5 Essential Drone Cinematography Tips and Tricks

The portability, image quality, and cost of drones have only gotten better since they first hit the market back in 2006. Today’s drones can shoot 4K, fit into shoulder bags, and even carry gimbals equipped with red cameras and cinema lenses. It’s not a question of whether or not you should include a drone in your filmmaking kit, but how you should utilize it in your production. Here are 5 drone cinematography tips to get you started.

Note: If you’re in the United States and interested in flying outdoors, you are legally required to register your drone with the FAA if it meets certain requirements.

Drone footage on Pond5:
Complete stock footage library:

Apps and useful sites mentioned in this tutorial:
airmap
dji go app
know before you fly
drone buddy
nats drone app
altitude angel
hover app

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[alexisdavila]

Thanks for the tips..
What drone you use? Is it the one one the background? How its call?

[SteveandLizDonaldson]

Very nice video! Now my two cents: I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but if you are making and selling your video clips in the US, then that is commercial use, so you need to be Part 107 certified. The good news is that even a dolt like me can do it: an online class then a test at an FAA testing center. My fear is folks flying over crowds, maybe crashing, delaying emergency vehicles, harassing wildlife or livestock, etc may cause the FAA to give a new look at this. We all lose if that happens!