Orbiting around a subject is a popular cinematic technique used to reveal the environment of a scene, creating a compelling parallax effect when elements sit on different layers
The Mini 5 Pro brings new possibilities to this technique over its predecessors, and in this video, you’ll learn how to get the best results
Other related articles you may find interesting:
- Mini 5 Pro Video quality and functionalities
- Mini 5 Pro Hyperlapse tutorial
- Mini 5 Pro Mastershots tutorial
- Mini 5 Pro Color profiles: Normal vs D-Log M
Settings
Point of Interest is part of a suite of three intelligent modes grouped under the name Focus Track. Unlike Quickshots, Mastershots, and Hyperlapse, these modes don’t appear in the Photo/Video menu
To access them with a static target, such as a building or landmark, simply draw a box around it. A small window in the lower part of the screen presents a choice among the three modes:
- Active Track
- Spotlight
- Point of Interest
These modes are only available when the drone is flying
After selecting Point of Interest, a double yellow arrow appears to select the direction and the speed of flight. It is possible to modify the speed during the shot, which is handy
I would prefer a higher maximum speed; however, it is possible to increase it while editing if the scene doesn’t contain moving elements
Once a target is selected, the camera locks on the target defined by green brackets; the Focus Track icon on the left part of the screen turns to yellow, indicating that we are in one of the three Focus Track modes
If needed, we can switch to a different mode with the same target selected via the small window in the lower part of the screen
In previous DJI lightweight models, like the Mini 4 Pro and the Flip, to select targets like people or vehicles, we had to activate Subject scanning in the Control tab of the Settings
The procedure has been simplified in the Mini 5 Pro. When the Active Track icon is active, the app recognizes people and vehicles, and displays a plus sign over them. Simply tap on the plus icon to select one of them as a target
To exit Point of Interest mode, tap the Focus Track icon on the left, which will change from yellow to white to indicate that you are back in normal video mode. An alternative way is to tap on the green X near the target
Point of Interest can be applied to vertical footage taken in portrait mode, which is handy for users involved in social media
Most of the video settings are available. It is possible to use manual or Auto exposure and white balance. The resolution can be set to 1080p or 4k with frame rates up to 60fps. It is also possible to use it with the Video Slow Motion mode with a frame rate of 120fps for extreme slow motion. The three video color profiles can be used: Normal, D-Log M, and HLG.
With the Mini 5 Pro, Point of Interest can be used in the 48mm Med Tele mode to apply a 2x zoom with a quality close to a true optical zoom, achieving an astonishing parallax effect. Surprisingly, the continuous gimbal rotation is not available in this mode; however, similar results can be achieved by performing a circular move in Spotlight mode, which supports the gimbal rotation
Before starting a move, be aware of nearby obstacles and turn on the obstacle avoidance system in the Safety tab of settings, selecting Brake or Bypass
Static Targets
Rotating around a landmark is a cinematic move, especially when there are elements at various distances in the background, creating an appealing parallax effect. Let’s see a few different ways to film the same scene
One of the simplest ways to show this village by the Mediterranean Sea in Sicily is to advance towards it at a constant speed. It can be useful as an establishing shot, but on other occasions, we might prefer a more dynamic approach
By modifying the angle of view and advancing toward the village, we can include two other villages with a couple of small volcanic islands. Now we know more about the surroundings
Then we can introduce Point of Interest, starting with a view of the same village with the camera locked on the Norman castle, the aircraft will rotate counterclockwise progressively revealing the other bays and villages, thus adding an element of surprise
By using the two sticks of the remote controller, we can add extra movement for a more dynamic effect. In this case, I am moving quite fast to the right while rotating and then lowering the altitude to better position the other villages on the scene. Notice the parallax effect with the elements in the background rotating at different speeds
To make the move even more dynamic, we can use the left wheel of the remote controller to apply some digital zoom. Let’s do the same move as before, but this time starting with a quite deep zoom on the Norman castle, during the rotation we apply the same movements and zoom out back to 100% progressively. The zooming out makes the movement even more dynamic.
We can also do the opposite, this time progressively zooming in to 200%. The parallax effect is more dramatic as the villages in different layers look compressed and closer to each other
For more precise results, it is possible to apply the zoom on the computer while editing. In both cases, there will be a loss of resolution, but the result will be acceptable for posting on social media
In this other example, we can use Point of Interest with the aircraft above the target and the camera pointing down. By simply lowering the elevation while rotating, we can combine two cinematic moves difficult to perform manually: the screwdriver and the crane shot
Certain dynamic rotating moves can be accomplished with similar results using either Point of Interest or Spotlight. Some users feel more comfortable using Point of Interest, as there is no need to take care of the rotation, while others prefer Spotlight for more control of the orbiting speed
Moving Targets
Point of Interest has some basic tracking capabilities. It can follow a slowly moving target while rotating around it
This can be useful for following one or several people walking slowly while revealing the surroundings with the circular movement
With the Mini 5 Pro, POI can track close to the ground and the target at low speed, which is ideal for vlogging