FPV & Cinematic Drone Filming Around Tower Bridge, London

FPV and cinematic drone filming around Tower Bridge in London, captured by Emmy-winning FPV pilot and drone cinematographer Lewis Whyld. The work combined close-proximity FPV movement around the bridge’s architecture with wider aerial views over the River Thames, using changes in height, distance and perspective to reveal the scale, engineering and character of one of London’s most recognisable landmarks. Lewis also filmed Tower Bridge during the Covid-19 pandemic, capturing the normally busy crossing and surrounding city in an extraordinary period of near-total emptiness.

FPV and cinematic drone filming around Tower Bridge, London — combining close-proximity movement around the landmark with sweeping aerial views over the River Thames, filmed by Lewis Whyld.

Project Details

Client / Broadcaster: CNN
Location: Tower Bridge, London, UK
Role: FPV Pilot & Drone Cinematographer - Lewis Whyld
Filming: FPV & cinematic drone cinematography
Coverage: Tower Bridge, River Thames and surrounding central London
Flight Style: Close-proximity FPV, sweeping aerials, landmark reveals and documentary aerial filming
Additional Coverage: Tower Bridge and central London during the Covid-19 pandemic
Pandemic Context: CNN visual journalism documenting deserted London during lockdown
Recognition: Part of CNN’s award-recognised Covid-19 reporting, including a 2021 Peabody Awards Special Commendation
Operation: Fully planned filming around a major central London landmark
Challenges: Urban flight planning, complex permissions, close-proximity flying around landmark architecture and operating in a sensitive public environment
Specialism: Landmark / Heritage / London / FPV / Aerial Cinematography / Documentary / Broadcast

Filming Tower Bridge from Two Very Different Perspectives

Tower Bridge has featured in my work in two very different ways: as a cinematic FPV and aerial location, and as part of CNN’s documentary coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the cinematic work, I used close-proximity FPV movement around the bridge and wider aerial perspectives over the River Thames to show the scale, engineering and architecture of the landmark from dynamic viewpoints.

During the pandemic, the visual language was completely different. I filmed Tower Bridge and the surrounding central London streets for CNN when the city was almost deserted, documenting an extraordinary moment when one of the capital’s busiest landmarks stood virtually empty.

Together, the two bodies of work show how drone cinematography can serve very different purposes at the same location — from immersive, highly controlled cinematic movement to observational aerial journalism documenting a historic moment.

Specialist FPV & Drone Filming for London Landmarks

The Tower Bridge work sits within a wider body of FPV and aerial cinematography across major London landmarks, heritage sites and tightly controlled urban environments.

I use FPV and conventional cinema drones differently depending on the brief: close-proximity FPV for immersive movement around architecture, and wider gimbal-drone coverage when the story needs scale, geography or a more observational perspective.

Working around landmark locations in central London also requires the operational side to be right — permissions, route planning, risk assessment, airspace considerations and coordination with the location or production team all need to support the shot.

For productions filming recognisable architecture, the aim is to create something visually distinctive while keeping the operation controlled, compliant and appropriate to the location.

Related Case Studies

Explore more FPV and drone cinematography across London landmarks, heritage sites and complex urban environments:

Oyster Yachts — St Katharine Docks — A continuous FPV journey from the River Thames and Tower Bridge into St Katharine Docks, around the yacht display and through the vessels themselves.

Imperial War Museum London — A fully permitted FPV flight from the museum’s exterior naval guns into the main atrium for CNN and Imperial War Museums’ Refugees season.

Warner Bros. Discovery London — A technically demanding three-floor indoor FPV flythrough through the company’s London headquarters.

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris — Fully permitted indoor FPV cinematography for CNN inside one of the world’s most sensitive historic environments.

View All FPV & Drone Case Studies →

Planning FPV or Drone Filming Around a London Landmark?

Through Whyldthings, I provide specialist FPV and cinematic drone filming for landmarks, heritage sites, waterfronts, architecture and complex urban locations.

From permissions, airspace and route planning through to risk assessment, aircraft selection and filming, I build each operation around the location and the shot — whether the brief calls for close-proximity FPV, sweeping aerials or a combination of both.

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