My first real job, any advice?

[Reflex Films]

Aerials are just part of a story telling tool kit- shoot aerials for half an hour max.

get an intro from an organiser/ spokesperson"welcome to the xxx fun ride here in town x spinsored by x- to raise awareness for x". use a shotgun mic with a windshield, get in close.

get 5 pre and post race interviews- find some larger than life characters and milk them for comments/ humour

get the start and lots of the finish

get some close ups and teleshots with your camcorder

now for the edit- intro montage, intro comments, action montage, finish line

sprrinkle with interview audio but cut away to actionn aerials and camcorder shots

get a good outro simething like "this was rad! see you next year"

be proud of the fact that you didnt just wear out the novelty of aerials because you shot a complete production with layers of audio, story and angles.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Might have to completely rebid the job, instead of including all that at "a very reduced price" which originally only included aerial shots to build your portfolio.

 

[Reflex Films]

or treat this as a learning experience to understand how to put together a complete production - with a view to charging full price for others down the track when you have your skills dialled. Its a lot more work but a challenge can be good.

Just be wary of operators (usually dodgy event organisers, promotions companies , internet marketing consultants / business advisors) trying to get cheap or free jobs for "exposure" - 99% of the time they just take advantage of you.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Just be wary of operators (usually dodgy event organisers, promotions companies , internet marketing consultants / business advisors) trying to get cheap or free jobs for "exposure" - 99% of the time they just take advantage of you.

Very true, especially with so many people willing to shoot for free, who don't need the money, but want the experience.

 

[Mudcat]

I would go to the location, get a calendar of the event, what's going on when and where, and story .board everything. Also take a bunch of videos. Even if you only use 3 seconds out of 3 minutes video is ok. I've had few jobs where I was like man I wish I had taken a little longer video or a different angle. Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

I recently got my 107 and have completed a job or two shooting pictures. I now have a job making a two minute video of property. I was wondering after editing the video, do you export highest resolution in 4k, and then how do you give this to your client( Fast flash drive etc.)

 

[rizbizz]

I recommend to make the interviews with your P4 too. Use it as a camera with gimbal. The only problem you will have that you do not have a sound recording on the P4. Maybe you can use an external recorder for the audio. The gimbal from the P4 is quite good. It stabilizes very good. So use it like a steadycam. Or ask some one who has got an DSLR. With the DSLR you have this nice depth of field look. On sunny days with the trees in the background.... Nice one


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[mnewxcv]

I recommend to make the interviews with your P4 too. Use it as a camera with gimbal. The only problem you will have that you do not have a sound recording on the P4. Maybe you can use an external recorder for the audio. The gimbal from the P4 is quite good. It stabilizes very good. So use it like a steadycam. Or ask some one who has got an DSLR. With the DSLR you have this nice depth of field look. On sunny days with the trees in the background.... Nice one


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

I would suggest a 'real' camera. As in traditional. I doubt many people want to be interviewed with a drone being held in their face. Also being wide angle, it would have to be pretty close to them. Further, I suggest a tripod for interviews, not hand held.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I recently got my 107 and have completed a job or two shooting pictures. I now have a job making a two minute video of property. I was wondering after editing the video, do you export highest resolution in 4k, and then how do you give this to your client( Fast flash drive etc.)

Drop Box is probably the easiest way, and find out what resolution they want, using your edited 4k version to create it.

 

[Jeiel Shamblee]

The most important thing for me when I'm filming anything is to relax. I know if I'm tense, I make more mistakes.
The movie idea is interesting . In your shoes, I'd pitch a short "show reel." Something between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. A whole movie is too much work for one person to do in one day.
Technique wise just build on what you know and are comfortable with . Give a LOT of thought to lighting . Always be thinking about light. Where is the sun at X time of day? Where are the shadows? How can you get the best exposure at X location for X time of day? Sometimes you have no control over it. I can't tell you how many times a model has asked me to do outdoor photography of people at high noon. The people you're shooting often have no clue about lighting.
It sounds like you're very mindful about the job and that is good.

