Tips for "professional" quality video

[gmann001]

Does anyone know of a good source (website, etc) with tips and how-to's of taking professional quality video's wit the Phantom's?

Needing ideas like how-to keep the focus while performing a fly-by, etc. Anything to help make my videos look less like home videos would be appreciated. I understand that editing will be needed afterwards, but its the shots I need help with.

Thanks

 

[ThePhantom]

It really boils down to a lot of practice, a decent FPV and a GoPro.

 

[gmann001]

Thanks... I've been getting the practice with my P2V+ , but still unhappy with the shots I'm getting. I saw a Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzCCD_vOKEE) where he talks about tracking points. Does anyone have any tips on that?

 

[gmann001]

Actually it sounds more like the "track points" the video was referring to is in regards to the Adobe After Effects program.

Maybe its not my video that is lack luster then?

 

[paulajayne]

Low, slow and steady.

P2V+ can do some nice video. Lots of examples on this forum.

 

[laselvasurf]

It's all about practice. A lot of people do video professionally(like me), so the video part is easy. I've been doing video production professionally for 10+ years and have been flying RC for twice that long. There is no secret sauce, it just takes time and practice.

 

[gmann001]

Thanks for the advice. Hopefully one of these days I will feel good enough about my vids and submit one for display.

 

[Zinnware]

Once you determine your shot, it is important to take it at the right time of the day. I'm no professional, but it seems that the best time of the day to take the shots is 1 to 2 hours after sunrise and 1 to 2 hours before sunset. Mid-day shots just don't provide the best contrast.

 

[RedRyderMedia]

Low, slow and steady.

I disagree with the slow part. Smooth, yes, but fly fast!

 

[LandYachtMedia]

The first thing to understand about taking a good looking shot is to know what the shot is you are trying to get and how it fits into the overall video. Shooting with a purpose is what you want to do. Flying around and getting just "some" shot is how you waste time without getting better at the craft of cinematography.

The best thing to do is understand what makes good camera work in general and what kind of shots are used in productions then go out and practice those with the phantom.

If you want to see some camera moves that work you can look here - http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.com/hm_index.html

 

[donco234]

Here is my 2 cents - I have been editing and producing video since the 80's. A lot has changed since then.

My #1 rule is to put yourself in your audience's mind. Show them something they will enjoy (not what you enjoy) and remember that you make entirely types of editing decisions for youtube, family, commercial client, or nature video for sale.

#2 tell a story. Endless minutes of a drone flying over a lighthouse goes from thrilling to boring in a few seconds. In commercial TV, movies, etc. the trend is to have a "payoff" every few seconds, (payoff = surprise, dazling footage, unique footage etc.) To do this you will need a LOT of raw footage to edit from. You can't just go out and film 30 minutes and make a 20 minute video, guaranteed boredom.

#3 Sound. Our phantoms do not capture ambient sound. To make a high quality video the viewer needs to hear believable sound. Not some overpowering acid rock or other music with no real sound. I use a digital recorder at ground level and let a little of the phantom sound in but other wise just what ever is natural for the scene.

#4 I also agree that most of the phantom footage is shot Too High. Think about it. A forest of trees, you can shoot it from 400 feet high or just over the tree tops. It keeps the viewer looking for what's next when you see things passing by (puts them in the drone ). Some of the very most impressive phantom footage that I have gotten (based on viewers comments) was flying 3 feet over the surf at sunset.

#5 use the drone for what it does best - different perspective. Almost every other type of camera is next to someone's head giving an eye level perspective.

#6 similar to # 2 don't make each clip or scene too long. Don't overuse transitions. If you watch the best stuff on the National Geographic Channel, most changes are just simple cuts not some blurry star trek zoom.

Just my opinion

 

[MichaelAxelKlose]

Here is my 2 cents - I have been editing and producing video since the 80's. A lot has changed since then.

My #1 rule is to put yourself in your audience's mind. Show them something they will enjoy (not what you enjoy) and remember that you make entirely types of editing decisions for youtube, family, commercial client, or nature video for sale.

#2 tell a story. Endless minutes of a drone flying over a lighthouse goes from thrilling to boring in a few seconds. In commercial TV, movies, etc. the trend is to have a "payoff" every few seconds, (payoff = surprise, dazling footage, unique footage etc.) To do this you will need a LOT of raw footage to edit from. You can't just go out and film 30 minutes and make a 20 minute video, guaranteed boredom.

