Aerial Drone Footage for a National Documentary in Mundubbera, Queensland
Summary
Queensland Drones filmed aerial footage in Mundubbera, Queensland, for a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) documentary on the lives of immigrant workers in Australian agriculture. The documentary was produced by Filmcamp, a Melbourne-based documentary maker, for the Australian Government about its Seasonal Worker Programme. We were one of five commercial drone operators across Australia engaged to film for it.
| Project fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Client | Filmcamp, Melbourne-based documentary producer, for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) |
| Production | National documentary for the Australian Government on the Seasonal Worker Programme |
| Location | Mundubbera, in Queensland’s North Burnett region |
| Role | Aerial cinematography — one of five commercial drone operators nationally |
| Subject | Seasonal workers in Australian agriculture, filmed in orange orchards, packing sheds and in the field |
| Aircraft and camera | Multicopter with a 20 MP camera, filming 4K video at 30 fps |
| Year | 2017 |
The challenge
A Melbourne production team needed broadcast-quality aerial footage from a regional Queensland farming town, shot to their brief, without sending their own crew and drone across the country. Aerial shots set the scene in a documentary: the scale of the farms, where the work happens and the town around it.
- Distance. The producer was based in Melbourne; the location was well over 1,000 km away in regional Queensland. A licensed Queensland operator avoids the cost and time of bringing a crew and equipment interstate.
- Matching a national production. We were one of five drone operators filming in different parts of Australia. Our footage had to sit alongside theirs in the finished documentary. We filmed in 4K at 30 fps and colour graded the footage before delivery.
- People on the ground. Filming working farms means people, vehicles and machinery below the aircraft. Shots had to be planned so the flying was safe and legal including not flying within 30m of people not directly involved in the project.
- Working without the production on site. The brief was given remotely, so we had to plan and capture the full set of shots ourselves, with no director on location.
Methodology: planning, approvals and capture
We worked to the producer’s brief, planned every flight around the people and machinery on site, and delivered footage ready to cut into the documentary.
- Brief. We agreed the general concepts for the shots the production team needed with Filmcamp before travelling. The brief was given remotely.
- Flight planning and approvals. Flights were planned under our CASA Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ReOC #6466), with landholder permission and a site safety assessment. The aircraft was not flown within 30 m of people unless they were inside vehicles.
- Travel to location. Our crew travelled to Mundubbera with the aircraft and camera.
- Aerial filming. We flew the planned shots, such as low passes along orchard rows and establishing views of the farm and packing shed, keeping clear of workers and machinery. We flew a multicopter with a 20 MP camera, recording 4K video at 30 fps, and covered the orange orchards, packing sheds and workers in the field.
- Delivery. The footage was delivered to Filmcamp for editing into the documentary, colour graded and supplied as MP4 files.
Deliverables
Filmcamp received aerial footage of Mundubbera’s farms and surrounds, which was cut into the finished documentary alongside material from the other four drone operators.
| Deliverable | Use in the production |
|---|---|
| Aerial video clips | Establishing and scene-setting shots of the orange orchards, packing sheds and workers in the field |
| Delivery format | Colour graded 4K video at 30 fps, MP4 |
Quality and compliance
For a national documentary made for the Australian Government, the footage had to be both broadcast quality and flown entirely within the rules.
- Licensed and insured. Queensland Drones operates under CASA ReOC #6466 with $10 million public liability and $5 million professional liability insurance.
- People and property. Shots were planned so the aircraft stayed clear of workers, vehicles and machinery, with the landholder’s agreement. We did not fly within 30 m of people unless they were inside vehicles.
- Smooth, usable footage. Steady, deliberate camera moves at a consistent speed give an editor clips they can cut and grade alongside footage from other crews. Filming was complicated by gusty winds on the day.
- Client ownership. We treat footage captured for a client as theirs and don’t publish it without permission.
Client outcome
Filmcamp got the regional Queensland aerial footage it needed without sending a crew interstate, and Mundubbera took its place in a national story alongside footage from four other drone operators. The documentary, The Benefits of Australia’s Seasonal Worker Programme, was made for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
- Local, licensed crew: a CASA-certified Queensland operator filmed on location, saving the production travel time and cost.
- Footage that fits: shot to the producer’s brief so it could be cut into a documentary assembled from five operators’ material.
- Safe and compliant: filming on working farms without putting workers or the production at risk.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire a drone operator for documentary or film work in regional Queensland?
Yes. Queensland Drones provides aerial filming for documentary and film productions across Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. We filmed in Mundubbera for Filmcamp’s national documentary on the Seasonal Worker Programme, one of five drone operators engaged across Australia.
Does a drone operator need a licence to film commercially in Australia?
Yes. Commercial drone work must be flown by licensed remote pilots under a CASA Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ReOC), or within CASA’s limited excluded categories. Queensland Drones holds ReOC #6466 and carries public and professional liability insurance.
Why use a local drone operator instead of bringing a film crew’s own drone?
A licensed local operator already has the aircraft, approvals and knowledge of the area. That saves the production the travel cost and time of moving a crew and equipment interstate, and the operator handles flight safety while the production focuses on the story.
Can drones film near people working on farms?
Yes, with care. Flights are planned with the landholder’s agreement and within CASA rules: on the Mundubbera shoot we did not fly within 30 m of people unless they were inside vehicles.
Who owns the footage from a drone shoot?
That’s set by the agreement with the client. Queensland Drones treats footage captured for a client as theirs and doesn’t publish it without permission.
Need aerial footage for a film, documentary or campaign?
Queensland Drones is a CASA-certified drone operator (ReOC #6466), operating since 2016 across Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Alongside our mapping and LiDAR work, we film aerial footage and stills for documentary makers, production companies, tourism and property marketing.
Give Tony a call on 1300 246 977 or request a quote.
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