If you’re just getting started with your drone and wondering why your shots don’t look exactly like the ones you see in movies, this article is for you.
We’ll walk you through aerial filmography services which you can also do. Your next drone clip so it looks like it came from a big-budget production.
Let’s get this party started!
- Shoot at the proper time of day
The main issue with today’s drones, or more specifically, most drone cameras, is that the sensors aren’t as good as you’d like them to be.
As a result, the dynamic range is a little limited, and they have a tendency to overexpose. So, in order to achieve the best results with real estate drone videography, you must choose the best time of day to shoot. And by appropriate time of day, I mean either sunrise or sunset.
You are more likely to get the best light and the best-looking footage during the so-called golden hour. This is due to the fact that the sun is not high in the sky and there is not a lot of natural light. You will also capture those amazing looking shadows when the sun is near the horizon.
For the same reason, this tip also works well when shooting with smaller cameras or even smartphones. The small sensors in these cameras will overexpose, resulting in a rainbow of colors.
So, if possible, get up early in the morning and do your aerial shoots. Wait until dusk if you like to oversleep.
- Make Use Of A Neutral Density (ND) Filter
Another issue with drone filming is that the shutter speed of the camera in the drone is extremely fast, resulting in jittery footage. Especially if you’re flying at high speeds, above water, or there are fast-moving objects in the shot.
If you’re an aerial filmography service provider then you have a professional knowledge of the same. A particularly bright scene, use a stronger ND filter, such as an ND 32 or 64. When there isn’t a lot of natural light, you can use an ND 4, which isn’t as dark.
Check the overexposure on your camera if you want to be really precise when selecting the right ND filter rating to use. You can choose the appropriate filter to optically correct your overexposure based on how many stops you are overexposed.
You basically want to use the camera’s manual settings, set the ISO to 100, shutter speed to 1/50, and then slap on the appropriate ND filter to compensate for the overexposure.
So if:
If you are two stops overexposed, use an ND 4, if you are six stops overexposed, use an ND 64, and so on.
- Use a flat picture style when shooting.
What I mean is that you should set your camera to film in the least saturated, lowest contrast mode possible. Yes, I understand that this will make the raw footage appear less good, but it will actually leave much more room for editing in post-production.
You can either turn up the saturation and contrast by turning up the knobs, or you can go for a more mellow look by leaving everything more de-saturated. It all depends on the look you want to achieve.
So, essentially, this gives you a lot of options when editing your video, and you can decide what to do with it at that point.
- Slowly fly in real estate drone videography
This one is extremely quick and simple to implement, but many people fail to do it. I believe that 80% of the drone videos that our clients send us to edit are deficient simply because the user flew the drone too fast or the movements are too fast.
You want slow and smooth movements. These will give you that cinematic look and will save you a tonne of time in post-production because you won’t need to slow the video down or use stabilization. It’s simply much easier to edit.
The only time you can fly fast is when you’re shooting really wide landscapes with everything far away.
- Color Grading And Correction
When you load your raw footage into your editor, you’ll probably notice how dull it looks and how the colors are simply missing. This is normal, especially if you followed tip #3 and shot in a flat picture style.
So don’t worry, we’ll take care of it in post-production by color grading the video. Basically, all video editing software allows for a lot of color adjustments, so you can do that quickly and easily.
If you’re using footage from other cameras in your project, don’t forget to color correct your drone video to match the look and feel of the other cameras’ footage.
So, if you’re using a DSLR as the main camera and adding drone shots as B-roll, make sure the footage from the two cameras is consistent.
Using the scopes in your video editing software is a quick and easy way to accomplish this. These will show you exactly what is different about your footage and which colors you need to change to make it look the same.
Aerial Filmography services: Expert advice!
So, there you have it: 5 simple and actionable tips you can use right away to improve your aerial filming skills. I challenge you to fly your drone, use all of these techniques, and show us the results. I’m excited to see your work!
