20 Essential Drone Shots for Cinematic Footage

Drones are both more affordable and more capable than ever, and because of that, with a bit of practice, you can create awesome footage that will wow your clients. This great video will show you 20 essential drone shots to help you create the best footage you can.

Coming to you from Drone Film Guide, this awesome video will show you 20 shots that you should have in your bag of tricks to help create professional footage. Drones are so great because they offer a perspective that up until a few years ago, you needed an expensive helicopter rental or the like to get. Learning to incorporate them into your workflow can give you a way to expand your creative palette and to offer your clients something that a lot of other videographers might not be able to. From a more philosophical perspective, it's important to remember that while the new vantage point is very neat, the novelty wears off quickly, and it's important to ensure that you're still using sound cinematic principles and techniques and not just relying on the aerial perspective to do the work for you. Check out the video above for the full rundown of all the shots. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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8 Comments

Okay, so which is the stately home shown on the video poster frame? It looks like English Baroque, but I can't place. it.

No one?

My thumbnail looks like Glen Coe. The first building (castle) looks more like Spain or Italy. But, there is a house shortly after the beginning of examples (where they show off the colour grading) that does look like what you mention. I'm thinking Scotland.

Sorry, the term is a video poster frame, not thumbnail, as I initially said.

I'm seeing shot 10, the rising shot. I should recognise it, but don't! It's definitely not Glen Coe.

I see what you’re talking about. Don’t know that manor. If you figure it out, please share.
(Is the thumbnail Glen Coe? Or there abouts?)

I see that there are two sets of poster frames. The Fstoppers link article shows the Baroque house I cannot identify. Clicking on the link takes you to a different poster frame: Stob Dearg which, as you say, is in Glen Coe - just east of the Three Sisters on the A82.

Thanks for the pinpoint! Need to find my way up there again soon!

Fantastic resource. Reviewing and internalizing now!