 

[mpshev]

If you download Verify app it's an instant 1,000,000 in coverage for 1 hour. Average cost is 10.00 depending on where you are. It actually shows you the coverage area. This insurance company app is specifically for Drones. I hope that helps. Don't pay annually for insurance, pay for each time you do a job. And yes remote pilot 107 too.

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[Keith Mitchell]

You got some good feedback. Good luck and have fun! My thoughts:
1. Visit and fly the site/route in advance.
2. Plan most of your shots in advance. Figure out places where you can fly and see the route without actually flying over anyone.
3. Bring a visual observer.
4. For interviews, make sure you test your sound plan in advance. Sound can be very tricky if you don't have much experience with it or if you don't have decent equipment. In a pinch, an iPhone can be a great microphone, but just practice with it.

 

[Tink]

A couple have said that plenty would do it for free. My opinion: Plenty SHOULD do it for free. And, IMO, so should you.

If you're charging, there will be additional pressure. If you're doing it for free, you'll relax more, and probably do a better job. If it turns out well, charge the next time, as you'll know your capabilities. If it's less than charge-worthy, seek out more free opportunities to hone your craft (pun intended ).

As for the insurance alarmists, just watch where you're flying. I don't know the costs, but no more than your doing, the risk, I wouldn't think, is worth worrying about. (Flame away; won't bother me.) This is not legal advice. And my commercial flying is only for my company and is construction project surveying and promotion, so bear that in mind as considering my post.

This is a small town. You're likely to be able to get some great shots without flying over anyone, if it's anything like the tracks around here.

More important than booking a profit AT THIS POINT, is getting good at what you're doing and ENJOYING it. Nobody gets a 107 that is not doing it for something they enjoy. After some experience, then you can also make money while doing something you enjoy - always the goal, and accomplished by the fortunate.

My .02. Good luck!

 

[John Tarvin]

Thanks for all the tips. It's true I didn't mention much about myself or situation.

I do have my 107, I do fly my drones quite a bit, I've been a student pilot (big planes), I'll have insurance, and I know what i can and can't do, and I absolutely don't want to crash my drone... so I won't. I have two P4's.

As someone rightly mentioned, I'm new to charging people for gigs, but am comfortable flying my drones (I'm a fast learner ). I also have practiced doing such things as as walking along trails that are somewhat tree'd navigating the drone ahead of me thru the trees. And doing "inspections" of my roofs and other structures, flying tight circles around them, etc.

The reason I do that is for the very purpose of learning the controls so as to be second nature for me. I'm all about being skilled and prepared. And, I also want to look for work doing inspections and similar things.

I was sort've looking for more tips on technique of filming, but I realize that's hard to convey in a forum.

But I will be at the location the day before and will be practicing and scouting everything out. I also have Litchi and and will see if there are areas that will be useful for that, and get that programmed in ahead of time.

As I mentioned already, I'm all about learning to fly the drone, and I love doing so. Not all of my flying has been at 150' looking at scenery. Although that is cool too.

Thanks
Andy

If you're doing interviews, good audio is really important. A good field recorder with a couple of wired condenser mics (I use Zoom H4N) will let you get decent audio. Just be sure to "clap" before your take so you can sync the good audio to what you camera records. Have fun!

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

Perhaps this would be a good project for an autonomous flight app, i.e., Litchi or Autopilot. Run the course with a fixed speed and an option to add forward power as needed to keep up with the participants. This option could help you avoid those obstacles that surround the course. Run it multiple times before the event.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

That is the best response yet! Perfect advice. A mission way point path pre determined will allow for smooth panning shots. And if you set speed to zero or even any speed, pulling the stick back will pull the drone back to beginning to get the next batch of shots.

 

[Gary Pearman]

Thanks for posting, Andy. I'm in a similar spot, still perfecting my art, and learning everything I can before forging ahead. It's a good gig. Good luck.

