I Think This Guy Says It All

[kilomikebravo]

This clip showed up this morning and I thought it would be appropriate to share on the Forum. As the title indicates, I believe this fella makes an extremely valid point.

Here's the vid...

KB

 

[Johnthemann]

YES!

 

[Jackcutrone]

That’s Stewart Carroll. He and his wife have an absolutely great series of videos on drones videography and photography. He really knows his stuff and explains things in easy to understand ways. And funny to boot. Not to mention his wife Alina is a dish. Search YouTube for Drone Film Guide.

 

[mcsenerd]

You know this is all very true. The basics of photography and videography never change and mistakes made there will always trump any wiz-bang technology development for the most part. That being said though, we are talking about pieces of equipment that cost a pretty penny and which seem to be rising in said cost all of the time. Therefore, it's NOT unreasonable to expect as consumers that these purchases offer substantial value for these additional costs. Furthermore, I'd say that the impact of the technology that you have on hand is inordinately weighted towards the extremes of the user base of that technology. What do I mean? I mean that if you are an absolute baby newbie beginner, that some of that wiz-bang technology that may or may not exist in your piece of technology may very well cover up and/or mask those mistakes that you may very well make in the beginning. So, for example...the quick shots features on these drones make some really cinematic shots brain-dead easy for even the most novice pilot and I think those features really do pay off if you're just getting started.

Alternatively, if you are already a true master of your craft and have all of the basics nailed down tight, then the technological limits of any piece of kit become something that you may become painfully aware of as you stand a good chance at hitting up against the top capabilities of the tech at any given time. For example, you don't see any world ranked golf pros running out there on the PGA tour with a set of clubs that they just picked up at Wal-Mart do you? Of course not...why? Because the gear DOES matter once you know what you are doing and given a competition between two reasonably similarly skilled players, the one with the better tech is going to smoke the guy with the bad crap on pretty much every day that ends in Y.

Now...those of us stuck somewhere in the middle? Well, I'd say that the thick middle population WOULD most likely be better served by putting more focus into things such as the basics of photography and abilities in post work as those bells and whistles and speeds and feeds just are generally less important overall than for the former two populations.

So really, like most things in life, there is truth on both sides of the aisle.

 

[Seakayaker]

This clip showed up this morning and I thought it would be appropriate to share on the Forum. As the title indicates, I believe this fella makes an extremely valid point.

Here's the vid...

KB

Thanks very much. Looks good!

 

[NorthGADronePilot]

Yeah, Stewart is a brilliant guy. His video on the proper use and function of ND filters is the best I've seen anywhere. He demystifies the subject completely.

 

[fozzzy]

I teach photography in local schools, after we’ve completed a few weeks on composition, SLR control etc I always give the kids a cheap disposable camera to go out and shoot with. It’s truly amazing some of the images they get by putting more thought into the shot.

 

[Lon Denard]

Yep, I've been subscribed for awhile and their masterclass is on discount right now so check it out.

 

[Drone on]

This clip showed up this morning and I thought it would be appropriate to share on the Forum. As the title indicates, I believe this fella makes an extremely valid point.

Here's the vid...

KB

Where I get confused is the idea around telling a story.
To me aerial footage whether it is from a drone, a helicopter, or other is B-Roll. It's purpose is akin to cleansing the pallet in wine tasting.
That's not to say that all of the videography, or cinematography principles don't apply. They do apply.
However, unless you are doing an expose on a particular local, it's still B-Roll.

I like B-Roll, but I don't think it is intended to tell a story.

 

[Donnie Frank]

This clip showed up this morning and I thought it would be appropriate to share on the Forum. As the title indicates, I believe this fella makes an extremely valid point.

Here's the vid...

KB

Yep...make the most of what you have.

I shot this on a Phantom 1 with a Hero 4 mounted on a DYS 3-axis gimbal (when triple axis stabilization was a big deal).

Getting footage that stable back then was a huge deal. Tuning the POS DYS gimbal took hours. No telemetry. No automation. Just fly by stick.

D

 

[NorthGADronePilot]

Excellent piloting skills on the sticks, no doubt. Very well done. I could certainly do without that music, but if you put it on mute, that's a heck of a promo video.

 

[Donnie Frank]

Excellent piloting skills on the sticks, no doubt. Very well done. I could certainly do without that music, but if you put it on mute, that's a heck of a promo video.

Don't like that music, eh? Funny...there are always challenges when putting music to drone footage. I originally had something a little more "demur," but the client requested something more "upbeat." So I went the other way with it and added the most upbeat music I could find. The client liked it. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the client's preference is #1. Personally, I kind of like it. It's a departure from a lot of the hip hop crap I hear in a lot of videos (don't like hip hop).

The second challenge - especially back then - was finding Creative Commons music. If not careful, one can get themselves into copyright trouble. Anyone with a monetized YouTube channel will tell you that YouTube takes copyright infringement seriously. As a professional videographer, the LAST thing I need is to have to tell a client I "messed up" and have to pull their video because I used copyrighted material.

I often have clients request specific songs that they love, which of course is out of the question. Most of them take it pretty well, but occasionally they show their disappointment. Fortunately, these days, there's a plethora of sources for duty-free music.

D

 

[Turn11]

Yep, I've been subscribed for awhile and their masterclass is on discount right now so check it out.

Unfortunately I have always been a point-and-shoot duffer. Occasionally in spite of myself I accidentally get a good shot. I intend to go through his video's and see if I can finally learn some basics and perhaps start to learn. Tons of photogenic areas here in Arizona.
What is their masterclass ?

 

[Lon Denard]

Unfortunately I have always been a point-and-shoot duffer. Occasionally in spite of myself I accidentally get a good shot. I intend to go through his video's and see if I can finally learn some basics and perhaps start to learn. Tons of photogenic areas here in Arizona.
What is their masterclass ?

Sorry I was in jail. Drone Film Guide. The OP posted a video from them. Tom's Tech Time does a pretty good job of going over basic shot set ups.

 

[Jackcutrone]

You need a better lawyer

 

[Lon Denard]

You need a better lawyer

As Beretta used to say, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time!"

 

[Shaughan]

Gear helps.

Knowledge of your gear and how to use it's features helps.

These are things you can learn.

However for me, not having a creative bone in my body is where I fall flat. Not the equipment. Not the knowledge of how to use the equipment. But creativity.

I strongly believe you are either born with it, or not, as in my case. It means people like me who are not creative have try that much harder

 

[bushie]

Gear helps.

Knowledge of your gear and how to use it's features helps.

These are things you can learn.

However for me, not having a creative bone in my body is where I fall flat. Not the equipment. Not the knowledge of how to use the equipment. But creativity.

I strongly believe you are either born with it, or not, as in my case. It means people like me who are not creative have try that much harder

Exactly my problem

 

[Kokopelli633]

I dunno, I watched the start, the first shot that he moaned about his skin colour looked spot on, very natural and well exposed, whilst the result of his tweaking that he thought was an improvement, looked terrible.

Must admit that stopped me watching any more

 

[Donnie Frank]

Gear helps.

Knowledge of your gear and how to use it's features helps.

These are things you can learn.

However for me, not having a creative bone in my body is where I fall flat. Not the equipment. Not the knowledge of how to use the equipment. But creativity.

I strongly believe you are either born with it, or not, as in my case. It means people like me who are not creative have try that much harder

Yep. Couldn't agree more. Good news for you. While you may never be the next Stanley Kubric, you can COPY other artists and essentially learn the "technical side of creativity." Fortunately, for drone photography, there are formulas you can quantize, study, learn and perfect. Don't think of the drone as a canvas. Think of it as a brush.

Good luck.