10 Breathtaking Aerial Cinematography Short Films

Not so long ago, aerial shots were a rarity and could usually be seen only in professional videos – however, all of that is now history! With the introduction of drones to the wide public market, the ability to create beautiful aerial cinematography shots was given to everyone who wanted to invest into a drone. This is quite an interesting and exciting fact, because the possibilities are now endless! The so-called “bird’s view” that the drones make available to us, uncovers a whole new level of beauty, and goes beyond imagination. Were you ever interested in floating above an African village, above the mountain heights? Or maybe, you wanted to fly through an urban city? This is not possible not only in your dreams, but also on the screen. And you’d be surprised at how many aerial videos there actually are!

new york aerial shot sunset

Aerial Cinematography Is Here

Preparing this article, we went through tens of aerial cinematography videos on various social media. We were stunned by the amount of breathtaking landscapes that we could see from a whole new point of view! Forget about aerial photography, cause the time of aerial cinematography is definitely here. But don’t worry, you don’t have to go off searching for proof alone: we already did that for you!

Enjoy our collection of 10 breathtaking aerial cinematography short films, and make sure to visit profiles of these creators. Many of them have more amazing aerial shots for you! Additionally, if these videos spark your interest in aerial cinematography, scroll further – we’ve got some advice and useful links for you!

white boat sea shore aerial cinematography

Before we start with short films… You should take a look at some of the possibilities that aerial filming gives us. Check out this aerial cinematography demo reel featuring some of USA’s most amazing cities!

Creator: Jason Hawkes

Aerial Films Are Taking Over

You’re not quite convinced yet? Take a look at this short compilation of all kinds of amazing aerial cinematography footage. It’s not called “The Art of Aerial Cinematography” for no reason, because these shots filmed from the air are absolutely stunning! Whether it is aerial footage of the sea, mountains, nature or a city, we guarantee that you will feel like you’re flying while watching this video, and all of the videos that you will see underneath. Sounds exciting?  Let’s check it out together.

Creator: totravelistolive

Surely, it is the best if a short film has a theme, a goal worthy of making an aerial cinematography piece. The videos we collected for you are all based on one location or one theme, and they do their best at showing us the beauties of these places. These films are exclusive, accompanied by beautiful soundtracks, sometimes even monologues. Let’s start our aerial journey through 10 best short films right now!

10. NEW YORK

The best place to start this exciting trip is definitely New York – cities are known to have a lot of potential for a quality aerial short film. All of these skyscrapers that pierce the sky, countless streets perfect for time-lapses… We all wish to see how modern cities looks like from above! Thankfully, there are some amazing aerial cinematography short films like this one, that allow us to see that. Enjoy!

Creator: Aleksander Fremstad Askim

9. SOUTHEAST ASIA FROM ABOVE

Before you go right in for a journey of your life, the best way to see a new place is from above! This is exactly what this aerial short film recommends. It brings us beautiful shots of many locations of east Asia, which is so distant to most of us. Aerial cinematography inspires travelling, and that is one of the many reasons why we love it! An uplifting mood and colorful landscapes Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia await in this short film!

Creator: Tim Helly – Hansen

8. VIETNAM

More of that travelling inspiration vibe, comes from this wonderful aerial cinematography piece featuring the beauties of Vietnam. This aerial piece is special on this list for another reason. It shows us that a great aerial cinematography short film doesn’t necessarily have to be filmed from great heights. It can be very close, however, still make you feel like you’re flying. This time, you would be flying straight through the streets of beautiful Vietnam! Embark on this journey with us, as we experience a whole new culture once again, from the eye of a drone. The flow in this short film is absolutely spectacular, and the shots were picked perfectly. We feel inspired to travel to these beautiful locations! But, you should keep on watching, because you are yet to see our top pick!

Creator: Dandywood

7. CAMBODIA

This short film is absolutely stunning. What we liked the most about it, is that it shows reality. It shows us the uncharted lands of Cambodia, shows us the reaction of the people who see a drone for the first time, we get to see the beauties of this wild landscape and also enjoy Hans Zimmer’s music at the same time! This aerial short film is very well edited, without any needless FX, just following the flow of the wonderful aerial shots. Definitely a recommendation for anyone who would like to see a beautiful, exotic land in its natural state, captured by an eye of a drone!

Creator: Roberto Serrini

6. Inspired Israel

Truly inspiring and exciting, this short film about the beauties of Israel takes us on a journey through all of this country, showing us many of its wonderful landscapes and famous locations. With its uplifting music and warm atmosphere, it makes us feel closer to this unique culture and the beauties of it. If you are not a fan of summer and warm weather, you should probably scroll down, because we also have something for the greatest of winter-lovers!

Creator: JP Worthington Media

5. Moscow Russia Aerial 5K

This beautiful aerial short film presents the city of Moscow in a new light, from a new perspective. Aerial cinematography is the best way to show a lot to the world, while it retains the possibility of creating art with it: long, slow pans or quick transitions can change a lot. In this specific video, the creators took all possible opportunities and gave birth to this masterpiece. Featuring some slow music and a voice of a radio presenter from Moscow, this short film is surely a great introduction to this city, but also a great introduction to a special filming category: city aerial cinematography.

