20 BEST AERIAL FILMING TIPS



FROM AERIALFILMS.CA
UMAIR VANTHALIWALA | UAV COACH
PREFACE
In the last few years Umair Vanthaliwala’s aerial
filming footage has appeared on EPSN, Huffington
Post International, CBC News and other interna-
tional news media outlets. He’s covered countless
sporting events, luxury real estate properties and
other outdoor lifestyle events.

Umair has compiled an online aerial filming course

on ‘Become a master drone pilot in 2 weeks
and start a business’ on Udemy.com. To compli-
ment this course, this eBook will give you access
to a 20 point comprehensive list of tricks, assist in
your aerial cinematography business and a bonus
glossary of aerial filming terms to help your aerial
filming knowledge curve.
 1. PREFLIGHT CHECK

At the start of every flight you must check you drone(s)
and equipment for different possibilities that may arise.
You don’t want to break any laws, damage property, or
lose keys shots. Following this check list will save you
time and money in the long run.
Measure your take-off room to ensure there is ade-
quate space to land and take off.
Inspect airframe; confirm that propellers, engine,
gimbal, and camera are firmly attached.

Check your local regulations, airport proximity and Test electrical connections.
altitude restrictions before you arrive in the field.
Check batteries for a full charge and test if they
Create an autonomous flight in a relevant software work.
platform. Perform a simulation so you are completely
Check camera or sensor batteries are fully
prepared.
charged.
Let local community members or property owners
Ensure camera or sensor memory is operational,
know what you will be doing on the day of the shoot.
and the space is adequate.
Ask your spotter if they can come to the field site on
Ensure RC and telemetry systems are functioning.
the date set.

Walk around the site and check for obstacles and Perform a brief test flight before starting (Check for
interference in the form of people or infrastructure. proper controllability response)

Check the weather and reports for wind speed, visi-

bility conditions and potential for inclement weather.

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2. POST FLIGHT CHECKLIST
Your drone is your most important piece of equipment
and must be properly cared for after each flight. Here
is a check list that will keep your drone healthy and
safe.
Conserve battery by powering down your UAV, con-
troller, camera and any visual preview.
Remove the batteries.
Charge batteries to full power.
Safely store controller and UAV batteries to prevent
damage and loss.
Double check camera or sensor so you know all
films and shots were collected. If not you will have to
try again.
Make a logbook entry of your flight experience,
hours and activities.
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20 BEST AERIAL FILMING TIPS
This is a comprehensive list describing my 20 top tips to flying your UAV safely, legally, and smartly.
This is a must have list for anyone who wants to build an aerial cinematography business and fly
their drone professionally.

1. Practice makes perfect. Bring your UAV somewhere safe and rehearse. Learning to a fly a UAV
can be easy but it’s necessary to carry out useful – safe – fieldwork.

2. If you can find a flight club in the area or a mentor willing to train you, jump on the opportunity.

3. Log everything you do during a flight at the end of every flight. Include hours and activities as
this will be important when you fly commercially.

4. Always make sure where you plan to fly is legal.

5. Check whether your flight will take place at a minimum distance from a controlled airspace for
your safety and the safety of others.

6. Request preflight confirmation from the local government and communities before you fly over
airspace to avoid legal issues. And if this is a populated area, inform local residents in advance
through radio, newspapers, fliers and internet communities.

