We were lucky to join the BBC and shoot aerials using the DJI Inspire 3 for the Norwegian part of the series. We had temperatures as cold as -25, if you add 12 m/s wind, the effective temperature ended up around -34 degrees celcius. Our experience in arctic environments were key to solving battery logistics, transportation and local nature reserve restrictions. Knowing the impact on flight times and the risk of propeller icing on shoots like this is imperative to keep shooting for days.

We rotated batteries continuously and kept them insulated between flights to maintain stable performance. Transport between locations required careful planning, as many of the sites were only accessible by snowmobile or on foot. Each take had to be prepared in advance to minimize time in the air and reduce exposure of equipment to the cold.

Condensation management was also a factor when moving equipment between warm vehicles and the outdoor environment. All gear was allowed to acclimatize before powering on to avoid internal moisture. The Inspire 3 performed reliably throughout the shoot, and its stability in wind allowed us to capture consistent tracking shots across open terrain and frozen landscapes.

Working closely with the production team and local authorities ensured all flights were conducted safely and within regulations. This allowed us to focus on capturing the aerial sequences efficiently, despite the conditions, and maintain continuity across multiple shooting days.

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age