 

[len750]

In a couple of weeks I'll be doing a video shoot of a mountain biking event.
It's a small town, small event. But I know someone who rides there and he got me an intro, and they were excited to have me take a stab at doing some video, especially since I offered a very reduced price, since I'm just building a portfolio at this point.

I initially mentioned "aerial" video, just getting some cools shots of the riders, but the guy responds back about, we'd love to have a "movie" of our event. Are you doing interviews with riders, ground video along with the aerial video?

Well... I honestly hadn't given a thought to interviews. I did think that I might do some ground video, but certainly not interviews.

But, I'm thinking I could give it a try. I have a decent camcorder, a hand-held stabilizer (I did plan on eventually doing more ground work).

Any advice in general? And on doing the aerial mountain biking?

I plan on spending the day before scouting the route.

Andy

Just film all the Hot girls! Instant success.

 

[Digital.Gods]

...and your homeowner's policy doesn't count! You'll need a separate business policy for flying a drone over people, which also requires every one of the riders' and spectators' written permission to fly over them, under 107.

The part 107 rules are very explicit, you should not fly over people unless they are part of your team. Their written permission does not allow you to fly over them. If you want to fly over people you need to apply for a FAA 107 waiver which can take 90 days or more to get approved... most waivers have been denied. This is under regulation 107.39 The rule reads: "Operation over human beings. No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft over a human being unless that human being is: (a) Directly participating in the operation of the small unmanned aircraft; or (b) Located under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can provide reasonable protection from a falling small unmanned aircraft."
Also, if your are receiving compensation for your drone work, you need to have a Remote Pilot Certificate. And having insurance is a great idea, and required for many jobs anyway. There are many companies that offer insurance for drone use and the price depends Largely on your logged hours... it can easily be $1,000 or more per year for a 1 million dollar policy. There is a new company called VeriFly and they will sell you insurance for $10 an hour, however they are not covering all areas in the US yet. You can get insurance from them with their phone app. If you take a look at the FAA waiver page, you can see the many situations that require a waiver, and it needs to be filled out completely, and according to the FAA the reason for most denials is sloppy paperwork, or because a person/business applies too many times. Request a Waiver/Airspace Authorization – Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)

 

[trevsdad]

watching...

 

[GadgetGuy]

Just film all the Hot girls! Instant success.

Click bait works!

 

[GadgetGuy]

The part 107 rules are very explicit, you should not fly over people unless they are part of your team. Their written permission does not allow you to fly over them. If you want to fly over people you need to apply for a FAA 107 waiver which can take 90 days or more to get approved... most waivers have been denied. This is under regulation 107.39 The rule reads: "Operation over human beings. No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft over a human being unless that human being is: (a) Directly participating in the operation of the small unmanned aircraft; or (b) Located under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can provide reasonable protection from a falling small unmanned aircraft."
Also, if your are receiving compensation for your drone work, you need to have a Remote Pilot Certificate. And having insurance is a great idea, and required for many jobs anyway. There are many companies that offer insurance for drone use and the price depends Largely on your logged hours... it can easily be $1,000 or more per year for a 1 million dollar policy. There is a new company called VeriFly and they will sell you insurance for $10 an hour, however they are not covering all areas in the US yet. You can get insurance from them with their phone app. If you take a look at the FAA waiver page, you can see the many situations that require a waiver, and it needs to be filled out completely, and according to the FAA the reason for most denials is sloppy paperwork, or because a person/business applies too many times. Request a Waiver/Airspace Authorization – Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)

All good advice. However, I was using the term flying over people loosely. In actuality, filming the race would not require flying directly over any of the riders or audience members in an FAA sense. However, even if it did, theoretically you could easily make them all part of your drone team, and have them act as additional spotters or participants in your operation in some other qualifying way, while signing a waiver, assuming all risks associated with filming them during the event.