Action shots of cars drifting

[NineReflections]

I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a lot of action footage out there so I thought I would treat you all with some.

I recorded these guys drifting around an abandoned road system in FL. Recording them in action was some of the most fun I have ever had.

I'm still new at this and I made mistakes but I think it turned out pretty well.

Below the videos I will put some details, questions, and stray observations I've made since recording these videos, if anyone is interested keep on scrolling.

(Fun little crash around 3:15 on the first video)

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Dji Mavic Pro: C4K/24FPS/Auto with controller and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
GoPro Hero5 Black: 4K/24FPS/Auto with suction cup mount
Edited with Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X9.5

Before I got the Mavic I practiced with a Hubsan H107C for a year. I still consider myself very new to quadcopters. I learned that there are some very important things to consider when recording unscripted action like this. I thought I had it all planned out, but I still almost hit a tree.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. Just some things I found to be helpful.

1. Having an attentive visual observer is a must (and the law).
   • I was trying to fly low for some of the shots and my spotter informed me people had walked into the field to get pictures near my flight path.
   • It's easy to get so involved in the action you forget about your surroundings. A spotter can keep you in check.
   • The Mavic did an excellent job holding altitude but I still had the spotter constantly give me feedback about how close the ground I was.
2. If you're ever lost or unsure about where you are, just stop moving. I was getting a really cool shot and thought I may be close to a tree. Turns out I was very close to a tree and I'm glad I didn't risk it.
3. Do a thorough pre-flight survey of the land and fly a few practice sessions if you can. I flew up to 400 feet and took a picture to study.
4. Try to have a small plan or find out general ideas and directions the people you are recording are going to take.
5. Hit the focus button!
   • The focus is soft in the first video because I thought focusing from 10-15 feet away in the beginning would be fine for the whole video. I was wrong and it was hard to see on the cell phone screen. I should have been actively focusing when I changed distance significantly.
6. Make sure all your cameras are recording the same resolution. I didn't realize the Mavic was in C4K, or that it was different than regular 4K. Because of this I had some aspect ratio issues between the Mavic and the GoPro I had to fix when editing.
7. Turn off the auto white balance. I even read people saying to do this and I still forgot. It will make doing color correction so much easier if you plan on editing the videos. Other wise you have to constantly balance out the color when the auto white balancing kicks it.

Having the GoPro allowed me to relax a bit and not worry about always having the cars in the Mavic's camera. This allowed me to fly ahead and set some of the shots up. When editing I pretty much just cut to the GoPro any time the Mavic wasn't in a good position.

I want to get better at flying backwards so I can get some shots of the front of the cars. Having an extra GoPro or two would be nice too

Overall I was super impressed with the Mavic's performance. It felt so agile in the sky. It did a really good job keeping up with the cars. The stats say I hit 68 MPH (with the wind). Do you all find the speeds it records to be accurate?

With the sun setting and the constant changing of direction is it possible to get good results in anything other than auto settings?

Does anyone have and experiences or opinions about launching a Mavic from a moving car? I think going from inside the car to a hand launch out of the sunroof would make for a really cool shot (safety being the first concern).

Any feed back is appreciated. Other than my shots being jerky


​

 

[halley]

That's a great video edit! I really appreciate the way you synchronized audio throughout, and the action was often telling a story.

I also really dug the fact that you debriefed us here on your experiences. Good advice in each point.

The stats say I hit 68 MPH (with the wind). Do you all find the speeds it records to be accurate?

No, the units on the DJI Go screen are wrong. Compare with GPS data such as uploading your log to HealthyDrones.

Definitely don't risk a hand-launch while in motion. Unless you like plastic shards (and maybe blood droplets) all over the driving course.

 

[BD0G]

Turned out great! ND filters will allow you to reduce the shutter speed and create more cinematic shots.

 

[NineReflections]

Thanks for the encouragement, quick responses, and good advice halley and BD0G.

Definitely don't risk a hand-launch while in motion. Unless you like plastic shards (and maybe blood droplets) all over the driving course.

