Maritime Filming

What Maritime Filming does

Maritime Filming UK is a Southampton-based specialist content creation company focused exclusively on filming and photography at sea. Founded by Alex Anderson, the company operates a team of approximately five core members — all qualified commercial boat skippers in addition to their specialist drone pilot and camera operator roles — delivering aerial drone filming, FPV drone cinematography, aerial and ground photography, and live TV broadcast services for the marine industry. Its equipment base includes DJI Inspire 2 and Mavic 3 Cine platforms, a custom-built Highfield Patrol 760 camera boat with Starlink connectivity, Netflix-approved gimbal-stabilized FPV rigs (operated in partnership with Knight Sky Aerials), heavy-lift drones, 4-array Stratus LED drone lighting systems, and Freelfy Wave ultra slow-motion (4K at 420 FPS) capability.

The company sells project-based professional services on a bespoke quote basis, with pricing tied to shoot duration, location complexity, kit requirements, and deliverables. Its customer base spans four primary verticals: superyacht builders and charter agents (Sunseeker, Aqua Superpower, Highfield Boats), commercial shipping companies and port operators (CMA CGM, DP World, GEODIS, HMM), TV channels and broadcast producers (BBC, ITV, CBS News, Discovery, Channel 5, Netflix), and boat builders and marine equipment manufacturers (Diverse Marine, PDL Marine, Rebel Marine). Turnaround times for superyacht content are as fast as 24 hours for stills and 48 hours for video.

Maritime Filming UK operates as a bootstrapped, founder-owned business with no disclosed external funding. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, strategic partnerships (Livett's Group, Southampton RIB Charter, Tiger Co's Marine Content joint venture, Knight Sky Aerials), and event-driven field marketing at major marine industry shows. The company holds multi-jurisdictional drone operating licenses across 30+ countries and is the only UK operator with enhanced blanket permission to fly drones over the River Thames in Central London — a regulatory exclusivity that underpins its ability to serve time-sensitive London broadcast and event clients.

Name

Maritime Filming

Legal name

Maritime Filming UK

Website

https://maritimefilming.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maritime Filming UK is a Southampton-based specialist drone filming and photography company serving superyacht builders, commercial shipping operators, broadcasters, and boat builders with marine-only aerial cinematography, FPV drone work, and live TV broadcasting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Marine drone filming and photography services: Project-based professional services for aerial drone filming, ground-based cinematography, and photography at sea. Services span live TV broadcast, superyacht marketing content, commercial shipping documentation, sailing race coverage, and corporate marine events. Revenue is generated through client commissions, day rates, and deliverable-based fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Maritime Filming UK provides professional aerial drone filming and photography services at sea, targeting marine businesses, superyacht builders, shipping companies, and TV/broadcast producers. Core deliveries include standard and FPV drone cinematography, high-resolution aerial stills, live TV broadcasting, thermal imaging, drone lighting, and heavy-lift aircraft operations, all coordinated with in-house commercial boat skippers and a custom camera boat. The company holds an exclusive regulatory position enabling drone operations over the River Thames and across more than 30 countries.

