DE SLAG OM DE SCHELDE (2021)

Heavy-Lift Drone Cinematography in The Forgotten Battle (De Slag om de Schelde, 2021)

One of the most striking examples of professional drone cinematography in recent Dutch film history is the aerial work in the 2021 war epic The Forgotten Battle (original Dutch title: De Slag om de Schelde). Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., this €14 million production tells the powerful story of the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944 – a crucial but long-overlooked Allied operation in the final months of World War II. The film combines intense ground combat, flooded landscapes and epic establishing shots that bring the vast Zeeland estuary dramatically to life.

For these breathtaking aerial sequences, heavy-lift drones proved essential. Skymotion provided the cinematic drone footage using their trusted Cinestar heavy-lift system, capable of carrying full ARRI Alexa and RED cinema cameras with anamorphic lenses and professional gimbal stabilisation. This allowed the aerial shots to match the exact filmic look and quality of the ground footage – something only true heavy-lift platforms can deliver.

The drone team captured sweeping landscapes of the flooded polders, dramatic estuary views, and wide establishing shots that place the viewer right in the heart of the battlefield. These real aerial plates were seamlessly integrated with ground photography and VFX, creating immersive, authentic sequences that feel both epic and intimate. From the opening glider formations to the haunting beauty of the Scheldt region, the heavy-lift drone work added scale, emotion and historical accuracy that would have been impossible – or prohibitively expensive – with helicopters alone.

The Forgotten Battle is a textbook example of how modern heavy-lift drones have revolutionised large-scale film production. They offer directors and DOPs the freedom to shoot complex aerials with cinema-grade quality, full creative control and significantly lower costs compared to traditional aerial platforms. The result speaks for itself: the film became the Netherlands’ most successful local release of 2021 and is now streaming worldwide on Netflix, introducing millions of viewers to both the historic battle and the power of cinematic drone filmmaking.

This project perfectly illustrates why heavy-lift drones have become indispensable in high-end film, TV and commercial productions worldwide.