#3 Sound. Our phantoms do not capture ambient sound. To make a high quality video the viewer needs to hear believable sound. Not some overpowering acid rock or other music with no real sound. I use a digital recorder at ground level and let a little of the phantom sound in but other wise just what ever is natural for the scene.

#4 I also agree that most of the phantom footage is shot Too High. Think about it. A forest of trees, you can shoot it from 400 feet high or just over the tree tops. It keeps the viewer looking for what's next when you see things passing by (puts them in the drone ). Some of the very most impressive phantom footage that I have gotten (based on viewers comments) was flying 3 feet over the surf at sunset.

#5 use the drone for what it does best - different perspective. Almost every other type of camera is next to someone's head giving an eye level perspective.

#6 similar to # 2 don't make each clip or scene too long. Don't overuse transitions. If you watch the best stuff on the National Geographic Channel, most changes are just simple cuts not some blurry star trek zoom.

Just my opinion

Great Advice!

 

[n6vmo]

I shoot alot in 'ATTI' to get smooth video.
Hover the Phantom upwind of you subject, yaw for the right angle, and set it to 'ATTI'. Drift downwind until your satisfied. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[chipwich]

Here is my 2 cents - I have been editing and producing video since the 80's. A lot has changed since then.

My #1 rule is to put yourself in your audience's mind. Show them something they will enjoy (not what you enjoy) and remember that you make entirely types of editing decisions for youtube, family, commercial client, or nature video for sale.

#2 tell a story. Endless minutes of a drone flying over a lighthouse goes from thrilling to boring in a few seconds. In commercial TV, movies, etc. the trend is to have a "payoff" every few seconds, (payoff = surprise, dazling footage, unique footage etc.) To do this you will need a LOT of raw footage to edit from. You can't just go out and film 30 minutes and make a 20 minute video, guaranteed boredom.

#3 Sound. Our phantoms do not capture ambient sound. To make a high quality video the viewer needs to hear believable sound. Not some overpowering acid rock or other music with no real sound. I use a digital recorder at ground level and let a little of the phantom sound in but other wise just what ever is natural for the scene.

#4 I also agree that most of the phantom footage is shot Too High. Think about it. A forest of trees, you can shoot it from 400 feet high or just over the tree tops. It keeps the viewer looking for what's next when you see things passing by (puts them in the drone ). Some of the very most impressive phantom footage that I have gotten (based on viewers comments) was flying 3 feet over the surf at sunset.

#5 use the drone for what it does best - different perspective. Almost every other type of camera is next to someone's head giving an eye level perspective.

#6 similar to # 2 don't make each clip or scene too long. Don't overuse transitions. If you watch the best stuff on the National Geographic Channel, most changes are just simple cuts not some blurry star trek zoom.

Just my opinion

Awesome post! I was thinking this morning that my best videos are when the aerial shots are part of the story, not the story.

 

[2nd2non]

Practice in Atti in the simulator. It helps as it simulates wind and drift, then you can get the hang of making stick adjustments w/o looking at the sticks. I used the simulator to get better at orbits and helped immensely.

 

[Mike Hawk]

Here is my 2 cents - I have been editing and producing video since the 80's. A lot has changed since then.

My #1 rule is to put yourself in your audience's mind. Show them something they will enjoy (not what you enjoy) and remember that you make entirely types of editing decisions for youtube, family, commercial client, or nature video for sale.

#2 tell a story. Endless minutes of a drone flying over a lighthouse goes from thrilling to boring in a few seconds. In commercial TV, movies, etc. the trend is to have a "payoff" every few seconds, (payoff = surprise, dazling footage, unique footage etc.) To do this you will need a LOT of raw footage to edit from. You can't just go out and film 30 minutes and make a 20 minute video, guaranteed boredom.

#3 Sound. Our phantoms do not capture ambient sound. To make a high quality video the viewer needs to hear believable sound. Not some overpowering acid rock or other music with no real sound. I use a digital recorder at ground level and let a little of the phantom sound in but other wise just what ever is natural for the scene.

#4 I also agree that most of the phantom footage is shot Too High. Think about it. A forest of trees, you can shoot it from 400 feet high or just over the tree tops. It keeps the viewer looking for what's next when you see things passing by (puts them in the drone ). Some of the very most impressive phantom footage that I have gotten (based on viewers comments) was flying 3 feet over the surf at sunset.