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7. Verify the maximum legal altitude limit in the
area you fly.
8. Have insurance, just because UAV busi-
nesses is a new field doesn’t mean you
should be uninsured. Be prepared to assume
all liability for your actions. In Canada, Trans-
port Canada requires a $100,000 policy for all
UAV flights that carry cameras. Check your
homeowner’s insurance policy and gain legal
counsel if needed.
9. Always make sure there are no large groups
of people, utility wires, poles, low-hanging
trees and other objects that may get in your
way during flight.
10. Walk around the site prior to flying your drone
and get a sense of the best way to fly and
what may look good. If you can’t do this try us-
ing imagery such as Google Maps.
11. You need enough space to launch the UAV
without endangering other people and you.
Ensure there’s space to do this before taking
off. You need a good buffer between you and
potential onlookers.
12. Stand in a takeoff zone that will permit a visi-
ble line of sight (VLOS) at all times. Other-
wise, make sure the flight beyond your VLOS
can be done without your telemetry connec-
tion becoming obstructed or being lost.
Check the local regulations that will tell you
when VLOS is needed at all times. You can
hire a spotter to keep the drone in VLOS and
deal with anyone who may get in the way; or
objects that cause safety concerns.
13. If you are flying an autonomous flight, use
simulation features on your software and per-
form a virtual run through.
14. Check your failsafe options to avoid any catas-
trophes. Then check for any signs of damage
to your UAV airframe. Also, make sure your
propellers are firmly attached to the motors
and all sensors and batteries are properly fas-
tened. Be aware and check your props for
cracks and dings and balance them when
necessary. Finally, test all the electrical con-
nections, so it’s plugged in and secure.
15. Plan out how many pictures or minutes of
video you will need to create the visual prod-
uct and check how the amount before takeoff.
16. Always have enough batteries and then carry
spares.
17. Test your UAV before flight to ensure it is com-
municating with your radio controller. Make
sure all telemetry equipment is functioning cor-
rectly before you embark on your flight. To do
this power on your UAV and hover at a low alti-
tude. Finally, check horizontal axis before the
full flight.
18. Your photography equipment is important,
check it’s firmly mounted to your UAV and the
settings are correct for the flight you are about
to embark on. Check the amount of room left
on your memory storage. You can start filming
before you takeoff so you capture the begin-
ning of your flight if needed.
19. When flight is complete, shut down your UAV
and disconnect batteries. Turn off transmitter,
power down camera and sensors then check
the UAV for signs of damage and wear.
20. Ensure you took the correct amount of pic-
tures and footage and that you are satisfied. If
not consider flying again. Then remove props,
recharge batteries and you’ll be prepared to
do this all over again. Always fill your logbook
with the date, and how the flight went.
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GLOSSARY
Here are some terms that you’ll want to know
from the world of UAV’s. When learning how to fly
a quadcopter/UAV, the controls will become your
bread and butter. Eventually they will be second
nature; once you know how they act individually
and how they interact together to form a com-
plete flying experience. With any of these con-
trols, the deeper you push the stick, the more
your quadcopter will move in either direction.
When first starting out, push the sticks very gen-
tly so the quadcopter performs slight/small move-
ments. As you gain experience you can make
sharper movements.
There are four main quadcopter controls:
Roll, Pitch, Yaw, Throttle
• Roll – Controlled by pushing the right stick left
or right. This literally rolls the quadcopter, which
maneuvers the quadcopter left or right.
• Pitch – Controlled by pushing the right stick for-
wards or backwards. This tilts the quadcopter, to
maneuver the quadcopter forwards or back-
wards.
• Yaw – Controlled by pushing the left stick left or
right. This rotates the quadcopter left or right and
points the front of the copter in different direc-
tions; helps with changing directions while flying.
• Throttle — Engaged by pushing the left stick
forwards, disengaged by pulling the left stick
backwards.
Glossary
• 4K Camera — A camera to capture great
views. 4K cameras take the best quality photog-
raphy for your business.
• Aileron — Identical to right stick. However, it
relates directly to controlling roll (left and right
movement).
• Elevator — Identical to right stick. However, it
relates directly to controlling pitch (forward and
backward movement).
• FPV (First Person View) — The pilot can see
where they’re flying through the UAV’s camera.
FPV goggles are not permitted in Canada with-
out a visual flight observer.
• Line of Sight — Where the pilot can see their
UAV during flight, also referred to as VLOS (Vis-
ual Line of sight). In Canada, pilots or desig-
nated observer must be able to see the UAV at
all times.
• Memory Card — Your aerial camera will need a
memory card and when shooting in 1080p or 4K
you will need 64GB of memory at least, to ensure
you have enough space for long flights and
higher bitrates codecs.
• Rudder — Identical to the left stick. However, it
relates directly to controlling yaw (as opposed to
the throttle).
• SECTIONAL — The aeronautical information
on Sectional Charts and includes visual and ra-
dio aids to navigation, airports, controlled air-
space, restricted areas, obstructions, and re-
lated data.
• SFOC (Applicable in Canada) — Special
Flight Operations Certificate, required by Trans-
port Canada for any commercial drone flight.
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Other Helpful General • Spare/second battery — Most batteries have a life of 20-25 minutes.
Tips During initial training a fair portion of battery life will be spent working
with the drone on the ground, giving a flight time of approximately 15
minutes. A second battery allows for better learning experiences and
keeps your drone in the air for twice as long. Flying in medium to high
wind takes a heavy toll on battery life.

• Spare Propellers — Every beginning droneographer will crash their

drone in the learning phase. Whether it’s a heavy finger on the stick, a
rogue gust of wind, or a twig in the landing area, propellers break. Hav-
ing your flight experience interrupted due to a broken or chipped pro-
peller is an avoidable misfortune. Always carry spares.

• Tough carrying case — When you travel, knocks and bumps happen
which is why you need a tough carrying case. This will also help to
keep props aligned and straight to protect from damage. It looks profes-
sional too.

• Trim — Buttons on the remote control that help you adjust roll, pitch,
yaw, and throttle if they are off balance.

• UAV — Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Also known as drone and quadcop-

ter. Although it is possible to purchase a basic aerial camera platform
and fly right away, there are a few products that will enhance your flying
experience as you become an expert droneographer.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle

• http://www.henrys.com/Categories/750-Drones.aspx

• https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/aerial-imaging/ci/27989/N/3
765401970