Tips And Tricks For Shooting The Best Aerial Videos With Drones
Aerial video or photography with drones gives budding film-makers the chance to explore a landscape from a new perspective and to allow viewers to see areas of the world that are inaccessible without these UAVs taking us on a bird-eye view tour.
With the right techniques, skill level and equipment, it is possible to get some bold, epic shots of interesting places without having to pay out for professional equipment. Amateur filmmakers are testing out new approaches all the time, and some of the short films are created and take them closer to pro-level footage than ever before.
If you want a slow, sweeping establishing shot, a drone is a way to go. These brief tips for aerial photography guide to landscape videography will highlight some of the best approaches.
Determining The Best Location For Your Film Shoot
Are you unsure of where to film to get the best shots because of the movie made from an aerial perspective? Location scouting can be difficult because you don’t know what a shot will look like from the drone’s viewpoint until it is up in the sky.
You can make guesses about exotic locations from Google Maps, but it isn’t until you get to a place that you understand the hazards and the real potential.
The best approach is to go somewhere with potential, send up the drone for a test flight and have a look through the UAV’s camera. If it is a safe environment with impressive scenery, you can plan your next shots.
It can be a time-consuming process, as it involves some trial and error and traveling between locations to get the very best angles and landscapes – especially if you are looking to compile them all into one video.
You also want to look at a scene through seasonal changes. A dramatic snowy scene in a forest or mountainside can look entirely different in the spring, giving the viewers something else to think about it.
Don’t Rely Too Much On This Single Element Of The Shoot – Quality Counts Just As Much As The Gimmick.
This aerial viewpoint can be the star attraction of a short film because it is something that viewers haven’t seen before, but this doesn’t mean that filmmakers can rely on this element to draw their audience in and retain them.
The birds-eye view is the hook, but there has to be enough skill with the camera and knowledge of photography to ensure that the whole film is engaging and attractive. Treat the camera on the UAV like any other camera on another shoot.
If you would take your time to create a slow, steady panning effect on an establishing shot from the ground, use the same principles in the air. IT can be trickier when controlling a drone – but the best aerial videographers are the ones that are skilled drone operators.
It is all about taking the time to let the image do the talking and make sure that you are treating it with respect. For some, this means altering the frame rate for a much slower, smoother effect. Some recommend going to 30fps.
There is no perfect way to work, and the results can all depend on the equipment used as much as your skill level, which is why this final tip is so important.
Find The Right Drone And Camera To Suit Your Needs.
You need plenty of time and patience to get a precise shot for a professional level piece of footage, but don’t assume that you also need a very complicated setup.
There is no need for over-the-top UAVs with large video cameras mounted to them. Some of the best films are shot using some mid-level, user-friendly drones like the DJI Phantom 3 Professional.
This drone offers a single flight with intuitive controls and lets users shoot in 4k. With the right skill level and knowledge of how to handle this 4k shoot, you can create great footage during your flight time and tidy it all up with some simple software.
Aerial videography may only be a hobby at this point but the tools that are available. That means it is easy to progress from a few shaky clips on a Go Pro. A Small model drone to something much more stable and satisfying with a 4K model.
Shop around, get to know the mechanics of the machine and enjoy the process of location scouting. There are plenty of entertaining films to make, and your drone could make one of them.