Whether you capture it by helicopter or drone, aerial footage makes a powerful connection between your video and the audience.
Cover image by contributor Stephan Guarch.
Aerial footage has become common in every type of video, including movies, television, broadcasts, and YouTube. They’re perfect for any type of project, but there are a few things you should know about the best way to use aerials.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re editing your next project.
1. Use Aerial Footage for Establishing Shots
This is certainly the simplest tip. Make sure the footage you search for fits the overall needs of your story. Aerials often serve as establishing shots, often transitioning between two scenes. Establishing shots can be a single clip or a series of clips. They introduce the audience to a scene’s location by establishing the context and space of a scene. It shows the location itself as well as when the scene takes place.
A daytime aerial shot of a landmark can tell an audience so much. Take this shot for example.
License ‘Golden Gate Bridge‘ from VideoFort on Shutterstock.
In only a moment, you should recognize that this scene is set in San Francisco during the day.
Establishing shots don’t only appear at the beginning of a film or video; they also appear between scenes to show the passage of time or a change in location.
Keep in mind that establishing shots do not rely on the narrative. The shot must tell the audience everything they need to know without explanation. Aerials can certainly help establish a location while elevating your entire production value.
2. Don’t Overuse Aerial Footage
Aerials can be breathtaking, but if you use them too much, they will lose their impact. You need to find the proper balance between the length of the shot and how many different clips you use.
Whether you are using stock video or shooting drone footage yourself, this video from PremiumBeat’s Zach Ramelan offers some great insight on not overusing these clips.
For the best results, mix aerial footage with some fixed location footage of the same location. Then you can easily cut from above, down on the ground, and into your scene.
3. Make Sure You Use the Right Location
This doesn’t apply to every video, but it is a mistake you often see in political advertisements. There are times when your video relies on the proper footage. In the instance of a political ad, you can’t really promote a politician for a position in one country but show footage of another.
This is a problem that seems to repeat itself nearly every year.
- Ad uses footage from Morocco, not Mexican border
- “Morning in America” Ad Apparently Uses Stock Footage of Canada
- Super PAC video about America uses stock footage from overseas
If your project is specific to a certain region or location, make sure you use the proper footage. Fortunately for you, if you need a specific location, Shutterstock has aerial footage from all over the world.
Looking for other ways the right type of footage can help you tell a story and finish your project? Check out these articles:
- Transportation Clips: Finding the Right Footage for Your Next Project
- Incorporating People Into Your Project With Stock Footage
- Stock Footage: Every Filmmaker’s Secret Weapon