Aerial Drone Cinematography Tips

Due to the rising camera drone technology, there are many options for selecting an aerial videographer. Correct use of a drone can give an incredible payoff especially after uploading and viewing your footage on social media or on your computer. Below are tips to help you become a professional drone photographer.

Practice, conditions, lighting, location

It is important to consider these four steps before flying your drone. You should keep off flying your drone during heavy rains. On the other hand, windy conditions can either make or break your flight. In addition, too much darkness or too much light can go a great length in ruining your flight. It is advisable to plan your shoots around sunset or sunrise so as to avoid too much wind and capture your subjects in a perfect soft-lighting.

Location is very important. Recently, drones have been subjected to more strict regulations and they have been outlawed by lots of public spaces. Before shooting in a place, it is important to research the regulatory policies of that location. You should also consider the number of civilians that will be in that place. It will be difficult enough to take a good shot with your drone without worrisome bystanders getting in your way.

Before you set out for the real flight it’s important to practice first. This will assist you lower the number of takes you require for each shot and feel more comfortable before your subjects. You should practice flights at your specified location before the scheduled date.

Keep the size of your drone in mind

You should take advantage of the size of your drone. Smaller drones are capable of getting fairly close to the subject and are maneuverable in a unique way. However, shots taken at high-altitude can also be very useful. If you have enough time and battery power then it is a good idea to try a number of angles to take your shots from.

Movement

Many drone users don’t keep in mind the capturing action when taking shots. When a shot is properly planned drones can capture a large amount of complexity. Keep in mind to follow the action and make an effort of seeing the drone just like another character in the movie. This will assist you achieve a natural and an organic feel during aerial cinematography, while putting in more complexity to your action shots.

Slow pan fly-by

This is an amazing common type of drone shot. The drone flies close to the subject at an angle and meanwhile the camera pans to frame the subject. If you are flying at a very low speed then you don’t have to set the pan speed very high.

The last tip is tilt-up reveal. This kind of shot begins with the drone near the ground and the video camera tilted downward. When the drone starts moving, slowly raise the drone and slowly tilt the camera above to capture your subject in the frame. The simplest way to achieve this shot is to begin from the end and work backwards.