#5 use the drone for what it does best - different perspective. Almost every other type of camera is next to someone's head giving an eye level perspective.

#6 similar to # 2 don't make each clip or scene too long. Don't overuse transitions. If you watch the best stuff on the National Geographic Channel, most changes are just simple cuts not some blurry star trek zoom.

Just my opinion

As an amateur (been flying quads only 6 months) a and a P3P owner for just one week that info is more Priceless than 2¢...thanks for sharing.

 

[QaaUz]

As an amateur (been flying quads only 6 months) a and a P3P owner for just one week that info is more Priceless than 2¢...thanks for sharing.

I'll second that.

 

[garryprince]

Here is my 2 cents - I have been editing and producing video since the 80's. A lot has changed since then.

My #1 rule is to put yourself in your audience's mind. Show them something they will enjoy (not what you enjoy) and remember that you make entirely types of editing decisions for youtube, family, commercial client, or nature video for sale.

#2 tell a story. Endless minutes of a drone flying over a lighthouse goes from thrilling to boring in a few seconds. In commercial TV, movies, etc. the trend is to have a "payoff" every few seconds, (payoff = surprise, dazling footage, unique footage etc.) To do this you will need a LOT of raw footage to edit from. You can't just go out and film 30 minutes and make a 20 minute video, guaranteed boredom.

#3 Sound. Our phantoms do not capture ambient sound. To make a high quality video the viewer needs to hear believable sound. Not some overpowering acid rock or other music with no real sound. I use a digital recorder at ground level and let a little of the phantom sound in but other wise just what ever is natural for the scene.

#4 I also agree that most of the phantom footage is shot Too High. Think about it. A forest of trees, you can shoot it from 400 feet high or just over the tree tops. It keeps the viewer looking for what's next when you see things passing by (puts them in the drone ). Some of the very most impressive phantom footage that I have gotten (based on viewers comments) was flying 3 feet over the surf at sunset.

#5 use the drone for what it does best - different perspective. Almost every other type of camera is next to someone's head giving an eye level perspective.

#6 similar to # 2 don't make each clip or scene too long. Don't overuse transitions. If you watch the best stuff on the National Geographic Channel, most changes are just simple cuts not some blurry star trek zoom.

Just my opinion

Hi there,
I have only owned my Phantom 3 advanced a week, and find your comments really interesting, looking for a decent editing program, any ideas

 

[donco234]

Sorry, I have been away from the forum for a while. Editing software falls into two categories, @1 cheap junk that will do simple stuff and professional level stuff that requires a robust computer and has a hefty price tag. I use Magix Pro video X7. It is a little quirky but like most software, if you learn it, it is nice.

 

[Sizzlemonkey]

Here is my 2 cents - I have been editing and producing video since the 80's. A lot has changed since then.

My #1 rule is to put yourself in your audience's mind. Show them something they will enjoy (not what you enjoy) and remember that you make entirely types of editing decisions for youtube, family, commercial client, or nature video for sale.

#2 tell a story. Endless minutes of a drone flying over a lighthouse goes from thrilling to boring in a few seconds. In commercial TV, movies, etc. the trend is to have a "payoff" every few seconds, (payoff = surprise, dazling footage, unique footage etc.) To do this you will need a LOT of raw footage to edit from. You can't just go out and film 30 minutes and make a 20 minute video, guaranteed boredom.

#3 Sound. Our phantoms do not capture ambient sound. To make a high quality video the viewer needs to hear believable sound. Not some overpowering acid rock or other music with no real sound. I use a digital recorder at ground level and let a little of the phantom sound in but other wise just what ever is natural for the scene.

#4 I also agree that most of the phantom footage is shot Too High. Think about it. A forest of trees, you can shoot it from 400 feet high or just over the tree tops. It keeps the viewer looking for what's next when you see things passing by (puts them in the drone ). Some of the very most impressive phantom footage that I have gotten (based on viewers comments) was flying 3 feet over the surf at sunset.

#5 use the drone for what it does best - different perspective. Almost every other type of camera is next to someone's head giving an eye level perspective.

#6 similar to # 2 don't make each clip or scene too long. Don't overuse transitions. If you watch the best stuff on the National Geographic Channel, most changes are just simple cuts not some blurry star trek zoom.

Just my opinion

Thank you for this well thought out advice...I believe it is spot on. I found it to be quite helpful....