Drone Cinematography for CNN’s D-Day 75 Coverage in Normandy

Specialist drone cinematography across the historic D-Day landscape of Normandy for CNN’s coverage of the 75th anniversary of the Allied landings. Filming included Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery, using cinematic aerial perspectives to reveal the geography and scale of the coastline, battlefield and memorial landscape from above.

The assignment required months of advance planning and high-level coordination with the French civil aviation authority (DGAC), local prefectures and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Operating around some of Normandy’s most historically sensitive locations meant navigating restricted airspace, heritage protections, public access and site-specific permissions while maintaining the level of operational control required for a major international broadcast.

The resulting 4K aerial cinematography was designed to support CNN’s commemorative reporting rather than simply provide dramatic views: connecting the beaches, surrounding terrain and memorial sites visually, while treating the landscape and its history with appropriate restraint.

Aerial cinematography across Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery for CNN’s D-Day 75 coverage, using the coastline, surviving wartime landscape and memorial sites to show the geography, scale and relationship between the landing beaches and the ground fought over in June 1944.

Project Details

Client / Broadcaster: CNN
Production: CNN coverage of the 75th anniversary of D-Day
Date: June 2019
Location: Normandy, France
Key Locations: Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
Role: Drone Pilot & Drone Cinematographer — Lewis Whyld
Filming: Specialist 4K aerial cinematography across the D-Day coastline, battlefield landscape and memorial sites
Environment: Internationally significant Second World War heritage sites / commemorative broadcast environment
Permissions & Coordination: Detailed advance permissions involving the French civil aviation authority (DGAC), local prefectures and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC)
Planning: Months of preparation and coordination ahead of filming around highly sensitive and controlled locations
Operational Considerations: Restricted airspace, heritage protection, public access, site-specific permissions and the need to operate respectfully around memorial and cemetery grounds
Coverage: Omaha Beach, the surrounding Normandy coastline, battlefield terrain, Normandy American Cemetery and the relationship between the landing beaches and inland landscape
Editorial Approach: Restrained aerial movement designed to explain geography and scale while remaining appropriate to the commemorative nature of the story
Story Focus: The 75th anniversary of the Allied landings and the geography, human cost and continuing significance of D-Day
Specialism: Historic Sites / Broadcast News / International Permissions / Restricted Airspace / Heritage / Drone Cinematography

Planning & Permissions for D-Day 75

Filming around Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery required months of preparation before a drone could be flown. The locations sit within a complex mix of controlled airspace, protected heritage sites, public areas and internationally significant memorial ground, so permissions had to be resolved at several levels.
The operation involved coordination with the French civil aviation authority, the DGAC, alongside local prefectures and the American Battle Monuments Commission, which manages the Normandy American Cemetery. Flight planning had to account for where aircraft could be launched and recovered, how the camera could move around visitors and commemorative activity, and which areas required additional restrictions or supervision.
The aim was to secure enough freedom to create meaningful aerial movement without compromising safety, heritage protection or the dignity of the locations. That preparation allowed the filming to concentrate on the visual story once on site rather than trying to solve regulatory or access problems during the shoot.

Aerial Storytelling Across a Historic Landscape

The value of the drone footage was in showing how the individual D-Day locations relate to one another. From the air, Omaha Beach, the cliffs, inland terrain and Normandy American Cemetery can be understood as parts of the same landscape rather than isolated historic sites.
That wider perspective helped communicate the physical scale of the landings and the distance troops had to cross from the shoreline into defended territory. Sweeping aerial views provided geographical context, while more controlled movements around memorial locations kept the visual language appropriate to the subject.
For CNN’s anniversary coverage, the drone was used as a storytelling tool rather than simply an establishing camera. The objective was to help viewers understand the terrain on which the events of 6 June 1944 unfolded while preserving the dignity and significance of the places being filmed.

Specialist Drone Filming for Historic & Sensitive Locations

The Normandy assignment shows how aerial cinematography can be used at historically important locations without allowing the technology to dominate the story. At sites such as Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery, the aircraft, flight path and camera movement all had to be adapted to the character and sensitivity of the location.
For heritage, memorial and historically significant sites, permissions are only one part of the process. The visual approach also matters. Flight routes need to respect visitors, protected areas and the meaning of the site while still giving the production perspectives that would be difficult to achieve from the ground.
That combination of detailed preparation, controlled operation and restrained cinematography makes drone filming particularly effective for major anniversaries, historical documentaries and broadcast productions where geography and landscape are central to understanding the story.

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Planning Drone Filming for Historic & Restricted Locations?

Through Whyldthings, I provide specialist drone cinematography for heritage sites, memorial landscapes, historic buildings and other sensitive locations where access, permissions and visual restraint are critical.
The D-Day 75 assignment in Normandy required months of advance coordination with aviation authorities, local government and site managers before filming could begin, alongside careful planning around restricted airspace, public access and internationally significant memorial locations.
For historic and protected sites, the approach is built around the location first — resolving permissions, access, launch and recovery points, public safety and the appropriate visual language before selecting the aircraft and flight routes.
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