Cinematic travelogues and short films owe much of their visual dynamism to breathtaking drone shots and immersive point-of-view angles. In our previous article on drones, we covered what drone maneuvers enhance video engagement. This article focuses on the important aspect of storytelling through drone shots, whether fast-paced with transitions and music or slow with an unfolding narrative: why use those drone shots, and how to maximize their storytelling effectiveness with aerial techniques.
My approach to drone shots is that if a shot does not serve the story, it’s just noise. To move from drone pilot to filmmaker, you have to understand the emotional weight of every axis of movement.
The best drone pilots are those who think like directors first. Before taking off, ask yourself: What does the character feel? Does the audience need to feel small or powerful? Is this a moment of rest or a moment of movement? When the shot matches the scene’s emotion, the drone ceases to be a gadget and becomes a storyteller.
Let’s discuss five drone shots and why they can help us create an engaging film. The video clips used as examples in this article are excerpts from longer films.
The Orbit: The Subject in its World
The WHAT: The Orbit is a 360-degree rotation in which the drone circles a central subject while the camera remains locked on it. It uses coordinated yaw and roll movements to maintain a perfect radius.
The WHY:
- Philosophy: The Orbit represents the Gravity of the Subject. It is the visual embodiment of power, of looking at something from every possible angle to truly understand its essence.
- Practicality: This move is an emotional resonance builder of a story. It utilizes parallax, where the background moves at a different speed than the subject, creating a powerful 3D effect. It is best used when a character reaches a milestone or destination, allowing the audience to soak in the subject and its surroundings simultaneously.
Example: Here is a cyclist who rode the entire length of the African continent, ending his journey at the southernmost tip. The concluding heroic scene of him is an Orbit, which mirrors his thoughts on the South African struggle for freedom.
- Justification for the shot in the example: A drone was essential to film the rock formation from every angle, demonstrating its power as a fist for freedom.
Use The Orbit Shot to engage the viewer with the subject and its surroundings through a narrative that prompts them to think or feel a specific emotion. Slow movement is generally better.
The Dronie: From Intimacy to Immensity
The WHAT: The Dronie starts with the drone physically close to the subject, often a person or a small detail, then flies backward and upward simultaneously to reveal the vast landscape behind it.
The WHY:
- Philosophy: This is a lesson in perspective and humility. It is the visual equivalent of a realization that we are but a small part of a much larger, more complex tapestry.
- Practicality:
- As an Exit Shot: It provides a sense of closure, giving the viewer room to breathe as the story moves away from the character.
- As an Establishing Shot: It serves as a surprise reveal. By starting close on a detail, like a person sitting on a ledge, you hide the location’s scale. As you pull back, the sudden reveal of a massive canyon or a sprawling city provides a wow moment that immediately establishes the epic nature of the setting.
Example: Here are scenes from films about three photographers. Their locations are unknown until a certain point in the film.
- Justification for the shot in the example: To break the momentum of the sequence of shots from the ground only, a reveal using a dronie was vital to show the photographers truly in their element.
Use The Dronie aerial technique deliberately to reveal a subject or location, thereby engaging and inspiring the audience.
3. The Cable Cam: The Momentum of the Journey
The WHAT: Also known as a lateral track, this shot involves moving the drone in a straight line, sideways or forward, at a constant altitude, usually parallel to a subject in motion.
The WHY:
- Philosophy: The tracking shot represents the linear nature of time and the persistence of effort. When the camera moves alongside a subject, it signals an alliance: the narrator is walking with the character, sharing their pace and their burden.
- Practicality: This is your momentum shot. It is essential for keeping the narrative moving. By flying parallel to a subject and utilizing foreground elements, like trees or buildings, to wipe past the lens, you create a sense of speed and rhythm that a static wide shot cannot convey.
Example: In a documentary about a hospital in impoverished Madagascar, I used a cable-cam drone shot to capture the scale of a long, dirt highway.
- Justification for the shot in the example: This perspective was essential to the story, showing young boys (16-18) pushing overloaded cycles 40-50 minutes in extreme heat for minimal pay, providing context for the voiceover. The drone’s aerial perspective shifted from previous ground shots, uniquely capturing the sheer scale of the dirt highway.
Use The Cable Cam aerial technique to keep the film’s momentum going. Following young cycle rickshaw drivers who ride for 45 minutes for just a few cents made me emotional. While I was wearing full protective gear, my eyes teared up as I watched them through the drone working in the extreme heat.
The Rocket: The Burst of Energy
The WHAT: The Rocket is a high-speed vertical ascent. The drone flies straight up while the camera is tilted 90 degrees downward, looking directly at the earth’s surface.
The WHY:
- Philosophy: The Rocket is about rising above the noise. From the ground, life can feel chaotic and cluttered. As we rise, that chaos transforms into geometry, symmetry, and order.
- Practicality: This serves as a visual punctuation mark. Because it moves against gravity, it feels intentional and high-energy. It is a brilliant way to reset the viewer’s gaze between chapters or to reveal the abstract beauty of a texture invisible to the human eye.
Example: This is a story about an artist with a creative block. The part you are watching shows her finding inspiration in nature and painting a scene.
- Justification for the shot in the example: The rocket shot created an animated burst to heighten excitement and show progress. It also broke the momentum of the slower ground footage, engaging the viewer with the dramatic location of the artist at the edge of a mountain.
The rocket aerial technique doesn’t have to be a long shot. Even a few seconds will add a burst of energy to your story. This shot might not be the main shot, but if it adds to the narrative, it is worth it.
The Tilt Up: The Horizon Reveal
The WHAT: This shot begins with the camera gimbal pointing straight down at the ground. As the drone moves forward, the camera slowly tilts upward until the horizon is revealed in the center of the frame.
The WHY:
- Philosophy: This is the movement of discovery and hope. The slow lift of the gimbal is a visual simile of lifting the head. It represents the transition from the internal, the ground at our feet, to the aspirational, the horizon ahead of us.
- Practicality: This is your classic reveal. It is most effective when the ground has a distinct texture that contrasts with the beauty of the horizon. It builds psychological anticipation; the viewer knows the horizon is coming, but they have to wait for it. When the sky finally breaks into the frame, it creates a feeling of arrival and wonder.
Example: I shared with my YouTube audience the challenging journey to photograph a lake.
- Justification for the shot in the example: I drove nonstop for 18 hours to reach the location. The video had built significant anticipation around this lake, demanding a spectacular reveal to show my viewers that this one photograph was indeed worth all the discomfort and effort.
Aerial techniques like The Tilt Up are best executed slowly to build anticipation and create a moment of awe. The Tilt Up must be a grand moment, better supported by good sound design.
Conclusion: Intentionality Over Input
Beyond mere spectacle, the artistic value and profound creativity expressed through these aerial perspectives are undeniable. Drones have swiftly evolved from novel gadgets into indispensable tools for filmmakers, fundamentally transforming visual narratives and serving as powerful, intentional storytelling devices. You need to think about your audience and the emotion you want to evoke as you deliberately build your story.