I knew that was the answer I was going to get but I had to ask anyway.

Defiantly not worth the aforementioned risks.

 

[CanyonRunVideos]

I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a lot of action footage out there so I thought I would treat you all with some.

I recorded these guys drifting around an abandoned road system in FL. Recording them in action was some of the most fun I have ever had.

I'm still new at this and I made mistakes but I think it turned out pretty well.

Below the videos I will put some details, questions, and stray observations I've made since recording these videos, if anyone is interested keep on scrolling.

(Fun little crash around 3:15 on the first video)

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

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Dji Mavic Pro: C4K/24FPS/Auto with controller and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
GoPro Hero5 Black: 4K/24FPS/Auto with suction cup mount
Edited with Corel Videostudio x9

Before I got the Mavic I practiced with a Hubsan H107C for a year. I still consider myself very new to quadcopters. I learned that there are some very important things to consider when recording unscripted action like this. I thought I had it all planned out, but I still almost hit a tree.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. Just some things I found to be helpful.

1. Having an attentive visual observer is a must (and the law).
   • I was trying to fly low for some of the shots and my spotter informed me people had walked into the field to get pictures near my flight path.
   • It's easy to get so involved in the action you forget about your surroundings. A spotter can keep you in check.
   • The Mavic did an excellent job holding altitude but I still had the spotter constantly give me feedback about how close the ground I was.
2. If you're ever lost or unsure about where you are, just stop moving. I was getting a really cool shot and thought I may be close to a tree. Turns out I was very close to a tree and I'm glad I didn't risk it.
3. Do a thorough pre-flight survey of the land and fly a few practice sessions if you can. I flew up to 400 feet and took a picture to study.
4. Try to have a small plan or find out general ideas and directions the people you are recording are going to take.
5. Hit the focus button!
   • The focus is soft in the first video because I thought focusing from 10-15 feet away in the beginning would be fine for the whole video. I was wrong and it was hard to see on the cell phone screen. I should have been actively focusing when I changed distance significantly.
6. Make sure all your cameras are recording the same resolution. I didn't realize the Mavic was in C4K, or that it was different than regular 4K. Because of this I had some aspect ratio issues between the Mavic and the GoPro I had to fix when editing.

Having the GoPro allowed me to relax a bit and not worry about always having the cars in the Mavic's camera. This allowed me to fly ahead and set some of the shots up. When editing I pretty much just cut to the GoPro any time the Mavic wasn't in a good position.

I want to get better at flying backwards so I can get some shots of the front of the cars. Having an extra GoPro or two would be nice too

Overall I was super impressed with the Mavic's performance. It felt so agile in the sky. It did a really good job keeping up with the cars. The stats say I hit 68 MPH (with the wind). Do you all find the speeds it records to be accurate?

With the sun setting and the constant changing of direction is it possible to get good results in anything other than auto settings?

Does anyone have and experiences or opinions about launching a Mavic from a moving car? I think going from inside the car to a hand launch out of the sunroof would make for a really cool shot (safety being the first concern).

Any feed back is appreciated. Other than my shots being jerky
​

Hey there NineReflections, overall you did a decent job of getting the story done here. The MAVIC PRO does fly beautifully, easy to fly sideways, backwards and frontwards too!! I have been producing auto racing for many years and a I also edit my video projects using VideoStudio Ultimate X10. I have been using VideoStudio since before Corel purchased the product from a company called "Ulead". It's a GREAT editing program, very powerful and priced very well too.

