Astraeus Aerial

What Astraeus Aerial does

Astraeus Aerial operates as Lightcraft, a private US production-services company specializing in camera movement systems for film, episodic television, broadcast, and commercial advertising. The company was formed when the Lightcraft team — first assembled in 2013 — merged operations with Astraeus Aerial, one of the original five UAS operators in the United States sanctioned by the FAA for cinema drone operations, in January 2022. Astraeus Aerial/Lightcraft is headquartered at 141 Sierra St., El Segundo, California, and employs between 251 and 500 people.

The company's core technology is a diversified fleet of proprietary and customized aerial and ground cinematography platforms. The drone stack includes Cinema FPV drones capable of speeds above 120 mph, Heavy Lift drones that carry large cinema cameras with extended flight times, Heavy FPV (Gimbal FPV) systems pioneered by Lightcraft that combine FPV speed with 3-axis gimbal stability, and Drone Light platforms for flying illumination. Complementary ground and water systems include arm cars operating across road, track, off-road, and marine environments; helicopter coordination with 5-axis gimbals; remote-operated rovers for low-angle capture; and custom underwater camera housings developed for platforms including Arri, RED, Sony, and the Phantom Flex 4K. Astraeus Aerial/Lightcraft is described as a preferred vendor for major studios and production services worldwide, with regional teams serving Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and New Mexico.

The business operates on a project-based professional-services model, billing quote-based engagements to enterprise clients including major Hollywood studios, advertising agencies, and broadcast/streaming networks. Revenue mechanics are anchored in crew-intensive, equipment-intensive shoot days rather than recurring subscriptions or per-seat licensing. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, with direct relationships to studios, agencies, and production teams. Aether Films functions as the parent company, providing structural alignment between creative production and technical aerial services.

Name

Astraeus Aerial

Legal name

Astraeus Aerial

Website

https://astraeusaerial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Astraeus Aerial operates as Lightcraft, a US production-services company specializing in aerial and ground camera movement systems — drones, arm cars, helicopters, rovers, and underwater housings — for film, episodic television, broadcast, and commercial clients including major Hollywood studios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerial Cinematography and Camera Movement Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

On-Demand Helicopter Charter (Private/Corporate) (TLAFACAB)

Keywords

• Aerial cinematography services
• Drone filming services
• FPV drone pilots
• Camera movement systems
• Production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Production Services - Aerial Cinematography: Professional cinematography services for film, TV, commercials, and broadcast productions. Includes drone services (Cinema FPV, Heavy Lift, Heavy FPV, Drone Light), arm car, helicopter, rover, and water cinematography. Billed as project-based professional services with specialized equipment and crew.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Astraeus Aerial (operating as Lightcraft after the January 2022 merger) is a production services company that delivers aerial cinematography and camera movement services for film, episodic television, broadcast, and commercial productions. It deploys a fleet of drones (Cinema FPV, Heavy Lift, Heavy FPV, Drone Light), arm cars, helicopters with 5-axis gimbals, rovers, and water cinematography platforms with custom underwater housings. Services are sold as project-based professional engagements to agencies, studios, and production teams, with regional teams in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and New Mexico.

