How to Use Drones in Wedding Videos

Do you want to stay ahead of the competition? If so, you should buy a drone for your wedding videography studio. Knowing how to use drones in wedding videography depends on a couple of essentials.

First, which drone should you buy and which settings should you use? 

Here is a post about that – The Best Drone for Shooting Wedding Videos. 

Buying the drone is one thing. Knowing how to use drones in wedding videography properly is completely different

Drone wedding video videography comes with its specifics that stem from the nature of the equipment and the way in which has to be operated.

Here are some important tips that will help you become a great drone wedding videographer. Adding this service to your portfolio and doing drone wedding videography is essential for building a strong brand that clients will come looking for time and time again.

How to Use Drones in Wedding Videography

#1 – Check the Rules and Ask for All the Needed Permissions

Doing research about the area of the wedding is a MUST. You will be banned from using the drone at some locations. If the wedding is close to, for example, a national park, an airport or some other restricted area, you won’t be able to use your drone camera for wedding video shooting.

Before accepting a certain wedding, make sure you double check the location and the rules for flying a drone above the area. This way, you know if you can work freely or need to apply for certain permits. If you do need permissions, you should apply for them as soon as possible because these processes sometimes take time.

Operating a drone professionally also necessitates applying for a license. These licensed and certificates vary from one country to another, so pay attention to local regulations.

In the UK, for example, you need to get a drone license with the CAA. It’s a special permit known as a Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO) and for the purpose, you will have to pass a course that’s provided by a certified and CAA approved facility. While getting this type of license can be quite costly, it’s essential for growing your business. In addition, the license builds trust and gives your clients peace of mind as far as the operation of a drone at their wedding goes.

#2 – Find Great Locations and Suggest Them

Drone camera wedding video gives perspective. It shows the entire area and it shoots from an atypical angle, which contributes to the visual appeal of the footage. Thus, you have to think about the location to give your clients the most stunning views that take the breath away.

The best locations for aerial wedding videography are open areas. Islands, churchyards, vineyards, rivers, hill or mountain tops, old bridges, and parks are ideal in terms of beautiful composition and visual appeal. 

Very often, these locations are drone-friendly. In addition, you will have a breathtaking background and give a cinematic feel to your video. Also, when the couple is alone in nature, they tend to get more relaxed. This gives you a chance to capture beautiful, honest, spontaneous, romantic moments.

So, before going to the wedding location, use Google Maps to check the surrounding area and see if there are spots that are suitable for aerial videography sessions. 

Talk to the bride and groom about taking some time away from the ceremony to visit the particular location and to do a quick drone session. Most couples will be happy with this suggestion. Drone videography is a lot of fun for everyone involved. In addition, you will capture the special day in the best possible way. Who isn’t going to be happy with such a possibility?

#3 – How to Use Drones in Wedding Videography: Follow the Preflight Checklist

Setting up for aerial videography takes time. However, as wedding days in most cases have a strict schedule, you will have to be as efficient as you can. This is where the previous advice comes in handy because it allows you to focus on your work without wasting time on looking for great locations. Next, you can focus on the essential pre-flight checklist that helps you run the entire shoot smoothly.

Speaking of the pre-flight checklist, you are aware that you cannot just turn the drone on and take off in seconds, right? Theoretically speaking, you could do that, but disaster can ensure soon after (you could even lose the drone or have it crash somewhere inaccessible). Make sure you follow the needed procedure to have smooth operations, calibrate the gadget and capture some great footage instead of smudgy shots.

Having your wedding video editing outsourced to a team of professionals editors might be a smart choice. This way, you have the option of instantly uploading the footage on a cloud, and have the video ready, before the wedding actually ends. This is a professional service that will make your business highly recognizable on the market and a quite important marketing tip you should seriously consider. If you want to get more familiar with successful wedding video business marketing techniques, read this article.

#4 – Experiment With Angles and Background

The next how to use drones in wedding Videography tip will highlight the importance of the shooting angle. To get the best angles, you will have to experiment with different altitudes. Use the surroundings as a frame in which you change angles so that subjects are positioned creatively.

For a cool segment, ask the couple to lay down on the ground. Once you have the drone over them, camera facing down, and the couple is in the center of the frame, start ascending while rotating the drone around its yaw axis (also, get familiar with the drone terminology).

Another great fact about aerial videography is that you can always go higher if you need more room in your frame. This technique allows you to keep the drone above the wedding ceremony and have everyone in the shot.

The guests can also participate. Make them form a heart shape around the lucky couple. Having people arranging themselves this way will look amazing in the video. The drone also gives you a chance to capture some beautiful photos when you’re done with the video. A wedding album will never look more fun or creative.

#5 – Go High and Don’t Interfere With the Ceremony

As an aerial wedding videographer, you need to keep in mind this last tip for how to use drones in wedding videography. The drone is there to discretely shoot the ceremony, not be the center of it. Making a gadget that wizzes around inconspicuous is easier said than done. To keep your drone “in the shadows” avoid close-up shots (this can be done in an equally great way with a regular handheld or tripod-mounted camera), and fly at higher altitudes.

Drones are not meant for details in the video. They are there to capture the essence and the scale of the ceremony and the location. So, leave the details and close-up to the ground camera, and focus on the bigger picture. Also, make sure your shots are crystal clear. For this, fly your drone as slowly as possible and avoid sharp turns and sudden moves. And, to have your props out of the frame (which is much harder than it actually sounds and you will soon find out that on your own), shoot the video flying backward. Trust us, you will be very grateful for this last tip.