Drone Filming Course

[jag32266]

One technique that worked for me was to look at a lot of drone photos and videos and figure out what looked good to me. I then went about trying to recreate them through trial and error and a lot of help from this forum.

With all due respect,.. I made a career out of the film/video biz and I recall back in the height of the music video daze when, what we then referred to as 'shaky cam' was becoming all the rage. It is where the camera is CONSTANTLY moving, bobbing-around, not holding the subject in frame etc. Still a huge fad particularly in reality tv shows,.. my fellow professionals used to joke about how that was done by "want-to-be's" non-pro's who _couldn't_ hold the camera still. The other side of that joke,. while doing smooth camera moves if you messed it up you were kidded as being the jerk BEHIND the camera as opposed to a jerk in the camera (move).

I guess my point is, you need to know the rules before you can break them.

So going about learning the way you suggest is similar to what I mention above. B/c you like something doesn't make it a good method. With all due respect

 

[Deleted member 114292]

With all due respect,.. I made a career out of the film/video biz and I recall back in the height of the music video daze when, what we then referred to as 'shaky cam' was becoming all the rage. It is where the camera is CONSTANTLY moving, bobbing-around, not holding the subject in frame etc. Still a huge fad particularly in reality tv shows,.. my fellow professionals used to joke about how that was done by "want-to-be's" non-pro's who _couldn't_ hold the camera still. The other side of that joke,. while doing smooth camera moves if you messed it up you were kidded as being the jerk BEHIND the camera as opposed to a jerk in the camera (move).

I guess my point is, you need to know the rules before you can break them.

So going about learning the way you suggest is similar to what I mention above. B/c you like something doesn't make it a good method. With all due respect

I always thought that the shaky cam thing was a cover for not decent shot or to mask the the fact there really was not an interesting story to be told.
It's one of those things that's creative once but that's it.

As for learning from the mis-information highway. - agreed.

 

[SkyeHigh]

Tally-Ho Pilots,

• I’m looking for a reasonably priced (but) ‘good quality’, easy to learn ‘drone filming course’.

• I’m looking at the www.dronefilmguide.com and wondered if anyone had used them or would recommend anyone else?

Many thanks for your feedback... [emoji4]

Hi Skyfall,

With aerial video best to practice smoooth and steady moves. This way the viewer can experience the landscape in a relaxing way. There’s psychology behind what works as much as the subject itself - a lot depends on how it is presented to the viewer.

Composition is also important and learning the ‘rule’ of thirds is a great technique in framing a subject. With the aerial camera you have height to add into the equation - try experimenting with different height shots and angles on a subject. For example a tree looks perfectly normal to a viewer at eye height but raising the camera a few meters or more shows a shot not normally available for us to view but common for a bird. Take a shot looking directly down on a tree and it changes again - it’s now a circle on the ground.

Practice with the POI mode to circle around a tree from an angle that allows you to keep VLOS. Try different heights and see how much the view changes.

You’ll see some great clips on YouTube that appear to fly low over the landscape backwards between rocks and buildings and may wonder how could that be achieved without being able to see behind you. Just fly forwards and reverse the action during editing.

A good rule for editing, always leave 5-seconds of no movement at the beginning and ending of each shoot. This allows for easy editing and space to allow fade transitions between different shots.

There’s a lot to learn but we always taught keep it simple, minimise wacky transitions - stick to cuts and dissolves. A well edited video should make the viewer unaware of how it was edited and the viewing experience just looks natural. It’s easier than said but with a lot of practice, good feedback and keeping it simple will have you creating some great video.

Keep us posted how you go. Help us always available.

 

[Camino Ken]

With all due respect,.. I made a career out of the film/video biz and I recall back in the height of the music video daze when, what we then referred to as 'shaky cam' was becoming all the rage. It is where the camera is CONSTANTLY moving, bobbing-around, not holding the subject in frame etc. Still a huge fad particularly in reality tv shows,.. my fellow professionals used to joke about how that was done by "want-to-be's" non-pro's who _couldn't_ hold the camera still. The other side of that joke,. while doing smooth camera moves if you messed it up you were kidded as being the jerk BEHIND the camera as opposed to a jerk in the camera (move).

I guess my point is, you need to know the rules before you can break them.

So going about learning the way you suggest is similar to what I mention above. B/c you like something doesn't make it a good method. With all due respect

No disrespect felt. I understand your point and it makes sense if your a professional or plan to do work for others. In my case I fly purely for my own enjoyment and the filming I do is the same. I have to like what what I am filming or else I wouldn’t be filming it. I’m only doing it to make me happy. That was my point.

 

[BjornBehr]

Drone Film Guide have most of their basic stuff on youtube for free, Def enough to get you started.

 

[MsDrone]

Some good info in this topic, I’m trying to learn about good video and photography techniques, so now I’ve learned about the rule of thirds. What I’m finding helpful is looking at lots of great photos (Instagram, this forum) and thinking about what I like in them. That has me starting to consciously think about setting up a photo instead of just click click clicking.

 

[BjornBehr]

@MsDrone , that is great. I like the way somebody else (can't recall name) put it, he called them guidelines and not rules, easier to "break" if I CA n sidgest, learn Rule Of Thirds, Leading Lines (big one with drone photography) and then composition. Then ask for crit and take it as that, not as an attack on you (it's not personal) and finally, but most NB, start critting others work (it's OK to get it wrong) but you will learn (and remember) so much that way

 

[itsneedtokno]

@MsDrone , that is great. I like the way somebody else (can't recall name) put it, he called them guidelines and not rules, easier to "break" if I CA n sidgest, learn Rule Of Thirds, Leading Lines (big one with drone photography) and then composition. Then ask for crit and take it as that, not as an attack on you (it's not personal) and finally, but most NB, start critting others work (it's OK to get it wrong) but you will learn (and remember) so much that way

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