Luke Maximo Bell
South African cinematographer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luke Bell (born 1994) is a filmmaker, drone pilot and videographer from Cape Town, South Africa.[1][2][3]
May 11, 1994
Luke Maximo Bell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Luke Maximo Bell May 11, 1994 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Alma mater | University of Cape Town |
| Occupation | Cinematographer/ Filmmaker |
| Years active | c. 2016–present |
| Website | lukemaximobell |
Life and career
Luke studied Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Cape Town where he began his career.[4][5]
In 2017 Luke was among the winners of the annual Dronestagram[6] drone photography competition.[7][8][9] In 2020 he was awarded first place in the music video category in the Moment Invitational Film Festival presented in New York City.[10][11]
In 2020 Luke became a Sony α ambassador for Middle East and Africa.[12][13]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Luke received clearance to film the empty streets of Cape Town by drone.[14][15] In more recent years he has worked as a drone pilot and drone camera operator on films like Resident Evil (TV series)[16]† and The Year Earth Changed.[17]
In June 2025 Luke designed, built and flew the world's fastest quadcopter/ drone.[18]
Filmography
| † | Denotes projects that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Director | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Meet South Africa. Meet Bheki: The Mbhaco Maker[19] | Teboho Mahlatsi[20] | Social Content Videographer | |
| Tali's Wedding Diary[21] | Ari Kruger[22] | Drone Pilot | 8 Episodes | |
| 2020 | The Age of Nature[23] | Peter Lown[24] | Archival Footage Contributor | 1 Episode |
| The Rolling Stones: Living in a Ghost Town[25] | Joe Connor[26] | Camera Operator | ||
| 2021 | Tali's Baby Diary[27] | Ari Kruger [22] | Drone pilot | 10 episodes |
| The Year Earth Changed[17] | Tom Beard[28] | Aerial Footage Contributor | ||
| Facebook: Skate Nation Ghana[29] | Bafic [30] / Justyna Obasi [31] / Elliott Power | Drone Pilot | ||
| 2021 | Day Zero[32] | Virginia Quinn[33] / Kevin Sim [34] | Aerial Footage Contributor | |
| 2022 | Resident Evil (TV series) [16]† | Rachel Goldberg / Rob Seidenglanz [35] / Batan Silva [36] / Bronwen Hughes | Drone Camera Operator |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Title | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Skypixel Photo Contest[37] | Professional Drones in Use | Reaching for the Phantom | Nominated | 3rd Place |
| 2017 | Skypixel Aerial Photo and Video Contest[38] | Cities | The City of Cape Town | Won | |
| Dronestagram Aerial Photo Contest[39] | Creativity | Two Moo | Won | ||
| 2020 | Moment Invitational Awards [10] | Music Video | We Can't Breathe | Won | |
| Siena International Photo Awards[40] | Video | The Frozen Continent | Nominated | 2nd Place |
