The Norfolk Broads with a drone

and from the water

thanks for the comments below chaps

I think the drone thing is a tough one. I agree that the cockpit view keeps you in the driving seat with me. It is our shared first hand experience and in some ways I feel the 8,000 old sailors with me - criticizing the sail trim or the size of my anchor, the mess down below. The drone certainly takes you out of the cockpit. I think that it needs to be done with care. As a cameraman I am always after height, so if I turn up somewhere then I walk up a hill to look down on the place.

Maybe use drone shots just at the beginning or during the history bits. I think that the stuff about Orkney forts would have been enhanced by drone material

Dylan

This is about Dylan Winter's Blog, Sailing around Britain.

11 Responses to “The Norfolk Broads with a drone”

  1. 27 April, 2017 at 11:29 amJes says:

    All due respect to the drone film but it’s like background music vs playing in the band comparing the 2 videos!
    Drones give you a sense of the setting but no sense of actually being there, there’s a detachment about viewing. Despite being in a way more 3 dimensional they’re actually more 2 dimensional.
    Think I’ve said it now.
    Your use of google earth almost does the same thing

  2. 27 April, 2017 at 12:23 pmWill says:

    Drone??? Meh. That footage plays in the Planet Earth video series in 4K on big screen in every big box store electronics section, and in your home if you like. Drone footage is “third person” narrative, and that’s not what your videos are. Yours are first person, and you are that person, and your presentations are what draws MOBs. In my view, drone money would be money poorly spent.

  3. 28 April, 2017 at 11:51 amJes says:

    A random sample of 2 MOBs gives the thumbs down :-(.

  4. 28 April, 2017 at 1:04 pmdylan winter says:

    statistics – always reliable

    if I had one I might use it in a titles and end credits sequence

    the body of the film I would keep you guys in the cockpit with me

    but…. the vementry gap shown afterwards by drone might be quite interesting.

    D

  5. 28 April, 2017 at 8:51 pmDave Barker says:

    Not a bad example of what can be done with a drone film-wise but what that music had to do with the Norfolk Broads beats me. No music at all would have been better.
    Just goes to show how good your productions are, Dylan. As Jes said, your videos make the viewer feel as though they are there and the sound tracks you use enhance the viewing experience. So many films or videos nowadays seem to use the same sort of over-dramatic, pseudo-orchestral, beat-enhanced pop music.
    OK, rant over……..

  6. 1 May, 2017 at 12:50 pmWarren says:

    I think carful use of drone footage defiantly enhances the experience for me. You think you know a place then see it with a drone footage and you learn so much. Seeing some of those Scottish harbours from the air would have added to the understanding (perhaps impossible footage when wind bound though!). If you can afford it or borrow one I think it would add to your videos as you would know how to use the footage right.
    Cheers Warren

  7. 2 May, 2017 at 10:31 pmBryanD says:

    I’m with Will’s comments, your first person filming and narratives are what floats my boat

  8. 14 May, 2017 at 6:41 pmChuck says:

    I’m with you Dylan,

    I think that careful use to show perspective could add to your films. Don’t drones have that fisheye lens? I think you once mentioned not using t that. Oddly I couldn’t find an action cam that was not go pro like.

  9. 14 May, 2017 at 8:26 pmdylan winter says:

    the drones now have proper lenses – I think that correctly framed and not overused the drone shots could work well as transitions between the history/geography sections and the cockpit shots. cutting from cockpit to drove and back woud look horrid though

  10. 28 May, 2017 at 8:09 pmTom (Mavicflyer) says:

    Music is a very subjective thing, and what works for one person won’t for another. I chose that track for the drone video because a) I liked it and b) I thought it was something a bit different to the usual ‘plinky plonky’ music you see used used in so many other drone videos.

    Drone footage when used well in combination with first person shots can add another dimension to the overall video. If used in place of the slightly incongruous Google Maps footage in the second video It would, I feel, gel much better. I certainly don’t agree that it is simply “third person narrative” if it is is relevant to the rest of the video, and that it doesn’t give you a sense of “being there”. You can get a much better feel for the overall environment you are in, and it can show you things that you might otherwise not even realise are there with only FPV footage.

    If you do choose to utilise a drone, the most important thing is to make sure you follow the CAA’s rules on flying them. I’ve seen too many drone videos out there with people flying them in a dangerous manner, which doesn’t help the hobby in general.

    Tom
    (aka Mavicflyer)

  11. 29 May, 2017 at 7:25 amdylan winter says:

    I agree with everything you say Tom,

    some of the ktl blokes are dead set againsy drones – I think thata they are a maturing technology. They have come of age – now with the mavic spark as the latest incarnaion. As a cameraman I think I can make one work with the rest of the narrative. We shall see if I get a chance to do that in scotland.

    D

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