5 Tips for Shooting Video with Drones

Posted October 02, 2017

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Drones have gained a lot of popularity in the past few years in the video world for the amazing shots that they can get. It used to be if you wanted an aerial shot for your video or film you had to get a helicopter and equipment, and in many cases it simply was not an option due to the massive expenses. Once consumer drones arrived on the scene all of this changed and it became quite easy to get beautiful aerial shots for relatively little expense.

Now, almost everyone wants to use a drone shot in their videos. They add a professionalism and excitement that can get people to watch your stories. However, using them for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. Aside from flying them for the first time, there are a few other things that you need to get familiar and comfortable with before your shots.

First thing you should do before you go to shoot video is simply fly the drone around a little. Every drone is different, so even if you have flown a drone before, but not necessarily the model you are working with for your video shoot, make sure to take it out for a test flight to familiarize yourself with the handling of that particular drone.

Once you have done that, make sure you take into account these 5 tips from YouTuber TravelFeels:

Here are the tips covered in the video:

Before you start shooting with your drone on location, familiarize yourself with the area that you are going to be flying in. This includes not only checking out the area and looking for potential obstacals to avoid while shooting, but also take a look at local drone regulations to make sure you are doing everything in accordance with the law.

Have a friend on hand to be a spotter while shooting. While you are monitoring the footage, framing and drone movements, it is helpful to have another person with you to keep an eye on the drone in the sky and keep track of obstacals and other variables.

Using a ND filter on your shots will greatly help your footage as it will help with glade from the sun while flying and also will allow you to shoot with a lower shutter speed to avoid too much of that shakey, jittery footage.

It is important, with any shoot but particularly drone shoots, to have a solid plan to keep to. It is always easier when you plan your shots ahead of time, particularly with wide set pieces like those you'll get with drones. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to plan the action going on below, but have an idea of what you want to capture and what the best flight path and camera movement will be to get what you want to get.

Lastly, make sure to save some battery for landing. You may get caught up in your shots while you are flying, but it is important to keep an eye on your battery life so you can get everything you want, and safely bring the drone down without it plummeting from high above leaving open the possibility that your drone, or worse the footage, gets destroyed.

If you have any tips we'd love to see them in the comments below.