Tips to Make Your Drone Footage More Cinematic
Seeing footage from all over the world will inspire your own footage, as more and more people are entering the world of drones. However, flying a drone is one thing and shooting good quality footage is another.
Do you sometimes find that your drone footage is dull and wonder how you can give it a boost? Cinematic drone footage can be hard to achieve, but here are some tips that can enable you to film drone footage that will stand out:
AVOID JERKY MOVEMENT
Drone footage should look and feel natural and organic. Jerky movements are disturbing to the viewers and will kill the liveliness of the footage; they make the video look robotic. Once you’ve found your angle, make a nice, slow coasting move with subtle panning motions (if needed), try to make your camera movements with the drone’s flight path rather than its camera.
FLY AT LOW ALTITUDE
Flying your drone at high altitudes can accommodate an ampler shooting space, but operating at low altitudes can show objects in detail and create an immersive experience. Additionally, when you speed up, you can easily convey an intense feeling to your footage. Make sure to pay attention to the flight environment, especially the changes of obstacle height, to ensure flight safety. It would help if you always kept in mind that flying high endangers your drone and your footage, especially when the wind speed is high.
KEEP IT SHORT
Internet viewers have really short attention spans and with endless amounts of content out there, you need to keep your videos short. Drone videos should be around 1min or less and enable you to share them on Instagram and Facebook. Keeping your videos short also challenges you only to use your best footage.
GOLDEN HOUR LIGHT
The term Golden Hour refers to the period before the sunset and after the sunrise. Using the camera in the afternoon can damage the exposure because of the bright, harsh light of the sun. For cinematic footage, shooting right before or after the sunset will make your landscape shot look professional and beautiful.
SPEED UP YOUR DRONE FOOTAGE
Speeding up your footage may be self-explanatory, but it can make drone shots very dynamic. You can use speed to your advantage; it can add extra movement and action when speeding shots up. Try with a particular clip you can begin at a slower pace, then at the middle section speed it up, then end it with going back to the original slower speed.
DO IT SAFELY
We cannot stress enough how important it is to be safe while operating these flying lawnmowers. Drones are not toys; they are tools; you need to learn the laws in your area before launching your drone into the sky.
DON’T OVERUSE IT
Drone shots are beautiful and useful, but they can be overused. Only capture drone footage when it’s necessary, as the best cinematic drone footage used by filmmakers are the ones used in moderation.
Learning to create ‘buttery smooth’ footage can take some time, but the longer you stick with it, the better you will become at producing professional quality drone videos.
Head to our Drone Videography page for more on how you can create cinematic drone footage.