It is nice to get closeup shots with the MAVIC PRO but don't forget to go for some longer, pulled back footage as well in the final edit. My normal setup on a race car is five GoPro cameras on the car, then to edit in some hand held or aerial footage into the finished product. I don't know how you were syncing the two cameras but I am usually working with five or six cameras going at the same time. The syncing method I use is to get all of the cameras rolling (and I also use a small stereo audio recorder inside the race car as well to sync) and the audio rolling and I clap my hands three times. In the case of the Mavic, it needs to have the video rolling and in the camera frame when you clap your hands since the Mavics' camera has no audio. Then in post you put all of the cameras and the audio onto the timelines in VideoStudio. Then you look at the waveforms of each camera and audio track waveform to look for three very distinct sharp vertical lines on the waveforms. Those three vertical lines in the waveforms is where I clapped my hands three times. Then adjust those three vertical lines on each of the separate timelines. After you do that, you will need to evenly clip each timeline just to the left of where the three vertical lines are at on each timeline. Then highlight each of the timelines by holding down the Shift Key and click each timeline and then all of the timelines will be highlighted. Let go of the Shift Key and drag all of the timelines to the far left of the screen until it will no go any farther. Then lock all of the timelines and at that point you are ready to begin editing. This is where I do a "Save As" and name the file so you can find it later if something goes wrong in the editing process.

Then I usually scroll through the footage where the action begins and cut the timelines there, delete the footage on the left on the timeline then highlight everything again and drag them all to the left of the screen to the beginning point and begin editing from there. Feel free to cut out the footage where nothing is happening like when the cars are circling back around to where the cars are going to drift again. Remember that GoPro cameras have a very wide field of view and I usually setup my GoPro's in the middle POV setting because the footage looks less fish eyed to it. When the GoPro camera is placed very close to the ground (like on the front splitter), 50% of the video screen all you see is pavement. to reduce this a bit you can roll back the camera towards the sky and the footage will still give you the rush of the pavement passing by but not half of the screen (it just looks better).

Have fun and keep flying your new MAVIC PRO.

Kent
Canyon Run Videos

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​

 

[NineReflections]

Thanks for all the information CanyonRunVideos! I like you videos and they gave me some ideas. I have a some questions I would like to bombard you with.

Have you ever been in one of those cars going that fast?

Do you use the audio from the inside GoPro only?

Did you apply any digital image stabilization to any of the shots?

Do you keep your GoPros in auto mode?

Did you do any white balancing?

Do you use the standard GoPro suction cup mount, and if so do you tether it with something in case it falls off?

How did you overlay those statistics? Was that with VideoStudio as well? Just a curiosity, if it's is too long for you to answer don't worry about it

I have been producing auto racing for many years and a I also edit my video projects using VideoStudio Ultimate X10. I have been using VideoStudio since before Corel purchased the product from a company called "Ulead". It's a GREAT editing program, very powerful and priced very well too.

So I'm a little confused about your version of VideoStudio. I have VideoStudio Ultimate X9.5 which I thought was the newest. You have 10 which seems to be an older version from 2006 before Corel bought it and changed the numbering convention? Unless you have 9.5 like me and rounded it up to 10

I don't know how you were syncing the two cameras but I am usually working with five or six cameras going at the same time. The syncing method I use is to get all of the cameras rolling (and I also use a small stereo audio recorder inside the race car as well to sync) and the audio rolling and I clap my hands three times. In the case of the Mavic, it needs to have the video rolling and in the camera frame when you clap your hands since the Mavics' camera has no audio. Then in post you put all of the cameras and the audio onto the timelines in VideoStudio. Then you look at the waveforms of each camera and audio track waveform to look for three very distinct sharp vertical lines on the waveforms. Those three vertical lines in the waveforms is where I clapped my hands three times. Then adjust those three vertical lines on each of the separate timelines. After you do that, you will need to evenly clip each timeline just to the left of where the three vertical lines are at on each timeline. Then highlight each of the timelines by holding down the Shift Key and click each timeline and then all of the timelines will be highlighted. Let go of the Shift Key and drag all of the timelines to the far left of the screen until it will no go any farther. Then lock all of the timelines and at that point you are ready to begin editing. This is where I do a "Save As" and name the file so you can find it later if something goes wrong in the editing process.

Then I usually scroll through the footage where the action begins and cut the timelines there, delete the footage on the left on the timeline then highlight everything again and drag them all to the left of the screen to the beginning point and begin editing from there.