Product overview

Lightcraft (merged with Astraeus Aerial in January 2022) operates as a production services company specializing in camera movement systems for film, episodic, broadcast, and commercials. The company offers a comprehensive suite of aerial and ground-based cinematography services built around its core drone technology platforms including Cinema FPV (high-speed First Person View up to 120mph+), Heavy FPV (Gimbal FPV combining FPV speed with 3-axis gimbal stability), and Heavy Lift (large cinema cameras with extended flight times). Complementing the drone services are Arm Car (versatile vehicle-mounted camera systems), Helicopter (5-axis gimbal coordination), Rover (low-angle remote vehicle systems), and Water Cinematography (custom underwater housings for various camera platforms). The company maintains regional operations in Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and New Mexico. Lightcraft emerged as an offshoot of parent company Aether Films and is a preferred vendor for major studios worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drone Services Comprehensive drone cinematography services for film, episodic, broadcast, and commercial productions, encompassing Cinema FPV (extreme high speeds up to 120mph+), Heavy Lift (large cinema cameras with longer flight times), Heavy FPV (Gimbal FPV combining FPV speed with 3-axis gimbal stability), Drone Light (flying lights on drones), and Picture Drone capabilities. Targeted at agencies, studios, and production teams requiring dynamic aerial imagery.
• Arm Car Services Versatile vehicle-mounted camera systems with arm extensions for capturing dynamic ground-level footage across on-road, track, off-road, and marine environments. Solutions range in price and size to accommodate different budgets. Targeted at productions needing high-speed ground tracking shots.
• Helicopter Services Helicopter coordination services pairing expert 5-axis gimbal operators with local helicopter service companies worldwide for higher, faster, and farther aerial cinematography. Targeted at feature films and large-scale productions requiring long-range aerial footage.
• Rover Platform Services Low-angle movement system with extreme maneuverability featuring remote-controlled vehicles operated by a seasoned team (driver and operator) with extensive set experience. Unique toy-like appearance with functional low-angle camera movement capability. Targeted at productions needing low-to-the-ground dynamic camera moves.
• Water Cinematography Services Underwater and surface filming services including surf housings for surface and just-underwater capture, dive housings for depths greater than thirty feet, support for most camera platforms (Arri, RED, Sony, Phantom), and custom housing development including a developed Phantom Flex 4K underwater housing. Targeted at productions needing in-water or surface cinematography.

Quantifiable outcome

• Preferred vendor status with major studios worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aether FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Aether Films is the parent company of Lightcraft. The two companies share a common vision and legacy for the provision of aerial cinematography services. Lightcraft originated as an offshoot of Aether Films, separating technical production services from creative services. Aether Films is a go-to production company in Los Angeles and nationally.
• Astraeus AerialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022In January 2022, Lightcraft merged operations with Astraeus Aerial, one of the 5 original UAS operators in the US sanctioned by the FAA for cinema drone operations. The merger brings enhanced capabilities and resources to both operations. The two companies share a common vision and legacy for the provision of aerial cinematography services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DJI: World's largest commercial drone manufacturer whose platforms (Inspire, Mavic, Matrice) underpin much of the cinema-drone services industry. Comparable as a broad incumbent shaping the technology baseline that specialty cinematographers build on.
• Shotover Camera Systems: Designer and manufacturer of high-end stabilized camera gimbals used on helicopters, vehicles, and drones for film and broadcast. Comparable as an enabling technology provider in the same aerial cinematography value chain, though operating as a hardware vendor rather than services provider.
• Freefly Systems: Manufacturer of professional cinema drones (ALTA X) and camera movement gimbals (MoVI) widely used in aerial cinematography. Comparable as an enabling hardware supplier whose products underpin Lightcraft's Heavy Lift and gimbal-based platforms.
• Cineflex / GSS (Gimbal Stabilizer Systems): Producer of high-end stabilized camera gimbals (Cineflex) widely used in helicopter and vehicle cinematography for film and broadcast. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same stabilized aerial camera space.

Direct peers

• Helinet Aviation: Long-established provider of helicopter and drone aerial cinematography services for film, TV, and commercials. Direct competitor in the same specialty aerial cinematography category, serving major studios with similar crewed aircraft and UAS capabilities.
• Vortex Aerial: Aerial cinematography and drone services company providing FPV and heavy-lift drone work for film, commercial, and episodic productions. Closely comparable in service mix and target customer base.
• Pictorvision: Specialist in helicopter-mounted stabilized camera systems for film and TV production. Comparable as an aerial cinematography specialist serving major studios with high-end stabilized gimbal platforms.
• Flying Pictures: Aerial filming specialist offering helicopter-mounted and drone cinematography for film, TV, and commercials. Comparable as a premium aerial cinematography services provider with a similar crewed-and-uncrewed platform mix.
• Drone Dudes: Specialized drone cinematography company serving film, TV, and commercial productions. Comparable as a focused aerial cinematography vendor competing for the same studio and production-company engagements.

Others

• Aether Films: Parent company of Lightcraft and a Los Angeles production company. Listed as a related entity rather than a competitor; relevant as the originating creative production partner of the merged entity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LightCraft.tv_
• Instagraminstagram.com/lightcraft.tv
• Xx.com/astraeusaerial
• Facebookfacebook.com/astraeusaerial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Astraeus Aerial