Most beginners in drone videography tend to repeat the same moves and the results are not particularly engaging. In this video, I will show how to perform moves used by video professionals to add interest and variation to your drone footage for spectacular results
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Settings and Intelligent Modes
Settings
The most important settings for smooth cinematic moves with any drone are the aircraft’s lateral panning and the gimbal’s tilt. By default, both moves are too fast and abrupt. This is how you modify the values with the Mini 4 Pro, Air 3, and Air 3s. The settings are similar to most other DJI models
In DJI Fly tap on the three dots on the top right of the screen to access Settings and then select the tab Control
In the Gain and Expo Tuning window, we can set values for each Speed mode:
- Cine
- Normal
- Sport
We will enter the same values on each of them
The first one is Max Angular Velocity to control the speed of the lateral rotation or Yaw when we push the controller’s left stick to the left or right. I suggest a low value between 30 and 40
Yaw Smoothness controls the behavior at the end of the move, after releasing the stick. I prefer a value between 60 and 70
Scrolling down we find the setting for the gimbal tilt. Max Control Speed sets the speed of the gimbal vertical tilt when using the controller’s left wheel. A low value of about 25 works very well. Finally, we set Tilt Smoothness at about 25
Intelligent Modes
For some of the moves, we can use the Intelligent flight modes Spotlight and Point of Interest, or some Quickshots
Learning to make the moves manually is a good exercise, however, I prefer using intelligent modes whenever possible to avoid small mistakes that can ruin the result
When using Point of Interest, we can add interest to the move by using the two sticks of the remote controller for more complex movements like changes in elevation and getting closer or farther away from the target
Push in pull out
In many cases, a movie starts with a push-in view into a scene, to establish the location and let the viewer feel the place
It can be a simple move forward or combined with a change of elevation, or a more complex move panning while advancing with an elevation change
At the end of a movie, we often see a pull-out move to reveal the surroundings and give a sense of departing
These moves are simple to execute manually, but for the pull-out, we can use the Quick Shot Dronie, as the aircraft will fly backward and upward keeping the target in the middle of the frame
Top-down
Bird’s eye views can only be made with drones and often surprise the viewer with unexpected perspectives of familiar scenes
This shot of a volcanic fumarole in Iceland looks like an abstract painting. This vineyard could be mistaken for a cashmere blanket. Top-down shots are often quite spectacular
For this move, I used Point of Interest and the two sticks to combine the corkscrew and the crane effect
Daisy Cutter
Beginners often shoot drone footage from a high vantage point, but there are plenty of interesting views when flying close to the ground
We can replicate moves that in the old days needed expensive dollies and sliders. With drones, we can move in all directions, at any speed, over all sorts of terrain, even over water
I wish we could use drones this way in urban environments, but unfortunately, it is not always possible due to regulations, so we must resort to using hand-held cameras
Spotlight
When using Spotlight mode, the target remains in the same position in the frame while flying in any direction. In other words, the camera is disconnected from the direction of flight
A typical way to use Spotlight is to fly parallel or diagonally to the target, thus revealing the background with an interesting parallax effect
We can also add elevation changes and get closer or further away from the target.
Pull Back Revealing
Here the aircraft moves backward and suddenly the main subject enters the scene
The viewer’s eyes are drawn from the previous scene to the new surprising element. Any unexpected event increases the audience’s attention
It works even better when flying quite close to the unexpected subject, but obviously, avoiding too many risks. Make sure the obstacle avoidance system is on.
Ascending
Another way to surprise the viewer is to slowly reveal a scene by ascending
The move is more engaging when something unexpected is hidden by elements in the foreground
Look for elements containing strong geometric shapes to draw the viewer’s eye
Sliding
When trying to reveal the width of a scene, beginners often rotate the camera with the aircraft in a static position. This simple panning move is very boring
Much better results are obtained by combining several moves
To reveal the width of this fjord in Iceland I am moving diagonally backward by pushing the right stick to 5oc while slowly panning with the left stick to the right
Here I am advancing while rising in altitude and slowly turning to the right to follow the river
Having an element in the foreground to reveal a main one in the background adds interest with a parallax effect
It is also very effective to use geometrical lines to lead the eyes of the viewer
Crane
This move mimics the shots obtained in cinema or TV by having the camera mounted on a crane. We can make similar moves on a much bigger scale when using a drone
The camera locks on a subject while advancing and rising in altitude, or we can do a reverse crane, moving backward and descending, in this case, we can often reveal an interesting background
It is not an easy move to perform manually, so it is better to use the intelligent flight mode Spotlight to maintain the camera locked on the subject
Orbiting
Scenes involving parallax are always interesting. The idea is to find several elements on different planes, at varying distances. An orbit around the closest element reveals the ones in the background moving faster
I suggest using the intelligent flight mode Point of Interest for smoother results. The aircraft rotates around the chosen target and we can use the two sticks of the controller for extra action
In this scene, I am applying all these moves while using POI to show these villages on the East Coast of Sicily