Aerial footage, if not done right, can look dull. Many amateur videographers are looking for ways to boost their shooting prowess when it comes to aerial shots, especially the ones done by drones. Well, the truth is, it is not that hard, and all that you need are a few simple solutions and hacks that will make your drone cinematography stand out.
It is in the combination of different axes
The drone moves on axes. You cannot make your footage stand out and be counted as spectacular if there is only forward or backward direction for movement. If you are looking to add depth, then you need to start combining double axes of movements during the drone shot. This means flying backward as well as sideways or in any other possible combination keeping the focus of the shot intact. This takes a lot of practice since you need to keep the drone steady with minimum jerky movements. That means you need to handle the drone controller with a lot of care.
About orbiting
Orbit is another silver bullet in the arsenal of experienced drone camera operators. This will surely add the much-needed boost with the cinematic aspect and depth to your panorama shots. Maintain the target at the middle while you navigate the circular motion while yawing in the opposite direction. This makes for a very complex yet beautiful looking shot.
Keep in mind that orbiting will also take your weeks of practice to get it right, just like the flying slowly as stated previously. So it is essential to perform trial runs to get yourself fully acquainted with all that your drone can do. However, there are various automated flight modes on the commercially available drones that you can put to good use.
Using low altitude shots
This one is an old trick in the book. Drone footage doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to fly high. Yes, height is essential, but low altitude shots make for perfect videography. This is due to the fact that there are more details to consider and focus on, which makes the experience rather immersive for the audience. If you want to keep your audience enthralled then low altitude shots work like magic.
Using multiple angles
Multiple angles are always a great idea to make a subject appear more exciting or to stress the subject matter at hand. It is quite easy to film from multiple angles using a drone so you should be using it to give the shot a professional polish. You can use the trace mode on the commercially available drones or fly parallel the profile mode. Adjust the frame tilt and make sure that the distance from the subject is always the same for all the angles.
About side movements
For side to side movements, you need to avoid the simple change of direction from the left to right or vice-versa. You can go for strafing for the shots which will make for intense imagery that can keep the audience glued to the presentation in front of them.
Use these tips from our experts while starting with drone videography.