Creator: timelab.pro

4.  PERSPECTIVE

This breathtaking aerial video named “Perspective“, takes us on a journey through all the different shapes that nature takes. Starting from the seaside, the mountains, over high plains and deserts, we finally arrive to the conclusion that nature is all about perspective. There are some really unimaginable moments in this aerial piece, such as a moment where one side of the road is covered in snow while the other is suffering from drought. It really makes us think about the world we live in, and all that we don’t see unless we search for it. Well edited aerial videos like this one allow us to see nature we would otherwise never be able to meet. Enjoy this calming piece of art, accompanied by a beautiful female vocal, followed by orchestral music.

Creator: Jay Worsley

3. MOODY WINTER – Latvia

Are these summer days too hot for you? You won’t feel that hot after this one, we can reassure you. Watch this winter masterpiece that simply freezes your eyes to the screen! Some of the most beautiful winter aerial shots we have ever seen are featured here! Moody Winter brings us a wonderful three-minute-long portfolio of a Latvian winter. Many rewards showcased on the thumbnail didn’t make you click this video just yet? You should know that the video is accompanied by a heartwarming, yet fitting musical piece, performed by a string quartet. What made this video rank so high up our list must be its immersive atmosphere. We actually felt like it is winter for a few minutes, despite the heat! 🙂

Creator: Jurgis Kreilis / FilmDay

2. ETHOS

In moments of melancholy, or when you just need an inspirational video to fix your mood, you could turn to aerial short films like this one. Ethos is a magical journey through many beautiful landscapes. It features some really great transitions, which open our eyes to all the possibilities that aerial cinematography offers. This short film also features an inspirational speech – everything you need to remember how beautiful the planet Earth, our home, actually is. This video, just like many before this one, is available even in 4K quality! So, get ready for a very high quality experience!

Creator: Jay Worsley

1. Ethereal: Icelandic Highlands

Some aerial short films simply open our eyes to how beautiful our planet is. “Ethereal” is one of these masterpieces. Because of it being filmed in 4K60, we can look at the landscapes of Icelandic Highlands in pristine quality, appreciating the beautiful soundtrack following this short film. Just these shots are breathtaking on their own, but combined into this short film, these clips break every expectation and definitely deserve the first place on our list today. Watch this short film to experience a whole new world of these highlands, that most of us would never be able to witness otherwise. Additionally, it features an abundance of long pans that make us feel immersed and let us experience nature first hand. Travelling is, of course, the best way to see all of these beauties of nature, but there are some sights that are impossible to see without having access to a drone. It’s another great thing about aerial cinematography – they take is higher than we would ever be able to go ourselves!

Creator: Henry Jun Wah Lee / Evosia

Honorable Mention: MAUI IN 4K

This aerial short film is here for two reasons. First, because it shows the great beauties of a Hawaiian island Maui, that is often overlooked and we believe deserves all the attention it can get, and secondly, because there is a sentence in its description, written by the Creator: HI FOCUSED, that perfectly describes why aerial cinematography is so beautiful and so important to us:

“I think it’s humbling to the see world we live in from the drone’s bird’s eye view. It gives life a bigger perspective and a greater appreciation for this amazing place we are fortunate enough to call home.”

Aerial Cinematography Opens New Horizons

We definitely agree with this statement. Aerial cinematography allows us to see things from a whole new perspective, which then broadens our minds and increases our experience, and also gives us wisdom. If we could make aerial videos of the whole planet Earth, and then have enough time in our lives to watch these videos, we believe that we would all understand our lives much better, and enjoy the time we have here, appreciating all the beauties nature has given us.

green fields sunset autumn

Just one artist, yet many different adventures to be experienced

In our research, we noticed that most of these video artists have more than just one amazing piece of aerial cinematography. We highly recommend you click on their names and check them out, because you might find your favorite after just a few clicks!

road birds view green

Before we end our beautiful journey for today, we have a few useful links for you all. First, we’d like to introduce you to some full-fledged aerial movies that we found on Vimeo. So if our short films inspired you, or if you loved them so much you would want to see much, much more, here is how you can obtain some hour-long breathtaking aerial cinematography movies!

By visiting FILMHUB you can watch many trailers of wonderful landscapes, which could then lead you on to finding a perfect aerial film for you to see. We picked one that got our attention, and that definitely looks promising!

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/25692

And last but not least, if you love aerial shots, you have a drone, or will soon own one, but need help with editing your videos, you can always Contact Us so we can start our collaboration towards a breathtaking aerial video of your own! Watching all of these masterpieces inspired us immensely, do you feel the same way?

To the skies!

Djordje Komljenovic

Author Bio

Djordje Komljenovic is a professional 3d animation and motion graphics designer for over past 20 years. He is owner and creative director at Quince Creative agency. Previously, he was working-force of a few of major television stations in here Serbia - hired as motion graphics producer.

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