Drones have been an essential part of film production for several years now and have offered spectacular and affordable aerial imagery compared with the expense of hiring helicopters with camera mounts which used to be the only solution.
There is a wide variety of drones on the market with features that cater to all tastes. Filming possibilities have increased immensely and so has the the drone technology itself.
Our experience as a crewing company is that ever more clients request DOPs who can operate drones as well as and in addition to regular shooting. In order to cater to this demand many of these camera operators have acquired excellent drone skills and all the necessary legal requirements and licenses from their local aviation authorities. This kind of set up offers the clients an affordable way into aerial imagery for their shoots complementing any corporate film, without the additional expense of a dedicated drone operator.
Limiting the amount of crew by having the DOP also act as drone operator makes for more flexibility crew wise and reduces costs. There are many benefits involved.
Needless to say, the sky is the limit when choosing drones and operators – you can either choose a small budget drone or a larger, more sophisticated set up which will deliver devastatingly spectacular images by using state of the art equipment.
There are various sizes and builts when it comes to drones – these “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs) can be smaller quadrocopters, or larger drones like hexacopters and octocopters – always depending on the number of motors.
What is FPV?
Traditional drones are like helicopters, hovering above and keeping the horizon even. They take a bird’s eye view and provide a calm and comprehensive view of the location.
FPV stands for first-person view. FPVs are like small, agile planes – they are faster and can dive or rise, nose up and roll as well, being able to follow the subject closely. They provide dynamic and spectacular imagery and the demands on the operator are extremely high.
Versatile usage of drones
Drones aren’t just for exteriors either: we often use drones as replacement dollies, gimbals and cranes on interiors. With smaller, agile drones you can do interesting tracking shots as well as vertical moves, sometimes accessing motifs which would otherwise be impossible to achieve with a dolly or crane.
One word of warning though, drones can be noisy and this will affect sound recording. Furthermore they produce flight wind which can lead to talent having their hair or clothes blown away 🙂 However, if used judiciously these problems can easily be overcome.
At the end of the day all you need is to contact us with your flight enquiry in good time so our production coordinators and pilots can arrange the necessary permissions from the local flight authorities.
We provide this service throughout Europe and have excellent references and showreels depending on where and when you wish to shoot.
Get in touch with us now for your next drone project!