Is it though? How much does all the associated gear, operators, actors, sets, producers cost? In the context of professional video production, a one time savings of $6k seems pretty small.
The point is what the footage looks like. It’s about the camera output.
An iPhone + good lighting + microphone will give you fantastic footage.
You don’t need the drone or lift. If you’re not trying to do those effects they don’t matter. The iPhone can give you great results if you own one, you don’t need to buy a fancy camera, you can spend your budget elsewhere if you’re getting started.
Yeah, I think the real target of this kind of marketing is indie/student filmmakers. People whose entire budget for a short film is a few thousand dollars they've pooled together.
I can rent a RED camera and lenses for maybe $1000/day ($3,000/week).
It's not that big a savings at all, for one of the most pivotal parts to the process, is that where you want to be skimping?