With the ever-increasing popularity of video used to share marketing messages, create social media content, and engage an audience online, it’s no surprise the demand for drone videography is rising. Completely different from shooting on the ground, aerial videography has its own set of rules and equipment in order to capture dynamic footage.

The Basics For Setting Up An Aerial Video Shoot

What’s most important, if you decide to incorporate the use of a drone into your video project, is preparation. Whether you’re controlling the drone or have an outside expert at the helm, you know what you want to capture, so make sure to pre-plan your aerial shots as much as possible by scouting your location beforehand. Factor in environmental limitations so that you optimize drone battery life. You don’t want to get on location and miss the shot due to external issues.

Proper preparation also means checking the weather when it comes to capturing drone footage. It’s okay to fly on a cloudy day, but avoid rain, mist, and heavy fog. If you’re out in colder weather, watch out for condensation forming on your equipment. This can actually freeze and cause damage when your drone rises to higher altitudes. It’s also important to avoid extremely windy days for an optimal shooting environment. It’s recommended to stay under 25-35 mph winds.

Now that you’ve got the basics for creating an ideal shooting environment, here are some key aerial videography tips to make your footage truly stand out.

Create Depth And Detail With Aerial Videography

Because of the flexibility provided by having your camera fly through the air, there are options to add more depth and detail into your scenes rather easily. While you may be compelled to design shots way up in the air, don’t forget that flying at a lower altitude allows the camera to see more detail. This helps immerse your audience into the scene and brings an added level of intensity to the moment.

On the flip side, give your audience a better understanding of the sheer size of the landscape in your scene with this trick. Focus on tall trees or another structure close to the drone to create a parallax effect. This is when background images move more slowly than images in the foreground, creating the illusion of depth. This too may help your audience immerse themselves into the scene.

You can also add an additional element of depth and detail by shooting at the right times of the day. Not the most popular, but it’s definitely worth getting up early or staying out late for, shooting at sunrise or sunset creates a natural setting where content stands out. At both of these times of day, shadows are more visible. Terrain will have more depth and make a greater impact within your shot.

Use Unique Movements Only A Drone Does Well

Even though your drone may be controlled by an expert operator, it’s good to know a few capabilities drones have to draw attention and add sophistication to your video content. Unlike traditional cameras, drones can move in more than one direction at the same time with ease. Using two axes of movement, such as going backward and down at the same time, creates an impact akin to what you’ll see in big-budget movies. You can recreate that impact at a fraction of the cost by simple drone movement. No special effects needed.

Strafing is another camera movement that’s often more fluid with drones. This sideways motion creates a bigger bang when panning landscapes because they’re presented from a unique perspective. With traditional cameras, shots like this often move forward or backward, but a drone can float from side-to-side. This difference in perspective can really make your content stand out.

Lastly, exclusive to drones, the camera can move in a circle. The smooth transition of the camera as it makes a 360 rotation around an object typically adds exceptional cinematic force to your scene.

Ready To Capture Footage With A Drone?

Now that you know a little about what features aerial videography offers to punch up your content, the last tip is to make sure you find an experienced drone operator to help you realize your vision. With cutting-edge technology and thousands of hours of flight time already logged, the team at Lens Head Media are ready to partner with you on your next video project. Learn more about our aerial footage services and how we can help you create dynamic visual content up in the sky.