Orbiting around a target is a widely used cinematic movement to show the surroundings of a scene
Point of Interest is an intelligent flight mode that works similarly across all current DJI prosumer models, including the Mini 4 Pro, DJI Flip, Air 3S, and Mavic 4 Pro (these links are affiliate, therefore I receive a small commission in case of purchase)
In this video, I will show how to make the most of this functionality to get some engaging and surprising footage
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Settings
The way we access Point of Interest is different from previous models like the Mini 3 Pro. We must now tap this icon on the left of the screen for the three intelligent flight modes grouped under the name Focus Track:
- Spotlight
- Point of Interest
- Active Track
The three modes are only available when the aircraft is flying. The names of the modes appear in a small window at the bottom of the screen. We select the one to the right, POI
If the scene contains people or vehicles, they will be identified with a plus sign. Simply tap the icon to choose one of them as a target. Objects, landmarks, or buildings can also be selected by drawing a box around them
A yellow arrow will appear to specify the direction and the speed. In the Mini 3 Pro, the orbiting speed was too slow, even when set at its maximum value. Luckily, it has now been increased. It is possible to modify the speed during the move, which is handy. We can then hit the green icon Go
With Point of Interest, most of the settings for video are available:
- The Exposure and White Balance can be set either to Auto or Manual
- The Resolution can be set to 1080p or 4k with frame rates up to 60 fps. With the Mavic Pro, when using the wide lens, a higher 6k resolution is also available
- The Mini 4 Pro and Air 3s have three video Color Profiles: Normal, D-Log M, and HLG. The Mavic 4 Pro has a fourth option, D-Log, while the Flip only offers Normal and D-Log M.
For safety reasons, it is suggested to set the Obstacle Avoidance System to Brake or Bypass before starting the moves. The only model analyzed here without omnidirectional obstacle sensors is the Flip. When using this model, ensure you fly above all surrounding obstacles
While using Point of Interest, the two sticks on the remote controller can be used to apply extra moves to the rotation, like getting closer or further away from the target, ascending, and descending
It is also possible to apply Digital Zoom during the rotation using the left wheel of the remote controller. There will be a loss of resolution when encoding at 4k, unless you are using the Mavic 4 Pro with the wide-angle lens, as it can record at a higher resolution of 6k.
When the aircraft is close to the maximum allowed altitude Point of Interest will not work, and an error message will appear on the screen. In this case, simply lower the altitude and try again
In Action
Rotating around a landmark is a very cinematic way to film a scene, especially when there are several elements at various distances in the background, thus creating an appealing parallax effect
In the right scene, Point of Interest produces appealing footage, even when used in the most basic way. But we can make things more interesting
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 more villages with some bays and small volcanic islands. Now we know more about the surroundings
Let’s 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, 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 interesting parallax effect with the elements on different layers in the background rotating at different speeds
With Digital Zoom
To make the move even more dynamic, it is possible to 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 with the two sticks of the controller, using the wheel to zoom out progressively back to 100%. The zooming out makes the movement even more dynamic
We can also do the opposite, this time progressively zooming in from 100 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 zoom in on the computer while editing
Other Possibilities
In this other example, we can use Point of Interest with the camera pointing down and the aircraft above the target
By lowering the elevation with the left stick of the controller, we can precisely combine two famous 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
Point of Interest has some basic tracking capabilities. It can follow a slowly moving target while rotating around it. This can be occasionally useful for following a person slowly walking while revealing the surroundings with the circular movement