Aerial Cinematography Basics

Aerial cinematography seem pretty simple at first. Simply set up, strap a lightweight camera to a drone you can control remotely, and begin recording. Truth is though, it’s not that easy.

Even if aerial cinematography’s made more attainable due to modern technology, it still remains quite a challenging activity. Besides, it’s not all about piloting a drone, it’s still about being able to produce high quality, stable videos. And to assist you with your aerial cinematography, we’ve listed several essential tips below.

Pick Your UAV Or Drone

There a lot of really good brands in the market. Make sure you buy one that will meet all your requirements – be informed not only about availability, pricing and the model’s specs, it’s also good to read customer feedback or reviews and the extent of support the manufacturer can provide you.

Be Knowledgeable About Your Settings

Some models have an autopilot mode which you can manually set up, some controls are more sensitive than others, some will have GPS some won’t, and some will even have auto-correct. So in order to maximize your videography skills, you have to really know how to use your gear – fly it both manually and automatically, and using basics as well as more advanced settings.

Choose Your Camera

Similar to when deciding on which model or UAV to purchase, you also have to gather sufficient information about the video camera in order to find one that will best suit your requirements. You probably are knowledgeable about the best cameras in the market, but since we’re talking about aerial cinematography, you also have to consider getting a camera which is light enough so your drone’s batter will last and therefore achieve longer flight time.

Slow Down

Here’s a simple yet vital tip: slow your quadcopter or UAV down. Practice shooting with finesse in order to get really useful shots.

Consider The Weather

Avoid shooting into the sun as not only can propellers cast shadows, if the sun hits your camera lens, it can highlight dirt on it during takeoff.

You also want to take gust of wind into consideration: avoid flying when wind is greater than 17-23 mph or 15-23 knots. The best flying condition should have wind within 8-10 miles per hour (7-9 knots).

Flying when it raining is generally not advisable as not all cameras and drones would be suitable to perform in precipitation.

Get Direct Line Of Sight

If you’re not using an FPV system, you’ll find this very important. It’s always more convenient if you fly directly toward or away from where you’re standing as anything beyond that will require more advanced depth perception. Use objects near and far from your location to set up the unobstructed, direct line, and fly in a straight direction whenever possible.

Source: New Aerial Cinematography