I actually bought VideoStudio Ultimate X9.5 specifically for it's multicam editor which support 6 cameras at a time. If you are running an older version that doesn't have it I highly recommend upgrading. It can automatically sync your videos using audio, marker, or date. The audio method seems to work great except for the fact that the Mavic has none.

The multicam editor makes it super easy and there is no need to cut any of the video. It then saves it as a nice multicam file that you can edit later if you want. I used these videos to help me understand and set it up.

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The only issue I have is that can't find a way to do color correction and filters to the individual video tracks once they are in the multicam editor.

Make sure you enable smart proxy especially if working with HD or UHD resolutions! Otherwise your computer proably wont be able to handle it. It caches separate video at a lower resolution so you can work with them in the software, and then exports using your original resolution.

In the case of the Mavic, it needs to have the video rolling and in the camera frame when you clap your hands since the Mavics' camera has no audio.

^I am going to use your hand clap method next time!^

My normal setup on a race car is five GoPro cameras on the car, then to edit in some hand held or aerial footage into the finished product.

I scoured you youtube channel and couldn't find any racing footage with the Mavic
Are you going to upload some soon, as I would love to see it. I imagine with the insanely fast speeds they go it would be hard to get any close chasing shots like I did. What are the safety requirements when recording someone going at such insane speeds? Can you fly over the track?

 

[FLwaverunner]

Awesome videos. I'm looking forward to getting some great shots with a similar setup. I'm using 2 GoPro sessions, suction cup mounts, on jet skis and plan on getting above footage using my MP. Although flying above the water does make me nervous


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[CanyonRunVideos]

Awesome videos. I'm looking forward to getting some great shots with a similar setup. I'm using 2 GoPro sessions, suction cup mounts, on jet skis and plan on getting above footage using my MP. Although flying above the water does make me nervous


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

Hey thanks for your response to my post. Make sure you use some detail spray on the areas where you mount the GoPro section cup mount. Even if it looks clean it isn't, use the detail spray and then dry the areas well with a clean microfiber towel. As for flying over water, you can zip-tie an empty water bottle to the arms of each side on your MAVIC. A great bottle for this is available from Trader Joe's (see attached pic).

Kent

 

[CanyonRunVideos]

Thanks for all the information CanyonRunVideos! I like you videos and they gave me some ideas. I have a some questions I would like to bombard you with.

Have you ever been in one of those cars going that fast?

Yes I have been in one of those fast cars and also driven them as well.

Do you use the audio from the inside GoPro only?

No, I don't ever use the audio from the GoPro cameras. I use a small stereo digital audio recorder called a ZOOM H1 Handy Recorder that cost about $99.00.

Did you apply any digital image stabilization to any of the shots?

I have learned that digital image stabilization can be used but if I do it is not very often. When I use it, I use it sparingly and carefully because it is very easy to over do it and then the footage looks worse than if you didn't use it.

Do you keep your GoPros in auto mode?

I don't use ProTune very often and I usually shoot in 1080p@30fps. My cameras that are mounted inside the car have a ND8 Filter on the GoPro watertight housing.

Did you do any white balancing?

I adjust the white balance in post with VideoStudio.

Do you use the standard GoPro suction cup mount, and if so do you tether it with something in case it falls off?

I only use the GoPro suction cup mounts and using a tether is a good idea but I don't regularly use them unless the racing organization requires me to do so. I have never lost one of my GoPro suction cup mounts off of a vehicle because I clean off the area where the mount will be used at with Adam's Detail Spray first and then dry the area with a microfiber towel.

I am also an Official Beta Testing Team member for GoPro since 2011. I get to test all of GoPro's new products well before they are launched to the public.

How did you overlay those statistics? Was that with VideoStudio as well? Just a curiosity, if it's is too long for you to answer don't worry about it

No worries!

I use a small GPS logger called a QStarz Racing Logger ($200.00). Then I use another program from GoPro called "DashWare". You can get it for free at dashware.net.

