When it comes to wedding videography, there are some ‘tricks of the trade’ which help to elevate the outcome. One of the pieces of equipment that has boomed in popularity over the last few years are drones. If you’re interested in how to use drones for wedding videography, keep reading!
A drone is an awesome addition to any toolkit for a wedding creative team. It can help capture ariel footage, either photo or videos, by flying above head. There are some upsides of why you should consider using a drone and some important things to keep in mind.
Pros of Using a Drone for Wedding Video Footage
Before we dive into how to use drones for wedding videography, here are some reasons why you might want to consider drone footage. Drones will capture additional angles that ground videography won’t be able to see. In general, you can legally fly a drone up to 400-feet above a venue, so you’re bound to get unique shots. You will get a new perspective, like a wide-angle of your beautiful venue or all your guests or the wedding venue from above. Priceless.
Tips for How to Use Drones for Wedding Videography
While hiring a drone operator isn’t a must-have, it can definitely help to supplement your wedding video footage. It’s important to go into it with appropriate expectation. When considering using a drone for your wedding, look out for the following:
Make sure your venue allows for drones. Speak with your venue to see if drones are allowed. If so, find out if they have any specific restrictions (like location or time or day) and take note of any Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules. According to The Knot, “The FAA has strict rules and regulations in place for the usage of drones and one of them is a "No Drone Zone"; these are areas that the administration determines drones are not allowed to take off, fly or land in no matter the circumstances. Some "No Drone Zones" include: flying near airports or military bases and flying within 15 miles of the Washington, D.C. area. There are non-FAA no-fly zones as well like national parks or some national landmarks. The restrictions may feel overwhelming, but the FAA has a helpful mobile app (and website) called B4UFLY with an interactive map for drone users to see which airspaces are restricted.” (From 9 Drone Wedding Photography Basics to Know)
Consider the backdrop of your venue. If your wedding venue is pretty from far away, this is one of the best ways for how to use drones for wedding videography. There will need to be ample space for the drone to fly, so anything that feels cramped or uninteresting might not be a good option.
Consider the backdrop noise of your venue. If your wedding ceremony is located somewhere that is very quiet, keep in mind that a drone above head will add a humming sound. While it might not be very distracting, you might want to have the drone flying when there’s more background noise, like right after guests are seated or later on during the reception.
Make sure your vendor team is on board. While some wedding videographers offer drone footage as an add-on to an existing package, you might look to add a licensed drone operator to your vendor team. If your drone operator is separate from your photography and videography team, make sure they are comfortable with the partnership. For example, they can’t get in each other’s way on the day of and will need to partner of editing the wedding video footage.
Add room in the wedding timeline for the drone to get in the air. Plan to add an additional 30 minutes to planning for wedding video because that’s how long it takes for a drone to get in the air and properly adjusted.
Remember that you will need to have good weather. This is where you’ll need to be flexible. If you plan to have drone footage captured at your outdoor ceremony or reception, it can’t be captured if it’s too windy or rainy.
We hope you enjoyed learning about how to use drones for wedding videography. Video footage helps to bring your big day to life in a way that photographs won't be able to do, and a drone helps to make it that much more interesting! If you're interested in learning about our videography services, review our pricing list with all of the details here. We would love to have the opportunity to help bring more joy to your big day!
Choose Joy,
The Joy Team