Well, I’m anxious to see some video of your locales in China.
On your first point regarding tripod...
You rarely ever need to use tripod mode. It’s too slow. Normal mode is fine. Tripod mode is more for tighter shots and other specific purposes. You can fly sport mode as well, but you have to fly straight without any yaw movement if you’re intending to speed ramping. With practice, you’ll eventually be able to do those slow turns. Soften your rudder settings a lot. You rarely need to make sharp turns and they always get cut out. I’ve found that even if I’m drifting off my intended line, it’s ALWAYS better to continue my line. A straight flight slightly off line always looks better than attempting a course correction... often looks better to fly askew and cross road or path lines than matching the direction of the line.
Second point regarding altitude...
You can still fly above tree height and have footage that looks closer than you actually are. If all of your shots are with the horizon in the distance and no foreground, it doesn’t create any drama. Revealing the entire landscape in the beginning of the video leaves nothing to the imagination. When you plan shots and cut your video, consider a progressive realization. Gimbal tilts are the easiest way to create drama, particularly for novice pilots.
Third point re: gimbal response...
I have my settings almost all the way down to the lowest setting. It’s still plenty responsive even when barely touching the wheel. Gimbal tilts need to be slow, otherwise you won’t be able to maintain the axis from center point of rotation. The elevation change also helps maintain that axis. The thing about panorama shots along the horizon is it sounds like a cool idea, but it’s not. It’s too much movement along the distant horizon. Perhaps tripod mode would slow down the lateral movement, but I’d only use 1 or 2 Very short panos towards the end after you’ve Progressively revealed your scenes.
Fourth point regarding flight planning...
I use Google satellite and 3D when available to scope out the prominent subjects and topography. Pick out your primary subjects and how you want to film and reveal them. Land forms/features, prominent structures, bridges, highway interchanges, marinas, temples/churches, etc. I’m filming pretty much the entire flight (in 3-5 min clips), unless I pause to switch to doing some photos for pano stitching. But I’m more interested in filming and don’t interrupt a clip to take pics. I do pics last, once I’ve identified subjects during the filming. Showing the full course of a flight will not produce a cinematic video. In a well timed video, your cuts will rarely be more than 4 seconds. You can use the same clip cut into pieces, but cut in contrasting compositions in between.
Fifth point on tracking...
That may be an entirely different shoot. But, I could see some vehicle tracking done as part of a cityscape shoot like this. I’d probably shoot it on a different day and mix it in. I think tracking looks cooler with a runner or bicyclist. Practice it in a different setting first.
Sixth point on video length...
If you don’t have enough variety in compositions to cut together, speed ramping isn’t gonna fix it. It just allows you to zip out to a distant destination quickly or speed up a segment of a POI to the best part of the composition. Use the POI as I described. POI is the easiest to accomplish and can be done on the same subject at different distances. If it’s a great subject, get a lot of it.
7th point on HDR...
I don’t think it’s a bad idea. It may produce great results without complicated color grading. I’m not a purist on that point as long as I can make adjustments to the clip in post. I typically use an ND64 or 32 on a sunny day. I don’t know how you’d shoot 1/50 or 1/60 on a sunny day with an ND8 as he points out in that video.
8th point, conclusion...
The only thing you have control of in the camera settings (on a
MA2) once you’re in the air is the ISO. Select your ND based on the subjects in optimal light. Usually, your exposure isn’t optimal for both outward and return.
The last point I’d like to make is to review all of your clips on your display device and in post and anticipate what you could have or should have done at various points in the clip. Did you time your gimbal tilts properly and maintain axis, did you capture your primary subjects with a variety of compositions, etc. I’m always narrating my clips as I view them. It really doesn’t take long to feel the moves and the timing. The most cinematic moves are a combination of elevation change, gimbal tilt and slow turn or other combo’s. If it’s a great shot, redo it over and over until you nail it. You got this!
I have a massive backlog of video I’ve yet to edit (2 years worth), but I did take some time to edit a few days of flying in La Jolla, CA last year. Most folks would say this is too long, but I edited it for my own purposes and don’t care whether it’s long. I wanted to see all of my usable shots.
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