We are often asked by our clients for aerial video. And with the latest technologies for drones, this has made aerial photography much more accessible and led to higher production values. But what are the different methods for aerial video? A lot of people are purchasing drones now a days, I found the best 3dr solo review. I have decided to get myself one for events. Helicopters and Airplanes Today, it’s easy to point at the drone. But an important tool in the aerial arsenal, is the helicopter or fixed wing platform. For many years, this was the only way to get the aerial shot. And when you shoot from a helicopter or airplane, there are several different methods. At the top of the production value is the remote controlled, enclosed gimbal camera. This is inside a housing hanging off…

Drones taking Corporate Video by Storm Drones hit corporate video by storm over five years ago. They were a video production tool that offered a fresh and different view. And they were cool. Until they flew into the client’s car or that building. And looking back five years ago, there were two levels of drones– the consumer level (DJI had just introduced the original phantom) and the professional level (custom built kits, some with eight blades that could carry the big cinema cameras). The Hurdles in the Sky Back then, there were many hurdles to using drones in corporate video. First and foremost was legality. The airspace in the US is regulated by the FAA, and to accept any money for use of an aircraft in the FAA’s airspace, you had to have a commercial pilots license. This could…
3DR Solo Flight Checklists What follows is our UAV checklist specifically for the 3DR Solo drone (or UAV). We require all operators to follow the checklist to insure safe and proper operation of the aerial platform. Before Leaving Charge drone batteries Charge controller Charge ipad mini Ensure GoPro Hero 4 has card Arriving Exterior Location PREFLIGHT Visually inspect area of operation, noting poles, antennas and other physical hazards Observe wind direction and approximate wind speeds Place props on motors (make sure they are tight) Put fully charged battery on drone Remove Gimbal foam, protecting gimbal during shipping Choose launch site—make sure it is a safe place for an emergency “return home” command Place drone on launch site (must be away from metal and be level) Power up drone Discuss with Spotter the flight path and flight plan Power up…

Handheld gimbals are not new anymore, and the release of the DJI Osmo moves the handheld gimbal into the next generation. Ever since we grabbed our small phantom drone, turned it on, and held on to it, moving around the location to get that “steadicam” effect, it was clear a new market (or call it a new tool for the videographer) was opening up. Several years ago, we here at SFilms in Dallas purchased a relatively cheap powered gimbal (sold by a US distributor, but clearly made in China). It required a GoPro, but we used the device constantly in our corporate videos. It was taken on road tours for a corporate retail client of ours, for internal communications, and we used it on construction sites and other places as well. And it fell apart. We had to take screws…
Okay– I’m starting to see more and more activity for the FAA 333 Exemption and want to throw some thoughts in there– especially to help those UAV operators who might consider plopping down some fat stacks to companies offering to help them with their 333 exemption. Now I’ll preface by mentioning it’s all changing anyway. But right now, if you want to legally operate a drone for commercial purposes, you have to either have a commercial pilots license, or you have to ask the FAA to give you exemptions from those rules. To be the Pilot in Charge of a UAV, even with a FAA 333 Exemption, the PIC must have some level of pilot’s license. Some people (I know a few), have applied for and gotten the 333 exemption without having a pilot’s license. What this means, is that…
I use DJI products. About 7 or 8 years ago, they saw the future and jumped. Now they’re the Coca-cola of the consumer drone world. Congrats. So why am I hating on DJI? It all started with an Octo. This particular octocopter was a custom-build. Of course 3-4 years and further back, everything big like that was a custom build. For the custom builders, the best “brain” for running these builds, was the wookong, made by DJI. This was the technology that told the drone what to do. You inputted a command in the controller, it was received by the wookong and orders went out from it to the motors. One beautiful twilight evening at a park in North Carolina, I was flying this octo with a $4,000 camera/lens on it. I had just finished the run and was bringing…

The UAV market is exploding. It is the wild west out there. The FAA is trying to come up with standards and procedures for the technology that has outpaced them. With the incredible accessibility of drones, corporate video makers have found a new tool to add to their arsenal. What drone footage gives you, is a point of view seldom seen from a camera mounted on a tripod, five feet up from the ground. The drone hits the sweet spot– 10 fee to about 60 feet– for unique visuals. But just because a video producer has a drone, doesn’t mean they can fly it well. Drone work still requires an artist’s touch. We are finding that some producers simply jerk the drone around in the air, moving it here and there, and not really getting the full production value. Can…