A construction progress video program is a recurring set of drone and ground flights over the same job site, captured from the same GPS locked positions, altitudes and headings every visit, so that the footage lines up and the build reads as progress instead of a pile of unrelated aerials. Most general contractors and developers run it monthly, tighten it to every 2 weeks during site work and steel, and end with a 60 second timelapse that compresses the whole project. It is priced per site and per visit and quoted monthly. Here is how the program runs, what arrives after each visit, who actually uses it, and what it costs.
Key Takeaways
- The whole method rests on repeatability. Lock the positions on flight 1 and repeat them exactly on every flight after.
- Each visit delivers matched aerial stills, a short progress clip and, when needed, an orthomosaic site map. The end of the project delivers the timelapse.
- Progress video serves 5 audiences at once: owners and lenders, marketing and business development, project management, claims and disputes, and recruiting.
- Programs are quoted per site and per visit. Multi site programs share travel and planning and cost less per site.
- Every flight is by an FAA Part 107 certified pilot, coordinated with your superintendent, with launch points outside the work zone.
Why the First Flight Is the Most Important One
A progress program lives or dies on consistency. On the first visit we walk the site with your superintendent, agree the launch and landing point outside the work zone, and set the shot list: typically 6 to 10 aerial positions covering the full site from each corner, a top down, the main elevation, and any critical detail such as a loading dock, a tie in or a phase boundary. For every position we record the GPS coordinates, altitude and camera heading and save them as a flight plan. Every later visit flies that plan. The result is a set of images that overlay almost perfectly month to month, which is what turns 12 flights into a timelapse and what makes a before and after pair usable in a claim.
Ground footage follows the same logic. We mark 3 to 5 ground positions with the same framing each visit, which catches the interior fit out that a drone cannot see once the roof is on.
What Arrives After Every Visit
- Matched aerial stills. High resolution photos from each locked position, named by position and date so anyone can find last month’s shot.
- A short progress clip. 30 to 60 seconds of edited aerial and ground footage with the date and phase on screen, ready for an owner update, a LinkedIn post or a lender email.
- Raw footage archive. Everything we captured, delivered to your cloud folder.
- Orthomosaic and site map, when needed. A top down stitched map of the site for logistics planning, laydown coordination or documentation. Priced by the site.
- Inspection footage, when requested. High resolution close up video of roofs, facades, rooftop equipment or areas that are hard to reach from the ground.
Rough cut arrives in 5 to 7 business days after the flight, the final about 2 business days after your feedback, and urgent selects are available the same week when you tell us during scoping that you need them, for example for a monthly draw meeting.
The Timelapse at the End
When the project closes out, every locked position becomes 1 sequence. We assemble the flights into a timelapse, usually compressed to about 60 seconds, with the phases labeled. That piece goes on your website, in your proposal deck, on the owner’s ribbon cutting screen and into your recruiting content. It is the single most reused asset a construction company produces, and it only exists if the flights were locked from the beginning.
Who Uses Progress Video
Owners and lenders
A dated aerial set answers “where are we” faster than a narrative report. Many of our clients attach the monthly clip and stills to the draw request or the owner’s meeting agenda.
Marketing and business development
Every month you get a fresh, real project update to post, and at the end you get the timelapse for the pursuit deck. Construction companies that win on relationships still need proof of work for the people who have not met them yet. Our construction video production page shows the kind of content these programs produce.
Project management and safety
Top down imagery shows laydown, access and phasing problems you cannot see from the trailer. Aerials from locked positions also make a clean record of site conditions, housekeeping and fall protection at each stage.
Claims and disputes
Dated, matched, high resolution imagery of the site every month is hard to argue with. When a question comes up about when a condition existed or what was in place on a given date, the archive answers it. This is the reason many contractors keep the raw files for the life of the warranty period.
Recruiting
Craft workers and project engineers want to see the work. A 60 second timelapse of a project they could join does more than a job posting.
How Often to Fly
Monthly is the standard cadence for a program of 12 to 24 months. During earthwork, foundations and steel, when the site changes fast, many teams tighten it to every 2 weeks. During interior fit out, monthly aerials continue for the exterior while ground positions carry the story inside. Milestone flights, such as topping out, enclosure and substantial completion, are added to the plan when the schedule is set.
What a Progress Program Costs
Programs are priced per site and per visit and quoted monthly, because the variables are flight time, the number of positions, the number of sites, and how much editing each monthly clip needs. As reference points from our published pricing, drone coverage added to a ground shoot typically runs $300 to $800, and our Monthly Content Creation programs at the Growth ($3,500 a month) and Authority ($5,000 a month) levels include drone coverage along with the short form videos and photos most contractors want for marketing anyway. Multi site programs across the Charlotte region share travel and planning and come in lower per site. Our guide to drone videography cost in Charlotte covers the wider market numbers, including mapping and inspection pricing.
Safety and Compliance on Active Sites
Every flight is by an FAA Part 107 certified pilot, with airspace authorization handled where it is required. On active sites we coordinate with your superintendent, stay clear of active crews and moving equipment, wear your site PPE, and plan launch and landing points outside the work zone. We schedule around crane picks and concrete pours, not through them. For the full rulebook, including CLT airspace and stadium restrictions that affect sites in and around Uptown, read our guide to Charlotte drone laws for businesses.
Construction Progress Video FAQ
Can you fly the same site every month for progress footage?
Yes. That is one of our most common programs. We lock GPS positions, altitudes and headings on the first flight so every later pass matches.
Can you fly over an active construction site?
Yes, and we do it constantly. We coordinate with your superintendent, stay clear of active crews and moving equipment, and plan launch points outside the work zone.
Do you do mapping and inspection too, or only video?
Both. Drone mapping produces top down orthomosaic stills and stitched site maps. Inspection flights produce high resolution close up footage of roofs, towers, tanks and rooftop equipment.
What if the project is outside Charlotte?
We fly across Charlotte and the surrounding metro, including Concord, Huntersville, Mooresville, Kannapolis, Gastonia, Mint Hill and Rock Hill SC, and we travel across North and South Carolina for multi site programs.
Who owns the footage?
You receive full usage and commercial rights to everything delivered, and the raw archive is yours to keep.
Set Up a Progress Program for Your Next Project
Send us the site address, the schedule and the number of sites. We scope the program and send back custom packages to choose from.
Request a quote or call 704-491-1283. Final Cut Multimedia is a Charlotte NC video production agency with FAA Part 107 certified pilots, 500+ projects completed, 20+ years in production and a 4.9 Google rating from 115+ verified reviews.