So I'm a little confused about your version of VideoStudio. I have VideoStudio Ultimate X9.5 which I thought was the newest. You have 10 which seems to be an older version from 2006 before Corel bought it and changed the numbering convention? Unless you have 9.5 like me and rounded it up to 10

The newest version of VideoStudio X10. It comes in VideoStudio Pro X10 and VideoStudio Ultimate X10 but this version is not available to the public yet. They give it to me early since I have been working with Corel for many years.

Here is the splash screen for the new version of VideoStudio.

I actually bought VideoStudio Ultimate X9.5 specifically for it's multicam editor which support 6 cameras at a time. If you are running an older version that doesn't have it I highly recommend upgrading. It can automatically sync your videos using audio, marker, or date. The audio method seems to work great except for the fact that the Mavic has none.

Yes but it you don't use the Multicam Editor you can edit up to 21 different cameras at the same time on the timeline in VideoStudio!!!

The auto sync hasn't worked very well for me so I still use the clapping method because everything is right on with the footage and the audio track. To get the MAVIC to work with the clapping method is to place the MAVIC showing your hands in the MAVIC's camera frame when you clap your hands. Then when you match all of the vertical clapping lines on the waveforms you match the footage from the MAVIC as soon as your hand comes together on the first clap and you are now synced.

The multicam editor makes it super easy and there is no need to cut any of the video. It then saves it as a nice multicam file that you can edit later if you want. I used these videos to help me understand and set it up.

There are plenty of places where you could have made cuts in your drifting video to keep viewers more connected to your video. For instance, when the cars are circling around to where they take off and begin to drift or when the front car spun and the driver's were out of the cars for several minutes where there is no drifting going on. Those places are where viewers will click off and go elsewhere if you don't keep them in gauged in your video!

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The only issue I have is that can't find a way to do color correction and filters to the individual video tracks once they are in the multicam editor.

That is why you may not want to use the Multicam Editor, this mode in VideoStudio is more for making very simply easy to edit videos! If you use the regular mode you will be able to color correct the clips on every timeline in each project.

Make sure you enable smart proxy especially if working with HD or UHD resolutions! Otherwise your computer proably wont be able to handle it. It caches separate video at a lower resolution so you can work with them in the software, and then exports using your original resolution.

I always use a smart proxy specially when editing footage in 4K. I have a WICKED fast laptop made by ALIENWARE that is designed for running super fast video games and my laptop works GREAT for video editing!

^I am going to use your hand clap method next time!^

Excellent!

I scoured you youtube channel and couldn't find any racing footage with the Mavic
Are you going to upload some soon, as I would love to see it. I imagine with the insanely fast speeds they go it would be hard to get any close chasing shots like I did. What are the safety requirements when recording someone going at such insane speeds? Can you fly over the track?

I am currently going through an online course to get my FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. After that I will be able to fly back at the racetrack again! I have my own Drone safety regulations for flying at the racetrack and I NEVER fly directly over a HOT racetrack or directly over crowds of bystanders.

Feel free to get back to me if you have any other questions OK?

Kent Elliott
Canyon Run Videos
[email protected]

 

[FLwaverunner]

Hey thanks for your response to my post. Make sure you use some detail spray on the areas where you mount the GoPro section cup mount. Even if it looks clean it isn't, use the detail spray and then dry the areas well with a clean microfiber towel. As for flying over water, you can zip-tie an empty water bottle to the arms of each side on your MAVIC. A great bottle for this is available from Trader Joe's (see attached pic).

Kent

Great advice! Thx!
I'm planning on this weekend so hopefully can get something posted next week.


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[HALdrone_1]

I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a lot of action footage out there so I thought I would treat you all with some.

I recorded these guys drifting around an abandoned road system in FL. Recording them in action was some of the most fun I have ever had.

I'm still new at this and I made mistakes but I think it turned out pretty well.

Below the videos I will put some details, questions, and stray observations I've made since recording these videos, if anyone is interested keep on scrolling.

(Fun little crash around 3:15 on the first video)

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

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Dji Mavic Pro: C4K/24FPS/Auto with controller and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
GoPro Hero5 Black: 4K/24FPS/Auto with suction cup mount
Edited with Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X9.5

Before I got the Mavic I practiced with a Hubsan H107C for a year. I still consider myself very new to quadcopters. I learned that there are some very important things to consider when recording unscripted action like this. I thought I had it all planned out, but I still almost hit a tree.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. Just some things I found to be helpful.

