An Aerial Shot is footage captured from a high vantage point above the ground, giving the audience a bird's eye perspective on a scene, landscape, or subject. It conveys scale, geography, and context in ways that ground-level shots cannot achieve, and is commonly used for establishing sequences, action overviews, and dramatic visual transitions.

Traditionally, aerial shots required helicopters or specialised cranes. The rise of drone technology has made aerial cinematography far more accessible and affordable for independent filmmakers and content creators. Modern drones can capture stable, high-resolution aerial footage with a level of control that was previously reserved for major productions.

In AI video generation, aerial perspectives can be simulated or enhanced by models trained on aerial footage. Including aerial shot language in video prompts helps guide AI tools toward generating appropriately elevated and wide compositions, making it a useful term for any creator working with AI filmmaking or generative video platforms.