Why hands-on drone flight training is important for drone pilots

As a new year begins, many of us are making New Year resolutions. V1DroneMedia's resolution is to bring the most up-to-date and simple-to-understand drone knowledge to you: information about drone regulations, drone industry, equipment capabilities, flight skills, and other drone information to those interested in learning more about drone technology and getting started in flying drones safely and legally.

A lot of drone pilot schools are focused on education and compliance with the FAA drone laws and regulations and getting the Part 107 Remote Pilot License. And this IS where you should start your drone journey if you are thinking about getting a drone or just purchased one because you want to be aware of where and how to operate your drone safely and legally, avoid any negative law enforcement or 'well-wisher' attention, and can intelligently answer any questions about how and where you can legally fly.  We have covered all these subjects in our blog post A Beginner's Guide To Drones and have regularly scheduled Drone Training Courses that you can attend to learn this information and get ready for the FAA Part 107 Drone Certification Test.

V1DroneMedia’s Chief Pilot teaching Traffic Patterns during an FAA Part 107 Drone License Prep Course

However, learning safe drone operations or procuring your Part 107 Drone Pilot Certificate is only a starting point (one should walk before they run). The essential part of your drone training should be getting hands-on time flying the drone. That means being comfortable with operating the drone apps (such as DJI, Litchi, etc.), performing takeoffs and landings, learning to maintain and calibrate the drone, performing routine flight maneuvers, operate the camera to take pictures and video. These skills cannot be taught in a classroom, and you need them to fly the drone proficiently if you are serious about becoming a drone pilot. You must get out there and learn to fly your drone, just like manned aviation pilots spend hours flying in a simulator or with an instructor before flying on their own (I spent hours and days in simulator sessions during my training as a commercial pilot, and had to do recurrent training every year in a simulator as well).

While flying a drone doesn't come with the liability of flying an aircraft worth millions of dollars with people on board, it is still very important to understand the systems that make a drone work and be proficient with your equipment to ensure safe operation.

A drone is usually needed to shoot an aerial photo or video of a certain subject matter or an object on the ground or even high up in the air, and you need to have skills to fly the drone to focus on a subject, position the camera of the drone to shoot video or photo from different angles while flying around the subject, maybe even track the subject and shoot continuous video or photographs.

V1DroneMedia’s Chief Pilot with students during a drone flight session

Many of these flight maneuvers are built into intelligent flight modes in the apps nowadays, but you would still need to know how the different intelligent flight modes work and become proficient at setting them up and incorporating them into your workflow (if needed). Learning to fly in a manual mode is also very important and can be beneficial in many situations – especially if you would have to manually take control of the aircraft for any reason.

To help fill the gap in hands-on drone flight experience for aspiring drone pilots V1DroneMedia is now offering Drone Operations classes with both classroom and outdoor time for learning the drone apps, flying procedures and hands-on time, and Hands-on Flying Sessions for individuals and groups tailored to individuals' skill levels and goals. If one of your resolutions this year is to explore a drone as a hobby, learn to fly a drone proficiently, or learn advanced drone flying skills to further your drone industry career goals, Contact Us to schedule your session today! And get on an e-mail list to stay informed about our group class schedules.

Video Production Explained

When most people hear 'video production' they think of the Production stage of the video production process (with directors, cinematographers, and actors on a set/location shooting video footage). While production is considered the 'sexiest' and the most visible step in the process, it does not exist in a vacuum. There are 3 steps in the video production process: Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production. You should know what they are if you are looking to hire a video production company.

Pre-Production Stage and Checklist

Pre-Production is the first and the single most important step in the video production process. This is when the production is planned, dictating the success and cost of the entire video project. So plan, plan, plan!

All the video production details are agreed upon between the video makers and the client to clarify expectations. Here is a sample list of topics that can be included and will vary based on the complexity of the project:

• Video goals

  • message to be conveyed to the audience, tone, and the emotion of the delivery

• Budget

  • Do not underestimate (pun intended) the importance of knowing the budget upfront. After all, this will determine what can be accomplished during the filming and the quality of the production itself (time available, location, set design, props, equipment, crew, talent, etc.)

