SANGOMA - An aerial film over Southern Africa (DJI Mavic Pro)

AzuraPhotography · Mar 30, 2017

The Mavic Pro was the drone I had been waiting for, I have always had an interest in aerial photography and videography but the portability of the Mavic was what i needed with my travels.

Here is my first credible video i have put together, I'm more of a stills photographer normally so i would appreciate any feedback. Thank you and enjoy!

// Best enjoyed in 4k and with headphones //

The African word SANGOMA translates to "a traditional healer", and for me and many others who have been lucky enough to visit South Africa can relate to the healing feeling that this beautiful country has to offer.

This is a short aerial film captured from a number of locations around Cape Town, South Africa taken with the DJI Mavic Pro. An excellently portable & travel friendly drone.

Captured and Edited by:
David Robertson of Azura Photography
www.azura.photography
Kinakailangan ang Pagtiyak sa Seguridad

Soundtrack: Tony Anderson - Dreamlife
TonyAnderson

More coming soon!

SimoB · Mar 30, 2017

Beautiful!

frankiez · Mar 30, 2017

I like it very much! Thanks for sharing.

BluesDragon · Mar 30, 2017

Awesome... thanks for the ride!

Tonka · Mar 30, 2017

philwilliamsnz · Mar 31, 2017

Hey David,

First things first... WOW! Stunning.

I love the music, it's fantastic. Your edit is beautifully timed. The footage of the kite surfers in the crescendo is perfectly selected, and the sunset shots at the end close it out with goosebumps.

I'm really clutching at straws to offer advice but here's two thoughts:

Cross fades vs hard cuts - in some of the softer music segments I would have tended to a very brief cross fade rather than a cut. Feels more natural. Cuts are great in the crescendo though.

The "second shot" letdown -
All the footage is good, but some shots are spectacular... and then followed by another shot of the same scene that's merely good. This is a super common editing issue and feels like a slight letdown. An example are the Flamingos around 1:50... the closeup follow is AMAZING, the next shot (while still good) consequently feels less great. This is a tough one, particularly when editing to music (fixed time to fill) and using a fixed basket of footage. You might not always have a replacement! In this case play with the order until the best shot is the last of the scene. Easier said than done

Keep it up... I'm in exactly the same boat, long time image-maker but very new to drones, and the mavic is my first for exactly the same reason as you!

Nice one

philwilliamsnz · Mar 31, 2017

Also - I know you'll be familiar with it but I like to use Vimeo over YouTube for sharing... lower compression and higher resolution... shows the work off best!

GlenT · Mar 31, 2017

Really cool video David. Another example of how good the Mavic can be in the right hands.
I'm a big fan of Tony Anderson's music too.
Thanks for taking the time to make this and sharing.

capetown · Aug 26, 2017

Awesome! I'm in Camps Bay and have done a few hikes up this side and been reluctant to take my Mavic with because I read somewhere that it's law in SA that you aren't allowed to fly in any national parks (which Table Mountain is). Have you heard anything like that?