Contents

• Stages in the development of a career as an aerial videographer
• What kind of drone and for what tasks is it better to buy
  • Mavic
  • FPV
  • Inspire
  • Large drones with cinema cameras
• The best choice for a wedding videographer

We will consider what equipment is in demand nowadays, what is profitable to buy to start earning money by shooting wedding videos.

Capturing high-quality wedding drone footage can be a challenge for beginners. Drones have revolutionized the way we capture aerial footage, making it easier than ever to get high-resolution images and videos. Not only do drones give you a bird’s eye view of your venue, but they also make it easier to edit and share your final product.

Stages in the development of a career as an aerial videographer

I divide the career of an aerial shooter into 4 stages, based on the complexity of the shoot, the cost of the equipment, and the cost of services.

1. Mavic

Buying a Mavic will allow you to shoot most general shots. It is the easiest drone to control: give the remote to a passerby, it will be able to fly several hundred or even thousands of meters. And clever shooting modes will allow the same passerby to take a few circles around objects or follow a car at all.

2. FPV

These are such fast drones with a camera rigidly attached to the front. This is why they are called First Person View. To learn how to fly these drones, you must fly dozens of hours in a simulator. I recommend flying at least 100 hours and continuing to practice throughout your career.

3. Inspire

Inspire is a large, clumsy drone with the ability to be controlled by two operators. One operator controls the piloting directly and the other controls the camera. When the drone is controlled by two, it both complicates and simplifies the shooting process, depending on many factors.

The complexity lies in the need for two people to communicate, to coordinate the movement of the drone and camera: they work independently of each other. An undeniable advantage of working in a team is the ability to create technically complex shots.

4. Large drones with cinema cameras

Film camera, radio focus, video transmitter and stabilizer for the camera. All this weighs about 6 kg. To get that kind of weight in the air requires a drone with a big battery, big propellers, and powerful motors. That’s why drones that can lift that weight are often the size of a person. This is an even more clumsy “machine” as a drone with a camera can weigh up to 20 kg. The principle of control and shooting is the same as with the Inspire drone, with one exception: the Inspire drone can be controlled by one person. But with large drones can not do so, and do not need to. An example of such a drone is the FreeFly Alta X.

What kind of drone and for what tasks is it better to buy

Mavic

1. DJI mini 2 (Price: $1,000+). This drone is currently the only one that can be used for low-budget YouTube videos. Or for amateur real estate photography.

I should point out that DJI Mini 2 will lose its relevance very soon, because we are about to release Mini 3 with a new sensor. There’s no official announcement from DJI yet, but judging by the leaked specs, the Mini 3 won’t just flatten the Mini 2, it will simply smear it in the dirt.

2. DJI Mavic Air 2S (Price: $2,200+). The most optimal drone in terms of price/quality ratio at the time of writing. The drone is actively used in filming weddings, events, as well as in low-budget series and commercials.

3. DJI Mavic 3 (Price: $7,000+). An expensive drone for the Mavic series, but pretty damn good for daytime and night-time shooting. Used for TV shows, commercials and low-budget movies.

4. DJI Mavic 3 Cine – (Price: $14,000+). It is too expensive for the Mavic series. In my opinion, it is a useless drone for its money. It has a good advantage over the previous Mavic, it records video in ProRes format. This format is good for quick editing of footage in postproduction and convenient color correction. However, I have never yet seen such a drone used on any project. Logically, it would be used in movies and expensive series, for statement plans (or not).

FPV

1. DJI FPV Drone (Price: $2,200+). The drone has a weak camera (like GoPro 8), but this does not prevent it from working on weddings, car commercials and clips in the daytime. In general, the quality requirements for the pictures in the FPV segment are much lower than in other segments.

2. DJI FPV Drone + GoPro 10 (Price: $3,000+). With this set-up you can shoot indoors or outdoors in low light. I prefer DJI Action 2, but on the market I more appreciate GoPro 10.

3. There were also supposed to be cinelifters (big FPV drones for RED, ARRI, etc.). But I can not say anything about them, I have not used them and do not know their profitability.

Inspire

1. DJI Inspire 2 X5S (Price: $30,000+). X5S is used for the same projects as the X7, but 90% of the time they want to see the X7 because of the significant difference in image quality.

2. DJI Inspire 2 X7 (Price: $37,000+). The most popular drone in TV shows, movies, commercials, etc. If you add up all the shifts for all the drones in terms of percentages, then this drone with this camera accounts for about 70% of all filming per year.

Inspire 2 with the X5S and X7 cameras will be “retiring” at the end of this year. It will be replaced by the Inspire 3. Most likely with the new X8 camera, which is on the Ronin 4D.

Large drones with movie cameras

1. FreeFly Alta X + Movi Pro + RED Gemini. The cost depends on too many factors, I can only say approximately (Price: $100,000+). This kit is used for accurate and smooth flyovers with the RED cine camera and gives you the possibility to zoom.

2. FreeFly Alta X + Movi Pro + ARRI Alexa Mini LF. Alexa camera is more respected by cameramen and editors, so it is always more desirable on the set. Although I think RED cameras such as Monstro, Gemini or Comodo are better than the “old guys” ARRI.

It is important to note that large drones have lost their relevance in today’s environment. There are still operators who want to see a movie camera in the air. But most have no problem matching the picture of the Inspire X7 with a ground-based movie camera.

The best choice for a wedding videographer

We found that the drones that pay off the most are the DJI FPV Drone, DJI Mavic Air 2S and DJI Mini 2. Of those three, the outsider in terms of market demand is the DJI Mini 2.

All you need to be happy with your equipment for wedding videos is Mavic Air 2S.  You’ll be able to cover most of your clients’ tasks.

Here you can find our examples of wedding video editing services with drones.

Write in the comments which drone you will buy in 2022 🙂