Aerial footage is epic. Always has been.

It’s crazy to think that 10 years ago if you wanted any aerial footage for a music video you’d have to rent a helicopter. And it would cost a fortune.

One of my favorite helicopter scenes in a music video was the slash solo in Guns and Roses November rain.

It was Legendary.

But looking back on that helicopter footage now, we can agree that most of it looks like crap. The camera is shaky , parts are out of focus, mediocre compositions. 

Today we’re spoiled.

Today’s drones capture ultra high resolution images, with smooth gimbal movement, and are changing the way films are being made. Drones are beginning to replace older methods of rigging cameras and getting shots. With a drone you can get so many shots with ease. A top down shot, car tracking shot, FPV flyby shot, Even some crazy ones take shots that fly into buildings and give us a perspective like now other.

So If you are making a music video and you want to add some creative juice to your project, while saving a ton of time, consider filming some of your shots with a drone.

At Dreamvision we have been flying drones for years now and using the aerial perspective to enhance all our videos. But one place they really shine is in music videos.

UNDERSTANDING MUSIC VIDEO EDITING

Before we go into the benefits of why drones are amazing for music videos and list out the great shots you can use, we need to address the nature of music video editing.

When you’re editing a music video, a critical element is a wide variety of shots. Many times the pacing of each cut will go to the tempo of the song and you need to constantly cut to new clips to keep everything interesting.  For music videos you need alot of variety , sometimes shooting from another camera angle does not change the shot much. What’s great about drone footage, it adds another perspective to your footage. It can help break up the monotony of a performance scene and keep your viewers engaged.

WHY DRONE FILMING IS PERFECT FOR MUSIC VIDEOS.

Music videos by nature are experimental. The shoots are fast paced and rarely will you have tons of time to rig up the perfect shot with your ‘A cam’. If you have a unique idea for a shot, many times it can be pulled off with a drone. There is no setup time, you can get the shot and move on to the next scene. Typically, music videos are recorded at 3 locations or more. Capturing unique camera angles and perspective at each location with the drone will add a ton of diversity to your finished video. These shots are great to have to layer into your edit.

EPIC DRONE SHOTS FOR MUSIC VIDEOS.

Here is our list of the Top 8 epic shots that are easy to pull off with a drone. One amazing shot could make it worth bringing to your next music video.

AERIAL SHOTS USING A DRONE

• THE ESTABLISHING SHOT: The Establishing shot is usually the first frame in a music video, this is known as ‘the setup’ for any storyline. Usually this shot is a wide landscape style shot or some cinematic view of the world we are entering. For this shot we always recommend the camera movement is pushing in. This lets us know we are entering.

• THE TOP DOWN: Top down shots are a cool and unique perspective. They have been used in every type of movie and offer an interesting perspective that’s great for music videos. Using a drone for this shot is much faster than rigging your main camera above your talent. You can choose to shoot it static, or add camera movement by flying the drone in a direction. 

• THE  TRACKING SHOT: Tracking shots are great for music videos. Tracking cars, people, yachts are all great shots to add to your music video edit. Its will add movement and excitement to your video edit. The movement can help break up the monotony of performance shots.

• THE ORBIT / PARALLAX: Doing an orbit shot is great for music videos. This can work for narrative elements or even performance elements of your video. If you have a great location that gives you room to fly around in 360 the orbit can be a great option.

• THE CRANE: Camera Cranes and Jibs will create movement on the vertical axis ( up and down) . These are a staple on movie sets. However these tools are expensive and time consuming to set up. When running and gunning on a music video set using a drone to capture this movement is much easier.

• THE FPV: Recently FPV style drones have become very popular. These types of shots are unique in that you can capture super unique movements like flying out of a window and revealing the city. Or following your talent through the inside of a house. FPV can also be used to create stunning flyby shots that are faster and more dynamic than a traditional drone.

• THE REVEAL SHOT: A reveal shot is when you ‘reveal’ your subject with movement of the camera. A drone can execute this type of shot very easily. Simple A – B points of flying that reveal your subject will do the job.

• THE TRIPOD SHOT: Sometimes you don’t need movement but just want to have your shot remain static but in a unique perspective. Most drones have a ‘tripod mode’ where they hover in one place. This is great for anyone looking to have a tripod in the sky, holding your shot in place from a unique perspective.

• THE OUTRO SHOT: The outro shot is a great way to end you video. This shot is the opposite of the establishing shot, and the idea is to show the end of the video usually showing the conclusion of the film. For this shot we recommend pulling out of the frame to signify we are fading away from the scene and giving us a conclusion.

GROUND SHOTS USING A DRONE

• HANDHELD DRONE SHOT: A different & creative way to film with a drone is to use it for unique smooth handheld shots on the ground. The cool thing about this is one person can operate the gimbal via the wireless controller while another person walks or runs with the drone in hand. If you are shooting a music video and are in a pinch for time it’s a quick way to grab some fast shots.
• MOUNTED SHOTS: Drones can be mounted to a car , bike or anywhere you want to grab a unique perspective for your shots. Its fin to get creative with your shot 

BEST DRONE TO USE FOR MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION.

What’s the best drone to use for a music video? 

Although many drones can do the job, If you’re looking for professional level shots you’ll need a drone with the ability to change lenses. This will give you a wide range of focal lengths to choose from. At Dreamvision media we only use professional level equipment . Our favorite bang for buck drone is the DJI Inspire 2. It can record in amazing codecs and has many lens options.

If you need help with drone production on your next music video, contact us today