The Helicopter Shot = the ‘Money’ shot

Let’s be honest, drone shots have the Wow! factor, and they’re very satisfying. 

Action-packed, immersive, viewing the world from perspectives not normally accessible to the human experience, they marinate any video marketing campaign with an instant sense of scale and charisma.  This elevates your messaging. With increasing accessibility to drone equipment, it is hard to imagine any campaign not involving this kind of magic.

However, as with all other professions film has its own grammar, and acquiring drone shots may be one thing, but knowing beforehand what to acquire and then later how to utilise it in the editing phase is something else.  We learn our trade, so to speak, and this means imagining first which shot we want, plus how this will later sequence – the story within the overall project, and in sync with all marketing objectives.

Let’s for now highlight the six shots we may want to consider:

1.    The Reveal shot – where we place an obstruction, say a tree, before our true subject, and move up or across to reveal him or her. Suspense and discovery are its effect.

2.    Tracking shot – we follow a car or skateboarder, or perhaps a running dog booming up the street, and keeping a smooth lock on our subject. This kinetic energy captured on film has a sizzling quality.

3.    Orbit shot – rotating around a subject while keeping it centred. There is a mythical quality to this shot, particularly if the subject is high up and the rotating backdrop is a vast landscape.

4.    Top-Down shot – it’s the bird’s eye view. This one hits us differently because we rarely see the world like this. Beautiful patterns and symmetry emerge, and while the world unveiled is real, there is also an abstract quality to it.

5.    The Pull-Away shot – this one often ends the movie, as the ‘Hero’ has conquered his challenges and himself and this shot’s effect is to place him harmoniously within his new environment.  The shot would start in close, then we pull out and show him, say, at the mountain’s edge watching a glorious sunset while before him a vast landscape whispers new potentials.  It is unforgettable.

6.    The Low-Down shot – keeping our perspective, say, barely above the river’s waterline as we skim along with its flow.  This is a dynamic entry to a scene, and totally immersive, leading us to the beginnings of a new adventure.

All of these shots, which between them can be mixed and intercut, not only have their aesthetic, they each have their own place in the continuum of visual storytelling.  Use these tastefully and wisely, and above all, have fun.

Contact us now, and let’s discuss the magic of drone shots, and how these enhance the status of your business.