Ahoj! It's very easy to fly DJI mini 2 drone. It's a lot harder to frame the shot and perfectly
position the drone and the camera to get the most cinematic view. Well, in this video I've
got practical tips on how to do just that and I'm gonna play a cinematic video at the end as well.
Plus, I'm gonna be sharing apps and resources I use to get much better experience in the sky.
And for the new faces, welcome. My name is Zdenka Darula. This channel is all about photography and
video, creative camera challenges, tech reviews and hidden giveaways. If that's something you
are interested in, consider subscribing. Drone shots are extremely eye-catching in pretty much
any situation. Well, we simply don't get to see the views like this every single day. Instead of
sending the drone up and just record whatever, let's be a little bit more specific. Let's find
the right views. Before you head out, you might want to do a few basic things. Make sure your
batteries are charged and check for any firmware update. Very useful app I use is Storm Radar which
tells me the weather, sun position but also wind direction and strength. And I can tell you it's
quite difficult to fly against the sun. You're not going to see your drone. Alright. I moved myself
to a different location now because the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see it very much. So
I moved more so I have a very clear visual because I would like to see the drone. I get very nervous
when it's right where the sun is and I can't see it so that's why it's always better to position
yourself so you have a clear visual. You see exactly what a drone is and you get a better shot
too. Since I live in Ontario Canada, I also check a drone selection tool. It's a map which shows me
where I am allowed to fly. If you are new to this, you might miss that you need to click on operation
details where you can change the setting from basic class to micro under 250 gram class. Also,
provincial parks are no-fly zones and cities and towns may have their own bylaws. I prefer filming
in manual mode and these are little ND filters. I'm going to link the whole set below in a video
description for those interested. Most of the time I use the ND32 or 64 as it is always quite bright.
Let me briefly show you camera settings. I'm filming in 4k and 24 frames per second shutter
speed has to double so it is 1/50th and because I'm filming during the day and it's very bright,
ISO is 100 and usually I check white balance to make sure that it is correct. I don't leave it on
auto because then if I'm gonna go from dark to bright. it might be changing the colors. It is
always good idea to select the white balance manually. I have seen a lot of drone footage
and photography online in beginners groups and most of them have few things in common.
Let's talk about the right distance. Drone doesn't have a zoom lens so you need to look at the area
and think if you are too far or you need to get closer to fill up the frame, to make it pop.
When you're too far away and the landscape is not very dynamic, it's, it's perhaps just a
one straight line like a beach, it's not going to stand out in the shot. You will need to get
closer. I like to stay quite close to a straight beach but if I see a very curvy landscape
or sort of an island going out, I will make sure that it's nicely seen in the shot.
Let's talk about the height. Sending the drone up in the sky doesn't mean that you always have
to keep it very high at the same level. Some shots look really great if you're just kind of crawling
in a lower height. Just be cautious over the water. I was told to not to go under two meters
above the water as the drone might think that it should be landing. Truthfully, I've been lower
many times and I haven't had any experience like that. I keep my eyes on the drone at all times
and I'm ready to quickly make moves if I need to. To be safe though, keep in mind that it's not
recommended to go below 2 meters above the water. If you are close to the shore and you go nicely
low, you get a very nice view. If you are too high, you will see mostly what is behind the shore
but the shore is not going to look so pretty. It's not going to pop. If I see a dynamic
landscape which is curving and I'm a bit further, then I go up to reveal most of the landscape.
Of course you have to make sure you check the maximum height you're allowed to go to
in your country and follow the rules. Let's talk about the horizon level. The drone camera has a
tilt for a reason. Not all the shots need to have the horizon perfectly in the middle of the frame.
There are shots where you want to have it in the upper third of the screen or there are shots where
you want the main line to be sort of in the lower position, at the bottom. Let's talk about framing
and composition. Think of the screen as a one big giant stage and when the stage is empty,
it's gonna be very boring. It's empty. On the other hand, if you fill up the stage. you will get
a very vivid view. Keep that in mind. When it comes to photography and video, I certainly do.
Sure there are times when you would like to keep the stage rather empty but there are many times
when a great framing and composition can help. If I see beach which is curving out a bit, I don't
want to leave the curve in the middle. Then I will end up with too much water on the side.
If I leave a lot less water and fill up the frame with more of the land, I get a much nicer view.
Let's talk about the speed. Do you play video games? I don't so I really need to concentrate
to keep in mind that I should be easy with those joysticks. When it comes to speed,
if you have a drone far away in distance and you want to get close, you might want to put
in full throttle to see the movement in the shot. If you are closer to the shore or object, you are
fairly close and not as high, you might just very lightly push the joystick. You don't want to go
way too fast. Think about the visual and think what speed is right for that particular shot.
Once you get more comfortable with your drone and with the flying experience and with simple shots,
then you might want to start getting a little bit more creative. How about the shot from above? How
about flying through or some circling shots? Think of the shapes, the more interesting shapes you see
on the screen. Once you fill it up, the more interesting video, you're gonna come up with.
I went ahead and edited some of my favorite clips, color graded and edited music. Enjoy.
Lastly, I've got some tips for Canadian pilots. Here in Canada, we don't need a license to fly
this micro drone which is 249 grams. Well, I still went ahead and I did get my basic license and I
can tell you that it was the best thing I've done. It was extremely interesting to learn all those
things. I think everybody should really learn those things and it definitely makes me a lot more
comfortable when I'm flying. The app I was using to study is called drone RPAS exam Canada. I'm not
associated with them whatsoever. You learn from multiple choice questions. I kept doing it for
about a week or two and then I went straight ahead to exam and I passed with no problem. I highly
recommend this app. Another app I recommend for someone who has a license and wants to fly a drone
250 grams an up is drone pilot. It's an interactive map. You can log in all your
flights there, keep records of everything. It's a great app. Just for those who are interested.
Hit the thumbs up if you liked today's video and don't forget to subscribe for more. If you have
any questions, comments, simply want to say Hi or Ahoj which is Hi in Czech language, you can
leave it below in a comment section and I'll see you in the next video...... Cau..... Ahoj.....