Many are of the view that drones or unmanned aircraft can give a boost to the creative industry because of its portable size, cheap cost and ability to record aerial images. However, the operation of drones without a permit in Bhutan is strictly prohibited under the Civil Aviation Regulation of Bhutan. Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) penalised over 30 individuals so far. Private filmmakers, videographers, and photographers shared their disappointments and said that drone operations should be allowed through an easy registering process and proper advocacies.
Drones are aerial vehicles, usually small, the size of a laptop bag, generally used for photography, transportation, and navigation. In recent times, it became a trend among many photographers and filmmakers. They said drones developed the whole cinematic outlook of photography.
“If we use drones in creative industries, the weightage will increase. I mean drones can do so much of what five or six cameras together can do,” said Tshering Denkar, a travel vlogger.
“Our country is covered with beautiful sites everywhere such as gigantic mountains, monasteries and temples. So when we film music videos using drones, it looks even better. Drones can capture everything from every angle,” added Karma Tshel, the Manager of Rigdol Films.
“From a creative point of view, I feel drones are an important part of the film making process, be it documentaries, be it travel videos or films,” said Kinley Tshering, a Filmmaker.
However, the BCAA’s regulation does not allow any private individuals to operate drones in the Bhutanese airspace. The office reasons that due to the technology being new to many, it is risky to allow such practices.
Many filmmakers and photographers said that the regulation and registration to get a permit is not clear. They said such technology should be welcomed.
“When filmmakers are not allowed to use drones or when the regulation makes it almost impossible to get permits to use drones in Bhutan, it stifles creativity, it stifles growth. From my own experience, getting a permit for drone operation is extremely difficult in the first place. There are multiple agencies involved. It complicates things, it makes things very difficult and at the end, I think it really discourages especially private individuals and firms like us who have to depend on film making,” said Kinley Tshering.
“Somehow I managed to use a drone in one of my travel vlogs while trekking. I was not very much aware of the rules that we can’t fly in the woods. I did a 10-second shot of the drone but unfortunately, I got fined for using a drone because that was against the rules and regulations of the country. It is so ironic we talk so much about embracing technology but when rest of the world is using drones and taking advantage of what drone has to offer, somehow we are being restricted. However, sadly we are not allowed to use it. It somehow breaks my heart,” said Tshering Denkar.
“If we have permission to use drones, it will be very beneficial for filmmakers. To be honest, we used drones in the past to film our videos. We even paid fines. We would be grateful if concerned offices could allocate locations of sites where we can use drones. They called us immediately when they saw our MTVs and we paid fines. We were very sad and disappointed. We understand why drones are not allowed in certain places such as near important monasteries or temples. The BCAA has told us that they are planning to issue drone operating licenses and also allocate locations. We are awaiting that,” added Karma Tshel.
The BCAA said that despite repeated awareness and public advocacies through the mainstream and social media, people still fly drones. Today the office is reviewing and assessing all the issues and risks involved in allowing private individuals to operate drones. The BCAA is also planning to amend the Unmanned Aircraft System Operations regulation soon. Although the office did not comment on the expected outcome of the study, for now, only government agencies are granted approval.
Tshering Dendup
