6 Tips For Getting Cinematic Drone Shots

Drone photo by Storyhunter member Malcom Judd.

Getting cinematic drone shots isn’t as easy as just getting your drone camera up in the air. To really take stunning videos, you need to practice the when, where, and how of flying. If you follow these six tips, you’ll be well on your way to calling yourself a drone cinematographer.

1. Master the classic aerial shots.

There are five classic aerial shots that any great drone cinematographer should know. In this video from Story & Heart, drone professionals show you how to pull off these flying and filming maneuvers.

2. Avoid the wind.

In the US, FAA regulations make it illegal to fly a drone above 400 feet. But you really shouldn’t be flying your drone that high, anyway. The higher your drone goes, the windier it gets and the shakier your video will be. To get stable shots, fly on a day with little wind and keep your drone less than 300 feet in the air.

3. Fly smooth and slow.

Flying your drone too fast, or jerking the controls, will turn your stunning video into shaky shots. Use slow, tiny movements with the controller and your video will come out smooth.

Drone video by Storyhunter member DJ Clark.

4. Map the environment.

Before flying and filming, you should scout your location and map it out with Google Earth. This way you will know where trees, electric wires, buildings, or other obstacles are and can better avoid them — saving your drone from crashing and your video from having a shaky swerve in the middle of it.

5. Take longer shots.

A good practice in filmmaking in general is to start filming a few seconds before and continue filming a few seconds after you get the shot you want. And this is even more true for drone cinematography, where you might move your drone away just as you start getting the perfect shot. Keeping the camera rolling a little longer will give you more flexibility when editing the video to choose the best seconds of each shot.

Drone photo by Storyhunter member DJ Clark.

6. Film at sunrise or sunset.

Shooting your drone video at sunrise or sunset can help make the terrain stand out. There are deeper shadows that make the landscape more dynamic. In the afternoon when the sun is overhead, the lack of shadows creates a flatter-looking landscape in your video.

Please read up on and follow FAA or your local regulations on flying UAVs.

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Originally published at storyhunter.com.