Product overview

Maritime Filming UK is a marine-focused aerial filming and photography service provider operating from Southampton with worldwide coverage. The core offering consists of professional drone filming services (standard and FPV), aerial photography, and live TV drone broadcasting. These are delivered through specialist drone equipment including DJI Inspire 2, DJI Mavic 3 Cine, Phantom 4 Pro, Canon R5, and specialized FPV drones (CineDrone with RED camera capability up to 8K). Supporting services include heavy lift drone operations, drone lighting for film productions, thermal imaging, and ultra slow motion filming (4K at 420fps). The company operates a custom-built Highfield Patrol 760 camera boat and provides in-house qualified commercial boat skippers. Specialized offerings target superyacht marketing content, commercial marine operations, and TV/broadcast productions. Licenses include CAA PFCO, EASA Certificate of Competency, and operational capability in over 30 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drone Filming Services Professional aerial drone filming services for marine, commercial, superyacht, and TV/broadcast applications, offering both standard drone and FPV (First Person View) capabilities for dynamic action shots. Targets marine businesses, shipping companies, broadcasters, and superyacht builders requiring aerial coverage at sea.
• Aerial Photography High-resolution aerial photography services using professional drone-mounted cameras capable of capturing stills up to 80MP (Canon R5) for maritime and commercial applications including superyacht marketing, port documentation, and event coverage.
• Live TV Drone Broadcasting Live aerial drone broadcasting services for TV channels and outside broadcasters with SDI line output up to Full HD (1080p/1080i) in low latency, plus live streaming to online channels and social media. Serves news outlets and documentary productions.
• Superyacht Marketing Content Specialized content creation services for superyacht builds and charter yachts including video filming and photography with ultra-fast turnaround (24-hour image delivery, 48-hour video turnaround) for marketing campaigns, boat shows, and new model launches.
• FPV Drone Filming First Person View (FPV) drone filming using CineDrone (Netflix-approved, RED camera capable up to 8K), Mini Quads (4K 120fps), and Sub-250g Tiny Whoops for indoor/interior shots through yachts and vessels. Targets film productions and high-end cinematic projects.
• Heavy Lift Drone Services Heavy-lift aircraft drone services capable of flying larger camera systems, 360-degree cameras, and heavy payloads for professional film productions and specialised industrial applications.
• Drone Lighting Aerial drone lighting systems using ultra-powerful Stratus LEDs connected to a Movi Gimbal for directional and controllable lighting at sea and on land, primarily supporting film productions requiring night or directional aerial lighting.
• Thermal Imaging Thermal imaging drone aircraft services for marine inspections and search and rescue operations, providing aerial thermal data capture in marine environments.
• Ultra Slow Motion Filming High frame rate filming service using Freelfy Wave technology capable of 4K at up to 420 FPS for dramatic action shots, suited to maritime sports, sailing, and yacht marketing.
• Commercial Marine Services In-house qualified commercial boat skippers and commercial boat charter arrangements for filming platform provision including chase boats and film/TV production support, enabling the company to operate independently without third-party vessel hire.
• Camera Boat (Highfield Patrol 760) Charter of a custom-built camera boat with stable dry hull, open deck space, camera tie-down points, dedicated camera display monitor, and remote head capability for live TV broadcasting, with a top speed of 45 knots, purpose-built for maritime filming.
• TV Drone Filming for Post-Production Aerial drone footage services for TV post-production including BBC Children In Need, Channel 4, Channel 5, CBS News, and documentary productions requiring archived or post-produced maritime footage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ successful drone flights over the River Thames
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southampton RIB ChartercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthampton RIB Charters operates 2 powerful Ribeye 785s and an Axopar 28 Cabin out of Southampton and Portsmouth. They provide chase boats, camera boats, and live stream setup capabilities for Maritime Filming UK shoots. The partnership provides the company with reliable chase boat and filming platform access in the Solent region.
• Tiger CocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTiger Co collaborates with Maritime Filming UK on a variety of projects requiring additional filming crew and social media content management. Together they formed a joint collaboration called Marine Content, serving as a comprehensive marine content creation partnership.
• Drone Inspection SpecialistsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDrone Inspection Specialists provide high-quality drone inspection data for property owners and marine businesses. They operate with pilots holding Green CSCS cards for construction site work. The partnership extends Maritime Filming UK's reach into property and industrial inspection sectors.
• Livett's GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLivett's are the experts on River Thames logistics and serve as preferred suppliers for drone operations over the River Thames. Maritime Filming UK is the only company in the UK to hold an enhanced blanket permission to fly over the River Thames, and this partnership with Livett's provides a strong operational base for Thames filming and facilitates faster client project organisation.
• Knight Sky AerialscoreTechnology or IntegrationKnight Sky Aerials manufactures the specialist gimbal-stabilized FPV drone setup that Maritime Filming UK operates. This is one of the only Netflix-approved gimbal-stabilized FPV camera setups available worldwide, enabling the company to offer high-end cinematic FPV drone footage.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heliguy: UK drone services provider combining commercial drone operations with training and enterprise solutions; comparable on the CAA-licensed commercial drone operations side and on enterprise/B2B GTM motion.
• Visual Air: UK aerial filming company providing drone and helicopter cinematography for TV, commercials, and corporate clients; comparable in target segments (broadcast, corporate, brand content) and service delivery.
• Flying Pictures: Established UK aerial filming and photography specialist serving film, TV, and advertising clients with helicopter and drone platforms; directly comparable in service mix, broadcast client base, and crew-based delivery model.
• Knight Sky Aerials: Specialist FPV drone cinematographer (Netflix-approved gimbal-stabilised FPV rigs, Hollywood credits) and Maritime Filming's named FPV technology partner; direct peer on FPV capability and high-end broadcast clientele.
• Aerial Film Company: Aerial filming and photography specialist serving broadcasters and brands; competes for the same broadcast-grade aerial work and is a credible alternative for TV production companies in the UK.
• Sky Cine: UK-based specialist drone filming and aerial cinematography company offering FPV and broadcast-grade aerial services; the closest like-for-like specialist drone filming peer in the UK market.

Emerging players

• SloMo Drone: UK specialist in ultra slow-motion drone filming (high-frame-rate cinematography for sport, action, and broadcast); comparable on the specialist high-frame-rate drone filming niche Maritime Filming addresses with its Freelfy Wave offering.
• Tiger Co: Marine content and social media agency partnered with Maritime Filming UK (joint 'Marine Content' offering); comparable as a marine-focused content studio targeting superyacht and leisure marine clients.
• Drone Inspection Specialists: UK drone inspection provider for property and marine businesses; partner of Maritime Filming UK and a peer in the marine drone inspection / thermal imaging niche where Maritime Filming is extending its offering.

Broad incumbents

• Getty Images: Global stock imagery and video licensing incumbent; relevant as a benchmark for monetising maritime aerial content at scale and as a downstream channel/distributor rather than a direct production competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/maritimefilming
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqfZbl_TMj_oelAGgdZUzTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/maritimefilmingUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maritimefilminguk
• Instagraminstagram.com/maritimefilminguk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maritime Filming