How to film large landmarks cinematically

WholesomePilot69 · Sep 15, 2022

Are there intelligent flight options for filming things like large waterfalls/mountain peaks/lighthouses from a distance?

I’m able to do this manually (moving laterally while rotating to keep the subject in frame) and only occasionally will the footage be smooth. Long story short, I want to be able to film something large in the same way quickshots circle films a person. Is there a way to do this?

GrayHornet · Sep 15, 2022

WholesomePilot69 said:
Are there intelligent flight options for filming things like large waterfalls/mountain peaks/lighthouses from a distance?

I’m able to do this manually (moving laterally while rotating to keep the subject in frame) and only occasionally will the footage be smooth. Long story short, I want to be able to film something large in the same way quickshots circle films a person. Is there a way to do this?

I use Litchi to program flights around objects. You can pre-flight check your route using Google Earth to fine tune your gimble angle ,speed, etc.

SethB · Sep 15, 2022

I myself would practice, practice, practice.

Developing these flying skills for 2-stick movement means not having to depend on finicky automation, and being able to apply complex paths whether or not a particular drone supports exactly the movement you want.

YMMV (your mileage may vary)

Robert Prior · Sep 15, 2022

WholesomePilot69 said:
Long story short, I want to be able to film something large in the same way quickshots circle films a person. Is there a way to do this?

Spotlight mode keeps the subject centred while you fly the drone.

POI might also work, at least if you're using Fly which has you just draw a box around the point (rather than Go which IIRC has you put the aircraft over the point).

Practicing to be able to do it yourself is also a good thing to do.

One tip to that is if you make a mistake don't correct it, just go with it. So if your subject begins to drift out of the centre don't recentre it — that just draws attention to your mistake. Instead let keep the movement smooth (maybe having it drift out of view) and compensate in post by editing so it looks intentional. If you look at a military drill team when one of the soldiers makes a mistake, such as shouldering their rifle on the wrong shoulder, they don't immediately fix it; instead they wait until the next movement and get back on track then. Most times the audience doesn't even notice.

AlbionDrones · Sep 16, 2022

Spotlight works with larger things, although exactly how large I am not sure, and be aware that if you circle it then it will assume the spotlight is a flat plane, not a cube, so it can drift a bit... These 2 video show what can be done, the first at Fatlips was spotlight mode and spinning around manually, the second at Hermitage was the same, but at times it drifts...

Learnign to do it manually would be preferable, but takes time, I havent mastered it yet..

Jet skier · Sep 16, 2022

WholesomePilot69 said:
Are there intelligent flight options for filming things like large waterfalls/mountain peaks/lighthouses from a distance?

I’m able to do this manually (moving laterally while rotating to keep the subject in frame) and only occasionally will the footage be smooth. Long story short, I want to be able to film something large in the same way quickshots circle films a person. Is there a way to do this?

Practice practice practice there’s no better results than you will get by filming manually, You can smoothly transfer from one maneuver to another

Cecil Webb · Sep 19, 2022

SethB said:
I myself would practice, practice, practice.

Developing these flying skills for 2-stick movement means not having to depend on finicky automation, and being able to apply complex paths whether or not a particular drone supports exactly the movement you want.

YMMV (your mileage may vary)

In my opinion, SethB has the most obvious but most effective response. Practice makes perfect.