The popularity of drones has surged over the recent years, unlocking a different perspective for a broader group of content creators. Drones are becoming more regulated and monitored to attempt in creating a safer environment for both pilots and nearby people. This week, we went over to Long Reef Point to capture some sick drone shots.
One of the biggest flaws of upcoming drone operators is being blinded by what the tool is and forget about traditional filming techniques as they would using a normal camera. In our mini videos below, we demonstrate 6 main types of shots:
Tilts
Upward and downward camera motion
Pans
Left to right/right to left camera motion
Bird’s eye
Camera looking directly below
Dolly
Movement of the drone itself by either moving side to side or forward or back
Reveals
Using a foreground object to block a scene and then a dolly movement to reveal the scene
It is essential to make sure to follow CASA’s (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) guides and restrictions. A useful app for drone operators is Can I Fly There?. This is map that has an interface that demonstrates where you can and cannot fly.
The drone we used for this video is the DJI Mavic Pro. This drone packs a punch, it is the size of a water bottle and produces incredible 4K images.
One of the keys to creating the coolest shots from your drones is the use of ND filters. You want to be able to keep your drone’s camera shutter low so that you can capture more cinematic images.
Upon arriving at Long Reef Point, we were mildly disappointed due to the conditions of the weather. It was incredibly windy and overcast on the so highly treasured golden hour, but with the help of coffee on this early morning, we managed to create a pretty cool video.
Daniel Beleski is an Editor and experienced drone operator at Sydney based video production company, Rocket Productions. You’ll find more useful articles on our blog.