Multicopter Shooting Techniques

[Scott Wilkinson]

Multicopters have been around long enough now for some clear do's and don'ts to emerge. Of course those are somewhat subjective...but from the dozens of videos I've watched, I've learned the following:

GOOD
• normal speed video can be good
• slow-mo video is often great
• pans only work if they are slow and smooth as silk
• pedestal/vertical shots can be really beautiful and dramatic (if at normal or slo-mo speed---not too fast!)
• shots looking straight down can be nice, but only in limited amounts
• straight flying footage close to the ground can be really effective (without turns or pans)
• flying through/under things can look great (if you dare!)
• motion is key---footage taken just hovering is somewhat pointless (why not shoot a still?)

BAD
• accelerated video generally doesn't work
• the best shots do NOT include turns or changes in camera angles---but flying straight at a fixed angle (one herky-jerky pan will ruin a shot)
• props should NEVER be seen in a shot; they tend to ruin footage unless you really want to shout to the world "I shot this with a multicopter!"
• including sitting on the ground in a shot (launch/landing) is about as bad as seeing props (unless you're trying to show it was shot from a multicopter)

This is just a start---I'm sure others might think of more. When I watch the best multicopter vids online, they pretty much all follow the "GOOD" list above! :-)

Scott