How to Use Drones for Better Storytelling in Video - 42 West (2024)

Instead of using drones to get a beautiful shot, use them for better storytelling. The unique perspective of a drone will enrich your visual story and help you to create impressive videos. Drones appeal to videographers because they provide a perspective not many people get to see. Furthermore, they are versatile, exciting to fly, and encompass plenty of technology (e.g., sensors for avoiding obstacles, multiple cameras, automatic flight modes, route planning with GPS localization, etc.).

Once you’ve mastered drone moves and settings, you are ready to go. Well, that’s not entirely correct. Like in photography, you can take an amazing single shot but fail to create a narrative or convey the meaningful message you intended. Storytelling is key in videography.

Pack a Drone for Memorable Travel Stories

Whether you film a glamourous city break or an outdoor adventure, drones provide endless opportunities to improve storytelling. The most common way of using a drone to improve travel stories is starting and/or closing the video with an establishing shot that zooms either in or out. It’s a way of bringing the viewer to your travel destination. It gives you time to do a voice-over introduction or conclude the video.

Another great idea for using drones in travel stories is to follow a subject around. Let the drone show how far you have already hiked to show the efforts it has taken to get there. Following the subject with a drone is the go-to solution whenever you can’t have a regular camera following the subject. It works perfectly for hikes in wild surroundings and adventure sports but also for capturing a busy market or a popular tourist destination. However, if you film in a crowded urban location, ensure you have a permit and be careful when flying the drone close to people.

Engage the audience with the drone following you from a low angle, just as if they were walking behind you on the same path. Travel videos must lure the viewer in and infuse that wanderlust that makes us get off the couch and visit a new place. Drones are the right tools for this because they provide context (e.g. the geography of a place), dynamism, and detail. Filming the Neuschwanstein Castle from a person’s perspective is nothing compared to the fairytale effect achieved by filming it using a drone.

Capture the Atmosphere at Weddings with Drones

Wedding videos follow a well-established pattern and have a similar line of action: the preparations, the ceremony, the bride and groom’s private photo session, and the party. You most likely use a mirrorless camera and film everything from your eye level. There is little room for creativity. Even the shots are pretty standard, with close-ups of the rings and flowers, a flowing wedding dress or veil, and the pair leaving the party. Although a wedding video needs to follow the event unfolding, it needs to capture the atmosphere and context, too. Here is where the drone comes into play.

Use the drone to take establishing shots that capture details of the location (e.g., the small church on a hill, the outdoor wedding venue, the busy city life that surrounds the city hall, etc.). You can use a revealing shot to make the bride and groom appear from behind a flower bouquet, tree, flag, or other item. Choose an item that’s meaningful for the pair or fits their wedding’s theme.

The Story of the Wedding Enhanced with Drone Shots

You may also consider introducing the viewer to the wedding by flying the drone in from the ground or sea level and rising as you approach the wedding party.

For a romantic wedding, use rotating drone moves with the pair in focus to increase the dramatic effect of the moment and add a very subtle temporal line (i.e., the viewer imagines the pair has been in love for some time and happily ever after awaits around the corner). Think about correlating the drone’s speed and moves with music. Filming in slow motion is a smart way of transforming shots into long-lasting memories. It fits a romantic wedding like a glove.

For a modern wedding, you may prefer faster drone moves and more dynamic shots. Often, the wedding’s rhythm dictates the video’s rhythm. For example, you may want to use time-lapse shots to fast-forward the less interesting moments (e.g., receiving the guests) or show the passing of time (e.g., filming the sunset). Or you may want to hoover the drone above the party to film people dancing or catch a glimpse of what happens around the wedding venue (e.g., an oasis of joy in a city that never sleeps).

Bonus tip: Follow dancers’ movements with the drone but reverse the direction. For example, if dancers form a ring moving from right to left, move the drone in a circle from left to right. If they dance in rows, align the drone with them and move the drone forward while the dancers move toward the drone.

Create Dynamic Cinema Stories with Aerial Shots

If you create short films and cinema stories, you benefit from the dynamism and drama of aerial shots a lot. Imagine following a subject driving a car at rush hour, then passing the drone above the car, rotating the camera, and continuing to film with the camera in front of the car until the car stops, very close to the camera. Then, the subject gets out of the car, and you can introduce them to the audience. All in a swift, smooth movement that makes the viewer’s heart beat faster.

Even for less intense scripts, aerial shots, such as panning and tilting shots, build up tension and engage the viewer. Having the option to move the camera vertically at high speed or show a bird’s eye perspective infuses your visual story with adrenaline.

However, you don’t have to make an action movie to benefit from using a drone. A street interview filmed with a drone camera slightly above or below the people speaking and in front of them provides context and movement. If you increase the height, you make them look smaller and enhance the background story (e.g., filming in a natural park). If you decrease the height, you make them look more imposing and make the video more about them than their surroundings.

Tying the Story Together with Drone Shots

You can also use drone shots to help tie the different parts of the story together. Movies consists of scenes where both the time and the locations change. A simple drone shot flying over a city with a recognizable skyline can tell the audience, that now it is nighttime, and we are in New York, instead of daytime in Las Vegas. In this way, the drone helps transition the story and keeps it moving forward.

Drone Shots for Better Brand Storytelling

Emotion is the reason why drones have such a potential to improve brand storytelling. Aerial shots can provoke deep emotional responses because they capture a wide perspective, an entire world, if you like. Both camera movement and angle invite the viewer into a meaningful context. For example, a commercial for a cleaning product becomes a glimpse into the urban life of a busy young family with a small child. A commercial for a skateboard equipment company becomes the experience of following a kid from school to the skateboard park. Emotion builds up along the way.

Focus on brand values and mission and present an authentic perspective. Use cinematic shots to fill your videos with meaningful symbols that enhance the brand’s visibility and create memorable and engaging anchors. The drone’s speed and flow matter, so make sure you match the video’s rhythm to your audience’s preferences.

Conclusion

Drones offer all the creative freedom a videographer needs to infuse their videos with emotion, meaning, and impressive perspectives. Use drones as one tool to tell a story. However, just like you cannot build an entire house with just a screwdriver, you need to combine drone footage with other types of shots. Make a shot list and a storyboard, and thoroughly plan your videos before filming them. It will make your life easier when editing your videos and help you create a cohesive story with a powerful narrative line.