How to Shoot Cinematic Footage with Your Drone - 012
Oh, how I love to sit on the couch and look for the ever increase amount of drone shots you see on television, movies and the internet, yelling “drone shot, drone shot!” to anyone in the room (and sometimes to an empty room). The increasing amount of drone shots means shouldn’t mean to you that everyone is doing it, so why bother. What it means to me is that drones are becoming a critical part of the film industry, a staple if you will.
I’ve had the opportunity to use a drone in independent films, commercials, and “spec” projects. The good news is that you can use cinematic moves using the drone you already own (even if it’s for practice). If you read some of my work, you will know that I’m a firm believer in starting with what you own. Have a 1080P drone, well your well suited for most video online. Don’t fall into the trap of chasing the latest and greatest drone, unless it comes with a significant increase in efficiency, quality, and benefit for you and the customer.
A client bought a 4K drone stating that this would make him stand apart from the competition but soon discovered that his computer didn’t have the “horsepower” to handle such massive files, even for short edits. He was then proceeded down the rabbit hole of buying another computer that could handle the 4K edits thereby radically increasing the cost of doing business. He was bummed when new business didn’t come knocking on his door as quickly as he anticipated while his investment sat on the sidelines. On the flip side, if you have a 4K drone and the computer capable of editing large files, you have the flexibility to offer more services in addition to flexibility editing (for framing purposes).
There are a handful of standard shots (that may go by several names depending) that we will talk about next forgoing as much technical jargon as possible. Our conversation about cinematic shots will be centered on drone moves and will save editing and post processing for another time.
Establishment Shot
When you are following a story, let’s say a sitcom, a location will be shown from a distance to give the viewer an idea of where the location has shifted, for example the exterior shot of the “Restaurant.” After the establishment shot the scene typically shifts inside to follow the dialog of the actors.
Crane Shot
As the name implies, a crane shot is vertical shot in which the topic of interest comes into the frame. Think of the previous establishment shot but starting high, like of the skyline, then slowly descending vertically until the subject comes into frame.
Copyright 2023 Remote Pilot Association (TC Freeman)Dolly Shot
A dolly shot is exactly what it sounds like, pretend the camera is on a dolly and being pushed for a left to right or right to left shot. Direct to and from the subject is a thing too, be careful, from a safety point of view, when pushing (flying) in towards a person. The advantage of a drone dolly shot is that it takes all the time necessary to set up a dolly track, platform and camera. Efficiency is another way drones have worked their way into the industry.
Copyright 2023 Remote Pilot Association (TC Freeman)Up and Away
Various manufacturers call this by different names, I’ll just call it the “up and away” shot. To explain, imagine a drone pointing toward the front door. Next, imagine a 45-degree angle (with reference to the ground) that proceeds up and backwards. The pilot adds throttle while simultaneously reversing flight (remember it’s reverse sensing if positioned in-front of the camera). The result is a shot that starts as a close-up of the door, going up in altitude and away from the door to an establishment shot of sorts. The maneuver can also be done in reverse, an establishment shot to a close-up of the door.
Most everyone is familiar with this shot, even if not knowing the proper name, it’s used a lot. While not impossible to divide attention between the screen and the drone, our suggestion is to use the display to maintain frame. Use the throttle to keep the subject in the frame while moving away from the subject at a consistent rate. Having said this, it’s important to use a Visual Observer (VO) as this maneuver requires a lot of heads-down screen time.
Camera 90-degrees Down (or close to it)
The use of a 90-degree angle camera position makes for a unique shot. Showing a forest or a deserted road from this angle makes for engaging content. We are sensitive about flying over people and vehicles, even if all the regulations are met, and suggest flying off-set from the subject or use a 70-degree camera angle for the same look.
Copyright 2023 Remote Pilot Association (TC Freeman)Fly-Over
A fly-over gives the viewer a larger scope, a moving establishment shot if you will. For example, if you want to show more than just the main house of a large estate, fly-over showing the house but also the guest house, horse stables, pool, gardens and more. The neat thing is that this can be accomplished in one take, if not practical, it can be done in a few tasteful clips.
Copyright 2023 Remote Pilot Association (TC Freeman)Circling
One of the more difficult maneuvers to accomplish is circling a subject. Circling can be close in, such as filming dialog from a group as the drone circles, or a large circle, such as circling the top of a belltower. The difficult part is being aware of obstacles while going in and out of reverse command as the drone is yawed to keep the subject in the frame. If the subject is moving, this further increases the challenge.
A Visual Observer (VO) is critical in this scenario, as the pilots head is down looking at the screen. Evaluate the area for hazards and obstacles, if possible, use an altitude above the highest obstacle. However, practicing reverse command is the first step, followed by flying a rounded square, building up to circles. Be sure to leave a large buffer zone as the brain to hand coordination may decide to do different things. Notice we haven’t discussed using the automated features of the drone? We’ll talk about that later.
