The announcement that GoPro is developing consumer drones is good news for mobile moviemakers who understand the potential of aerial cinematography. Forget paying thousands of dollars for a bird’s-eye view of locations. GoPro’s talking about a price range of $500 to $1,000—and that includes the GoPro camera! You can read the details at TechCrunch, which quotes the Wall Street Journal as its source.

Unfortunately,  there is a bump in the sky, as one of our staff members discovered this week. He’s helping a local junior high class produce a mobile movie about pollution.  The prime location is a beach located in the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS). A dramatic establishing shot was proposed: an aerial shot taken by a drone showing the actors playing in the sand.

Sounded exciting until another volunteer, who happens to be associated with PRNS, pointed out that the National Park Servicer has banned drone use in all national parks.  The Washington Post covered this story in June.

So while adventurous mobile moviemakers are eager to look down on the world, it won’t happen in places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and the Point Reyes National Seashore.