For the Walk 1000 documentary, ChopperShoot spent 12 days filming from the air across Abu Dhabi's Western Region, with the DJI Inspire 3. The story follows a 1,000 km walk through desert, dunes and coastline, and the aerial footage had to show both the scale of the land and the people crossing it.
The shoot in numbers
- Filming days
- 12
- Drone
- Inspire 3
Each day started early. We planned the shots with the documentary crew, then flew from dune ridges at sunrise to the coastline at sunset. The Inspire 3 gave us stable, high-resolution footage, and let us move between wide landscape shots and close-ups of the walkers.
What made it hard
- Heat. Extreme temperatures in the desert, for both crew and equipment.
- Remote locations. Limited infrastructure, so logistics had to be planned in advance.
- Changing light. Sand and sea shift colour fast, and the best light is short.
Working with the documentary crew and the authorities
The aerial team worked hand in hand with the ground crew, so the drone footage fits the story rather than sitting on top of it. Safety came first throughout, and we worked with the local authorities to keep the operation secure. For Abu Dhabi, permits typically take 18 to 20 working days, so we apply early. See our filming permit service.
Documentaries and long shoots
Multi-day documentary work suits an in-house team that can solve problems on the spot. We have been filming from the air in the UAE for 20 years. See our Abu Dhabi drone filming page, the drone fleet, and the story of how ChopperShoot started.
Common questions
- What is Walk 1000?
- Walk 1000 is a documentary about a 1,000 km walk through Abu Dhabi's Western Region, a story of resilience and the human connection to nature. ChopperShoot filmed its aerial footage.
- How long did the aerial filming take?
- Twelve days, across deserts, dunes and coastline in Abu Dhabi's Western Region.
- Which drone did you use?
- The DJI Inspire 3, for its stability and high-resolution cinema footage. It let us move between wide landscape shots and close-ups.
- Does ChopperShoot film in remote areas of Abu Dhabi?
- Yes. We plan for extreme heat, remote locations and limited infrastructure, and we work with the local authorities. Abu Dhabi permits typically take 18 to 20 working days.
