Top 5 Tips for Forestry Real Estate Drone Video from TimberMedia.net
- 90% of your footage should be filmed backwards. That means you're starting at your ending point and then pulling out. Then in post production (editing) you're simply reversing this footage. This will achieve a cinematic "punch in" shot that is impossibly smooth.
- Bring a landing pad. You may not get lucky enough to find a flat, brush free area for your drone to take off. Here’s a drone landing pad I’d suggest off of Amazon. Get a heavy one, like this. Not a lightweight one because the wash from your drone blades will pick it up.
- Bring a spare drone. If you can afford it bring a relatively small backup. When you’re 3 hours into the backwoods and if a drone malfunctions (it can happen), you still want to capture your shots without having to go back.
Keep your drone “in the blue.” That means when you’re down low, looking up at your drone, when you see your drone with a blue sky backdrop, that means there are no trees or obstacles behind it. You can safely go towards the sky, knowing full well your drone won’t hit a tree.- Look before you traverse. 95% of drone crashes occur when the pilot thinks there are no obstacles to his right or left. Take a minute to turn your drone to scout out the path you’re about to slide across. Don’t fly blind into any area.
Q. BONUS: Is a Part 107 Pilots License necessary?
A. For 90% of drone flyers out there: no, the Part 107 Pilots Test is not necessary.
The Part 107 test contributes relatively little to safety and does not make your drone films "better" by much. In the same way a food handlers permit may help a little with basic safety principles, but it doesn't magically make your meals better.
After over 15 years of flying, I've become very pragmatic. Unless you're flying commercially (like me) I would strongly recommend against it. Mainly because I value my time, and I'm sure you do as well; the FAA Part 107 test is comprised of testing you on knowledge that you won't use in a real world situation. This is coming from a guy (me) who got over 95% on the test when I took it. I know the material. But I also know what's used in the real world.
For example, they test you on nav maps (something you won't be referring to during flight) or how to talk with Air Traffic Control (ATC) (which you're not allowed to do anyway). The vast majority of the knowledge is busy work designed to "make you appreciate the FAA." Don't get me wrong, I understand the FAA and what they do to keep our skies safe, but when it comes to flying a little toy quadcopter if you follow the basic safety rules (e.g. don't fly around airports, which the DJI app won't let you anyway), then the vast majority of drone pilots are okay.
This begs the question, "Why do so many Part 107 Drone Pilots suggest that others take the test?" Simply put, they're trying to justify the time and money they put into studying and taking the test. Personally after I took the test I asked myself, "Does this make me a better drone pilot?" After careful reflection on the material I learned, I came to the conclusion: it doesn't. It wasn't worth the $100s of dollars I spent or the 25 hours I allocated towards studying and taking the 2 hour test.
The best advice I have for beginner drone pilots is to go out there and practice. Of course comply with the basics (e.g. stay below 400 feet, stay away from restricted air space, don't run into people, etc), but today's high priced drones are so smart, they'll prevent your from going into restricted air spaces or running into obstacles. Don't believe the hype that a special license from the government will magically make your forestry drone videos better. Go into the field and get your hands dirty!
From Beau Chevassus, award-winning drone pilot and filmmaker, founder of Knok Studio (2011) and TimberMedia.net.
Chevassus is a Part 107 certified drone pilot. He lives in Enumclaw, WA and has produced forestry videography films from Idaho and beyond. Chevassus is a part of the Amazon Affiliate program and links on this page may earn him commission. He has traveled to over 37 different countries and has produced 1,000s of short films for big-name clients and has taken over 200,000 professionally published photos. You can reach Chevassus here with any questions.