    • A contract outlining the budget should be drawn up, no matter how small the production or budget is

• Story/Script Creation

  • Even if it is a promotional video for a business, it is easier to sell services/products with a well-crafted story that has some logic to it

  • At a minimum, a shot list should be agreed on. Inexperienced filmmakers and clients who do not know what they want often omit this step, but it is important to complete it

  • Storyboards are often created during this stage. Storyboards are a visual representation of the shots (drawings, animation, etc.) along with the script/story flow. The storyboards need to be suitable for the videographer/filmmakers and for the filming crew to understand. Here is an example of a simple storyboard

• Project timeline

  • Establish a clear timeline for video production project steps and deliverables

• Shooting schedule

  • You always have a limited time to get the shots you need, so planning out the video shoot schedule to get them ensures you will not run over time and budget

  • If outdoor cinematography is involved (and/or drone shooting), you also have to work around weather conditions for scheduling the shoot

• Talent

  • Hire actors or coordinate customer spokesperson availability according to shoot timeline and schedule, as dictated by the story/script

• Production crew and equipment needs

  • Hire crew and rent equipment based on the project needs

• Set/Location

  • This goes along with the 'shot' list creation: each shot has a pre-determined location (outdoor or indoor) or a designed set. Sometimes locations need to be scouted and a set designed, and these costs need to be included in the budget.

Production Stage

This is when the filming happens. Pre-production plans are executed by the production crew and talent, according to the shooting schedule.

Unexpected issues do come up on the filming day(s), and it is important to have an established line of communication with the client when something needs to be resolved to move the production forward.

Larger productions can include producer(s) on set, whose job is to coordinate all the logistics and clear up issues.

Post-Production Stage (Editing)

During the post-production stage, all the footage/scenes are stitched together into a pre-determined story flow. The footage is color-graded, motion graphics created, and music, dialogue, and/or subtitles are synced with the footage.

It is no coincidence that the Academy Awards (the Oscars) have a separate category for Editing. Editing can make or break any video or film, and it is an art and a science, depending on the complexity of the project.

This stage can last a long time, depending on the amount of shot footage, length of the video, the number of videos/clips expected to be produced for the client, and the amount of time the client needs to change something (if it is a commercial video production project).

Usually, in a commercial video production project, several ‘edit’ rounds are included in the contract upfront, and going above the agreed-upon rounds can drive the costs up significantly. The client can reduce their cost if they agree on accepting the director's cut (filmmakers edit), without any additional edits.

Videos as Marketing Content

If you are a business owner who is just getting started exploring videos as a marketing tool for your business, check out our blog post Why Video For Your Marketing Content that gives you more information on the importance of visual storytelling in today's marketing and types of videos you should consider for your video marketing strategy.

V1DroneMedia is a full-cycle video production agency that can help you brainstorm to establish your video content strategy and messaging, script, shoot and edit short and long-form video content. Our staff has experience working on the client-side with content development, production, and digital and traditional media buying, so we can advise and help you distribute your content via owned and paid media channels, depending on your business goals.

Video Production Costs

Visual storytelling used to be a luxury reserved for big companies with budgets that could afford creative and video production agencies with layers of people. That meant you incur higher costs long before getting to a creative strategy or even a script, let alone actual video production or a piece of video content. This is why in today's environment, when businesses are pulling back their budgets, these agencies are forced to rethink their business models and thin their ranks, according to this Ad Week article.

And even though these agencies will still be out of reach for most small to medium-sized businesses, video marketing doesn't have to be, especially if you plan to distribute your content through digital media.

You can hire a small media production company like V1DroneMedia to deliver a year's worth of marketing content for a mere fraction of larger video production companies and advertising agencies. For example, a simple production leading up to 3 short-form video clips can start at $2500 (vs. $15K+ at larger agencies), depending on the project complexity.

V1DroneMedia Video Production Capabilities

We have the capability to provide ground and aerial footage in 4K and raw, using a variety of ground cameras, audio, and drone equipment, and can do interview-style filming.

Our ability to provide high-quality aerial footage can also give your videos that wow factor, as detailed in our blog post How Drone Footage Can Enhance Your Videos. We hold FAA Part 107 certification for commercial drone operations, are fully insured, and have 5 years of experience working with small clients and large video production companies.

Check out our Google reviews for customer feedback, and our portfolio and YouTube channel for examples of our work. Contact us with your video production inquiry today!