Spectacular Drone Cinematography On The Rise

Drone Cinematography is on the rise. More recently, with the rise in popularity of drones, each new model comes out promising better technology. And concurrently, more and more companies are offering services using drones to capture video footage with production values once only possible by mountaineering equipment and climbers.

What follows are details on how drone cinematography works to enable the production of such stunning aerial footage.

Drones, in this context, are small remote-controlled quadcopters. They can vary from a few inches across to around a meter in diameter. Although they may be different in shape and size, they all have four rotors positioned horizontally, which provides them with lift and enables them to be flown and maneuvered in three dimensions. All drones have gyroscopic sensors and accelerometers to determine their flight’s orientation as well as other safes such as return home capabilities which will bring the drone back to its takeoff location should it lose contact with the controller or if the battery fails (these features are becoming more and more common as drones are developed for specific tasks). To control the drone is done via a wireless controller, which communicates with the onboard computer inside the drone.

The most commonly used drones are quadcopters, but hexacopters and octocopters are also available. Although they all have very similar features, it is worth noting that their capabilities differ greatly; for example, octocopters can lift much heavier payloads and carry larger batteries; thus, their flight time is longer (and if needed, they can also carry multiple batteries). With the increase in drone cinematography, there has been a shift from using quadcopters with GoPro cameras attached to hexacopters and octocopter platforms that use a larger camera such as a DSLR or mirrorless cameras.

As has been said, the footage that drones can capture is truly remarkable. They have opened up whole new possibilities for video production and also enabled cinematographers to be more creative with their shots and angles because of the newfound mobility they provide.

Drone cinematography is a new and developing area with many challenges still to overcome, such as safety and privacy concerns around flying drones near populated areas. There has been plenty of discussion around the legalities of flying drones, but they are here to stay. New FAA rules state that operators need a license, and a drone can only fly below 400ft (122m) or within 500 feet of buildings/people if it is lower than the height of those structures.

Today Drone Cinematography is only just beginning to reach the heights it will eventually be able to, but already there are several productions where drone footage is taking center stage.