Aerial filming basics

[Cyrus]

Hello guys

This is Cyrus from Singapore. How are you all doing?


I just have a question about doing aerial filming. As I am more inclined to doing still images, aerial video as of now is still something quite new to me.


Prior to getting my Inspire 1, I have a Hubsan quadcopter which I use to practice indoors.


My questions regarding aerial filming are as follows:

Besides familiarizing with controls to pilot the i1, how do you plan on shooting, ie landscape / architecture? Do you sketch out how you intend to do it prior to flying? I was just at a park to do some practice and stuck to the “keep your drone in sight at all times” rule. Brought a little notebook to scribble but I guess I didn’t have a chance as I was engrossed in manoeuvring and filming. It was a park with clusters of people around so I had to take extra precautions not to hurt anyone.


I did the following at this flight attempt:

“flyaway shot” – 45 degrees away from myself starting at the nearest position to far out.

“side dolly shot” – Panned it sideways slowly of a small bridge.

“ascending shot” - Flew it over a small stream, towards a larger bridge.


There were a few shots like a top down rotating, chase and bounce off, that I wanted to try but I think I still need more familiarization with the i1.


Care to share some tips guys?


Cyrus

 

[marg2]

any samples?

 

[Cyrus]

Hi marg2, thanks for responding. I'll put the clips together for sharing in awhile.

any samples?

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

I think if you have an "eye" for shooting scenes with artistic value then find your subject, put your drone in the air and be your end-user looking into the screen and find what works and practice practice practice. Two problems I still run into are not getting close enough to my subject, and focusing on my subject without being completely aware of EVERYTHING in the background. A scene with a great subject can be significantly diminished with a water treatment plant in the not too distant background, or greatly enhanced with a nice building or other aesthetic feature captured at a good angle.

I think a great thing about aerial video, and photos to a much lesser extent is that they seem to either be great shots, or suck real bad with very little in the middle.

 

[Talon Six]

Episode #34 of the now-defunct Multirotor Podcast covered this exact topic. Host Joe Papa really knows his stuff when it comes to different kinds of shots.

Here's a link: Multirotor Podcast #34

Also if you're going to be shooting as a single operator, I recommend one of the alternate flight apps such as Litchi or Autopilot. I've had great success getting complex shots that ordinarily require dual operators with Autopilot.

Bottom line is practice, practice, practice!

 

[Cyrus]

Here's the video put together. Please give me your feedbacks / inputs:

 

[DECinHSV]

Cyrus . . . ERROR OCCURED when I attempted to play

 

[Cyrus]

Try it again mate. I've edited the link so it should now work.

Cyrus . . . ERROR OCCURED when I attempted to play

 

[Pyrock]

Husband to an Inspire 1...oh my!
I'm no expert but practice, practice, practice so your footage can be more continuous and so you can get closer to your subject. Remember that your flying an expensive machine that is potentially dangerous so you need to have full control of it but most importantly, have full confidence in flying it in multiple situations. Here is an example of a job I did with a 280mm racing drone with a cheap EBay gimbal at a fixed angle and a GoPro...no stability control other than a Naze32 and no GPS. I used to do a job in the morning then take off the gimbal and race it in the afternoon.

...and here is an example using an Inspire 1. There's a point that washed out but I liked the effect so I left it as is. Keep in mind that I'm still new at it.

Otherwise, you're doing fine, just keep practicing every chance you get. Good luck!

 

[Pyrock]

Sorry...Hubsan not husband! **** spell check!

 

[Cowboyvidz]

Cyrus, I actually think your shots are pretty good, the motion is very smooth, the target is well in focus and the shots are timed reasonably (although, in my opinion, could be clipped very slightly)

I must commend your control on the sticks, there seemed to be very little 'jerk' on the inputs and you seem competent.

Congratulations on taking some good shots!

 

[Pyrock]

Cyrus, I actually think your shots are pretty good, the motion is very smooth, the target is well in focus and the shots are timed reasonably (although, in my opinion, could be clipped very slightly)

I must commend your control on the sticks, there seemed to be very little 'jerk' on the inputs and you seem competent.

Congratulations on taking some good shots!

Thanks Cyrus and thanks for the advice. I will work on it. That means a lot coming from a photographer like yourself!

 

[Cyrus]

Hi mate

Thanks for your feedback and compliments. I have a Hubsan which I practice flying at home but have never filmed anything on it due the limited flight time.

I think I still need alot of practice to get some of the fundamentals right to make clips smooth and professional looking. I will be sharing my videos via this link as a permanent point of reference to prevent "cyberclutter":

Cyrus from Singapore - Aerial videos to share

Will be updating you guys on my flight journey and looking forward to making better videos!


Cyrus

Cyrus, I actually think your shots are pretty good, the motion is very smooth, the target is well in focus and the shots are timed reasonably (although, in my opinion, could be clipped very slightly)

I must commend your control on the sticks, there seemed to be very little 'jerk' on the inputs and you seem competent.

Congratulations on taking some good shots!

 

[Cyrus]

Hey mate

Nice shots and thanks for sharing! I can't believe your first was done without a stability gimbal as it looks so smooth. Love the way it's being done; flattering for the subject presented in the video!


Cyrus

Husband to an Inspire 1...oh my!
I'm no expert but practice, practice, practice so your footage can be more continuous and so you can get closer to your subject. Remember that your flying an expensive machine that is potentially dangerous so you need to have full control of it but most importantly, have full confidence in flying it in multiple situations. Here is an example of a job I did with a 280mm racing drone with a cheap EBay gimbal at a fixed angle and a GoPro...no stability control other than a Naze32 and no GPS. I used to do a job in the morning then take off the gimbal and race it in the afternoon.

...and here is an example using an Inspire 1. There's a point that washed out but I liked the effect so I left it as is. Keep in mind that I'm still new at it.

Otherwise, you're doing fine, just keep practicing every chance you get. Good luck!