the curve.
At Kiwi, our goal is to push the boundaries of immersive aerial cinematography—delivering world-class VR and spatial drone footage that redefines the industry.
AMUSEMENT RIDES AND DOME PROJECTIONS
VR CORPORATE VIDEOS AND EVENTS
IMMERSIVE NATURE DOCS
360-degrees drone photography
360-degrees photography for a online virtual tour
With different drones and cameras, we can also provide in high-resolution 360-degrees photography. These 360 pictures can be used for all kinds of purposes and one of them is a 360 VR drone tour like the one above from the Dutch city of Delft. The 360 VR photos can be made with our DJI Inspire drones but to get the maximum result we can also do this with a DSLR camera underneath one of our bigger heavy-lift drones. These 360-degrees VR photographs are a great way to show people around in a City, amusement park, or another interesting area!
"TECHNICAL AND CERTIFIED DUTCH DRONE COMPANY WITH YEARS OF VR EXPERIENCE"
IMMERSIVE CONTENT FROM A HELICOPTER OR USING OUR RC-BUGGY
FLYING ABOVE CITIES, OFFSHORE OR FOR MOVING SLOWLY IN A FACTORY OR MUSEUM
At Kiwi Aerial Shots we can make you 360 degrees aerial footage from underneath a helicopter. A helicopter gives us the possibility to fly higher and faster than a drone and fly in airspaces it’s hard to get permission for our drones. Examples of these are the city center of big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam or even above civilian airports. 360 Vr from underneath a helicopter is an exclusive services only Kiwi Aerial Shots can offer!
Some locations are just not suitable for a big heavy-lift drone to make 360 VR footage. Next to that, indoors it’s harder to use sky-replacement as a lot of things are happening on the ceiling and way less on the ground. That’s why we also offer a 360 VR RC Buggy. This setup is perfect for these situations! We used it many for example in the Samsung factory in Germany and for a 360 tours for the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam where it was an absolute NoGo to fly our drone next to the most expensive artwork in the world.