Aerial footage can help add value to a video that ground based techniques can never fully replicate. Whether that is a soaring shot of a landscape or a zoom-in action shot either outside or inside a building, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) can help. In the past we would have had to hire a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft for external shots and rigged cranes and scaffolding for high level internal shots. UAVs provide another valuable tool and technique to add to our ‘tool kit’.
Working with Cambridge UAV our brief was to produce a promotional video of Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire. As it was in a public place it was very carefully planned. Not just from a video production standpoint but public safety too. Depending on the location of public roads and public rights of way we may have to seek special permission to fly. In this case all the flying was on Cathedral property with ample space to accommodate our needs and still allow safe public access.
Before the shoot we used publicly available maps and information from the Cathedral authorities to plan internal and external flying patterns. We also undertook an initial site survey before the shoot. This was done to ensure we could maximise flying time on location. It also means we can shoot to edit so can focus on getting the right shots.
Filming inside the Cathedral needed even more careful planning and execution due to the national importance of the building and the risk to historic moldings, materials and stained glass windows!