To Drone or not to Drone?
Is Drone Footage Necessary for a Wedding Video?
When Rob & Bobbie asked me to film their wedding in Carlisle on Sept 1st 2017 I had decided that this was going to be the first wedding film I would create that included Drone footage. I chose this wedding to incorporate drone footage for two reasons;
- firstly the couple had asked specifically for it
- secondly the location the couple had chosen for group photo’s was absolutely stunning!
Capturing Stunning Scenery
Carrock Fell in the Lake District is so stunning you can imagine Brave Heart or some other epic cinematic masterpiece being filmed there. So you can imagine my excitement in having such a backdrop to one of my wedding films! Thankfully the weather was kind to us and apart from it being a little bit breezy we had a nice bright sunny autumn day.
Using a Drone when filming a wedding definitely has it’s pros but also some cons. Firstly Drone footage can add that real cinematic feel to a wedding film and give the wedding film that
larger than life feel. When we are watching a movie we are probably not aware just how often drones are used to get a particular shot or set a scene.
Offering a Cinematic Wedding Film
I decided with Rob & Bobbies wedding film that I didn’t want to overdue the drone footage but wanted to interweave it subtly into the film without it being too much. I think I managed to achieve that quire well, but you judge for yourself and see the highlight version of Rob & Bobbie’s wedding film here: So yeah drones can make a wedding film look ‘cinematic’ and we at Julian Voigt Wedding Films are always looking for way to create a wedding film with that cinematic feel and quality to it. But utilising gadgets- like drones in my mind are like seasoning- best used sparingly or they can ruin the dish!
So we have talked about the pros of adding drone footage to a wedding film but as mentioned earlier here are a few cons to think about. Having more equipment to think about the videographer is naturally a little more distracted and there is a very real danger that while the videographer might be sorting a drone out ready for launching to capture a single shot or moment he may be in fact missing other real moments that once gone cannot be re-captured. In other words; in an effort to capture one great shot to make the wedding film looking great we could be missing five very real moments in the wedding day.
Getting Distracted
Generally speaking the more equipment that the videographer has to worry about the more real moments could pass him buy while he is distracted with gadgets like drones. Also launching a drone means that the pilot has to secure the area and make sure that the safety of any people nearby is paramount! Having this year taken my PFCO Drone Pilots exam(and thankfully passed) I can tell you that a lot of advanced planning and checks have to be performed before a Drone can even take off.
On the day I filmed Rob & Bobbie’s wedding and was preparing to launch the Drone at Carrock Fell I was immediately surrounded by excited children all wanting to have a look at the Drone this was followed by a few anxious parents asking some questions about safety.
Conclusion
So yes while we will be offering Drone footage to our couples going forward for our wedding films in 2017 we will be firstly briefing the couples on exactly what is involved by launching a Drone close to a lot of people and also informing them of the additional cost we have to charge to add drone footage.
All in all my thoughts are thus; I don’t think you do not need Drone footage to produce a stunning wedding film that has a cinematic feel but yes when used sparingly and artistically drone footage can really enhance a wedding film. More here..