Following People and Vehicles (legally)
Our explanation is going to focus more on the FAA regulations and safety than the definition (be sure to follow other applicable laws, like privacy, city ordinances, State statues, etc). While there are provisions for legally transitioning over people, we don’t suggest it, especially when there are so many good alternatives. Regardless of being technically defined as transition over people and/or vehicles, it’s wise to brief the crew, participants, and folks in the vehicles in detail about the mission and emergency plans. The main reason to not fly over people, minus the additional regulations, is common-sense safety. To bring the risk into focus consider this fact, small drone, say 10 lbs. in total weight, can kill or seriously hurt someone if it falls from a height of as little as 10 feet. Here are a few suggestions on getting safe cinematic shots:
· Fly over the heads of the tallest person by several feet (minimum). If the drone and subject are at the same altitude (height) then the person zigs and the drone zags, there could be a collision hazard.
During a film shoot of filming a horse and rider galloping across the iconic western pasture the overzealous director told me to fly eye-level with the horse as it proceeded right to left across the field. Due to the safety concern, I ended up flying a few feet over the height of the rider to prevent the possibility of a collision. The varied terrain combined with the movement made it difficult, but we got the shot that sadly wound up on the cutting room floor (it happens).
· If you need a 90-degree, camera straight down shot, put the camera at 70 degrees and it will be hard to tell the difference. Alternatively, use 90 degrees but put the subject just outside of the center of the frame.
At a small-town festival, we used the 70-degree technique, flying over small building rooftops for cover that allowed us to get footage of the pedestrian activity on the road.
· F Following a fast-moving vehicle will most likely require getting out of Cinematic mode to Normal or Sport in-order to keep up with the action. Following a subject that’s moving is a skillset that needs to be practiced regularly. Get to an altitude above obstacles. Stage someone to operate a vehicle, staying a legal and safe distance away allows the drone pilot to practice “pacing” the subject for practice.
Sidebar: Types of Aircraft Approved for Transitioning Flight Over People
As far as regulations, drones are grouped into categories (1-4) based on additional mechanical requirements, called “airworthiness standards.” The memory aid for airworthiness means that the aircraft is “worthy of the air,” or mechanically sound. Another regulation requirement revolves around the potential for damage as it relates to the weight and speed of the aircraft (a.k.a. kinetic energy). The cost of entry for Category 2-4 drones is too expensive for many, so many default to the path of least resistance by flying a Category 1 drone.
Category 1 drones weigh under 250-grams including propeller guards to meet the regulation for flight over people. The addition of a Remote ID module (September 2023) requirement will negatively impact the use of popular drones for Category I, placing them over the 250-grams limit. Read the FAA’s information regarding flying over people and vehicles.
Auto Modes
Personally, I’m not a fan of using the auto-modes for certain flight maneuvers such as circling, follow me, “up and away,” just to name a few. However, I do respect that we all harness the power of drone differently, some like a lot of automation, while others are in the “none” category. The Bell Curve is probably the most correct, a good combination of automation and hand flying. Never-the-less, my challenge to you dear reader is to learn how to fly automated maneuvers manually first.
A Few More Suggestions
Use Cinema Mode most of the time, unless the quick cut style is what you are shooting for cinematically. There are situations, like when following a fast vehicle, where a quicker mode (normal or sport) is necessary.
A very common shooting mistake you see drone pilots make is jerky video, especially while yawing (left control stick, left or right movement) the drone. For example, our local news was covering a train that overturned containing toxic chemicals and bless their heart the drone pilot was making jerking yaw movements while circling the train. IMHO, good drone footage should not make you know there’s a drone shooting the footage, but rather an extension of entire film toolbox.
Speaking of circling shots, they are difficult and require practice, for instance, when the drone is pointed directly toward you (camera acting as the cockpit if you will) is call reverse command (left is right, and right is left). Everyone uses a little different technique, some are more visual, with eyes on the drone. The most popular method is heavy use of the display screen to successfully frame the shot (perhaps thanks to the video game generation). In the flight training we offer, I would say eighty-five percent use the screen, perhaps a little too much. As a result of the heavy use of the display, we highly recommend using one or more Visual Observers (VO) to keep things legal and safe. A good VO can alert the pilot to hazards that the pilot may not see.
Go out, be safe, and practice flying these tried-and-true maneuvers of the film industry. After gaining some experience add other types of shots and better yet, get creative and come up with your own techniques. It’s always fun to go back and critique your footage and incorporate changes on the next flight.
TC Freeman is the Chief Instructor for the RemotePilotAssociation.com (RPA) and has a passion for helping recreational and commercial drone pilots learn to fly and earn FAA commercial Remote drone Pilot certification through live, hybrid or self-study courses.
NEW June-July 2023 “OPEN HOUSE,” FREE-No Obligation Trail: RPA Membership Mastermind Meeting, M3 for short, where we meet online on a bi-weekly basis to discuss drone business, certification and re-currency. Email us to RSVP.
#drone, #dronephotography, #dji
Copyright 2023, Remote Pilot Association (TC Freeman)
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