1. Having an attentive visual observer is a must (and the law).
   • I was trying to fly low for some of the shots and my spotter informed me people had walked into the field to get pictures near my flight path.
   • It's easy to get so involved in the action you forget about your surroundings. A spotter can keep you in check.
   • The Mavic did an excellent job holding altitude but I still had the spotter constantly give me feedback about how close the ground I was.
2. If you're ever lost or unsure about where you are, just stop moving. I was getting a really cool shot and thought I may be close to a tree. Turns out I was very close to a tree and I'm glad I didn't risk it.
3. Do a thorough pre-flight survey of the land and fly a few practice sessions if you can. I flew up to 400 feet and took a picture to study.
4. Try to have a small plan or find out general ideas and directions the people you are recording are going to take.
5. Hit the focus button!
   • The focus is soft in the first video because I thought focusing from 10-15 feet away in the beginning would be fine for the whole video. I was wrong and it was hard to see on the cell phone screen. I should have been actively focusing when I changed distance significantly.
6. Make sure all your cameras are recording the same resolution. I didn't realize the Mavic was in C4K, or that it was different than regular 4K. Because of this I had some aspect ratio issues between the Mavic and the GoPro I had to fix when editing.
7. Turn off the auto white balance. I even read people saying to do this and I still forgot. It will make doing color correction so much easier if you plan on editing the videos. Other wise you have to constantly balance out the color when the auto white balancing kicks it.

Having the GoPro allowed me to relax a bit and not worry about always having the cars in the Mavic's camera. This allowed me to fly ahead and set some of the shots up. When editing I pretty much just cut to the GoPro any time the Mavic wasn't in a good position.

I want to get better at flying backwards so I can get some shots of the front of the cars. Having an extra GoPro or two would be nice too

Overall I was super impressed with the Mavic's performance. It felt so agile in the sky. It did a really good job keeping up with the cars. The stats say I hit 68 MPH (with the wind). Do you all find the speeds it records to be accurate?

With the sun setting and the constant changing of direction is it possible to get good results in anything other than auto settings?

Does anyone have and experiences or opinions about launching a Mavic from a moving car? I think going from inside the car to a hand launch out of the sunroof would make for a really cool shot (safety being the first concern).

Any feed back is appreciated. Other than my shots being jerky


​

great videos!

were you in Sport mode the entire time? seems like you got some great speed!

any special settings you set for gimbal? or yaw, etc?

thanks

 

[Ruslan Bitciev]

Hey man, nice video! Just last Monday I have also been shooting drifters with my Mavic. Seems like Sport mode is the only way to keep up, but how did you manage to hit 68 MPH?! Wow!

 

[NineReflections]

great videos!

were you in Sport mode the entire time? seems like you got some great speed!

any special settings you set for gimbal? or yaw, etc?

thanks

Thanks! I was in sport whole time. No special settings. I was pretty new to the mavic at the time so I didn't have anything tweaked.

 

[NineReflections]

Hey man, nice video! Just last Monday I have also been shooting drifters with my Mavic. Seems like Sport mode is the only way to keep up, but how did you manage to hit 68 MPH?! Wow!

Thanks man, do you have any of those videos posted yet? I'm interested in seeing them.

And I definitely didn't hit 68 MPH. That's back when the app didn't display the speeds correctly. I think it was actually kilometers per hour.

 

[Ruslan Bitciev]

Thanks man, do you have any of those videos posted yet? I'm interested in seeing them.

And I definitely didn't hit 68 MPH. That's back when the app didn't display the speeds correctly. I think it was actually kilometers per hour.

Sure, I made a thread here: Drift Practice Session at local race track - Saint-Petersburg | Russia

I wish Mavic could really hit those mph, but nevertheless love this drone!

 

[crystal castle]

Great stuff! Love this kind of action.