Revolutionizing the Film Industry With Remote-Controlled DronesVideography company Aerial Media Pros captures hard to get shots at a fraction of the traditional cost.

Look, up in the sky! No, it's not a bird. Not a plane, either. It's a state-of-the-art digital video camera attached to a remote-controlled drone--and it could revolutionize filmmaking by capturing flyovers, 360-degree panoramas, chase scenes and other "How did they do that?" action sequences at a fraction of traditional production costs.

The custom-built, carbon-fiber-based drones are designed and assembled by Costa Mesa, Calif.-basedAerial Media Pros. While roughly the same size as some radio-controlled helicopters sold at hobby shops, these are assuredly not toys: The drones are constructed to cradle and lift cinema-quality cameras like Red Digital Cinema's high-resolution Epic (used to shoot Hollywood blockbusters likeThe Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugandEnder's Game), and their size and agility enable camera operators to fly them into spaces where humans and full-size aircraft can't follow.