By Umair Vanthaliwala
Ultimate guide to starting your own aerial filming business
**Please note that this is a powerpoint presentation that was discussed in detail on an online course.
In 2013, I started my own company called Aerial Films (aerialfilms.ca). I’ve successfully filmed North America’s Flyboard competition. Aerial Film’s aerial shots were used by ESPN in their featured segment of showcasing Flyboard as a new booming water sport.
In addition, many of my videos have been used by Canadian National Broadcasters like CBC Canada, CTV News and Huffington Post Online. In this course, I’ll attempt to transfer my knowledge and experience that I have in this industry and how I went from reaching out to clients and now clients reaching out to me for professional aerial coverage. I’ve captured Golf courses, Boat Cruises, Weddings and Luxury Real Estates Properties, which exclusively are valued over $250 Million dollars.
Introduction
Founder Aerial FilmsUmair Vanthaliwala
Camera Setup Resolution, Frame Rates, Field of View, Storage and other technical
bottlenecks.
1
Course Overview
Aerial CinematographyBasic drone flying skills followed
by drone safety and into cinematic shot and how-‐to’s
2
Video Editing, 3D Animations and Photo
EditingImport, Edit, Color Correction, Match audio to video, 3D Fly throughs and exporting videos
3
How to turn a hobby into a business
Aerial Photo SetupWhich time-‐lapse interval to
choose and why along with the right mega-‐pixel choice for the
type of photo needed.
4
Business Essentials Business name, logo, website,
pricing, business plan, marketing, invoicing and etc.
5
After you’ve completed this course, you’ll have basic and some advance insights into the following software.
Software Training Overview
Final Cut Pro X
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe After Effects
Photo Polishing and batch image processing
Video Editing and Colour Grading
3D Text Fly throughs
Tout AppSending marketing emails that don’t look like a regular email.
Billings ProUsed to invoice and track client accounts
Adobe IllustratorUsed to create and edit logo templates
Post-Production
Business Management
In this section, I’ll provide insights into the types of resolutions, Field of View and Frame Per Second settings that I used to capture videos for my clients. In addition, I’ll share some of my experiences with the best time-lapse photography settings that I found optimal
and the reasons behind him.
How to setup your camera for best Aerial Video and Photo resultsIntroduction using GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition.
Understanding Video Resolutions. Which resolution is best for aerial
videography?
Understanding Field of View. Which one should you use for what
circumstance?
Understanding Frames Per Second. What frame rates to use in what lighting condition?
Which resolution is best for aerial photography?Which time-lapse is the most optimal for aerial photography?
Introduction to Video Post-ProductionFinal Cut Pro X
In this section, we’ll be focusing on video post-production. Goal would be to start off with the assumption that we’ve made in this course that you know nothing about video editing, hence a quick intro to video editing platform followed up with some advance skills of colour grading and matching video to the beat of the audio.
Introduction to Final Cut Pro
Colour correcting footage
Match video to the beat of your
audio
Backup Options Cutting and organizing footage
Import, tag and store media
Helpful links for royalty free music and professional
transitions
Exporting Options
Introduction to Photo Post-ProductionAdobe Lightroom
In this section, we’ll be focusing on video post-production. Goal would be to start off with the assumption that we’ve made in this course that you know nothing about video editing, hence a quick intro to video editing platform followed up with some advance skills of colour grading and matching audio to video or video to audio.
Introduction to Adobe Lightroom
Camera profiles (Remove fish
eye)
Cropping and framing an image
Photo Polishing (selective
sharpening)
Import, tag and store media
Helpful links for free Adobe Lightroom
Exporting/Watermarks/Automatically add client’s
name to filename
Introduction to 3D Text Fly through Adobe After Effects CS
In this section, we’ll be focusing on how to implement 3D fly through text in your aerial shots. To do this, we’ll use Adobe’s After Effect product to create fly throughs and then reimport it back into Final Cut Pro X.
Introduction to After Effects
Adding and Testing 3D texts, shadows and smoothness
Enable 3D Motion tracking
Import clips from FCPX
Helpful links for royalty free music and professional
transitions
Exporting Options
In section of the course is allow about aerial cinematography. From creative ways to adjust your gimbal calibration to eye catching cinematic aerial shots.
Aerial CinematographyFlight safety, Drone setup and Cinematic Aerial shots
First and most important topic to cover is safety. Where to never fly
and where to avoid flying.
Flight Safety
Inside peak in my drone case. What items I like to carry and some backups I like to keep handy
What’s in my drone case
Walkthrough of basic flight controls and calibration practice.
Basic Drone Controls
Full breakdown of cinematic shots in theory and practice.
Cinematic shots and How-to
How to change Gimbal settings for a smooth cinematic effect
Cinematic Gimbal Adjustment
How to plan your sites and shoot them.
Site Planning
Tips on planning shots that will contain 3D text.
Adding Ambient drone shots
In-Depth look at tools to use to review footage on site.
Reviewing using proper footage on site
In this section, we’ll discuss how should run your aerial business. We’ll discuss how you should come up with a business name, logo, website and more importantly how you should price and deliver your services. I’ll cover all business administrative software I used when managing Aerial films; from marketing, to analytics to billing.
Business EssentialsHow to kick start and manage an aerial filming business
Where to look when thinking of a business name. How to create or
buy a logo
Business Name and Logo
Where to host your website and other hosting options. Godaddy vs. wix.com
Hosting websites
How to create a business plan that you’ll track towards in your fiscal
year.
Business Plan
How to price your services. What hourly rate to start off with. What hourly rate to
target at.
Pricing
How to obtain your first client. Where to find them and how to reach out to them. Use of Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo
Marketing
How to invoice your clients. What details to include in your invoices. What software to use.
Invoicing
What monthly subscriptions to keep in mind. Once budget is available what subscriptions to opt-n for.
Subscriptions
How you’ll advertise your first video that you’ve made. Ideas of your first video .
First Video
Price Plans
Here’s a breakdown of various different price plans that can be offered to customers interested in aerial coverage. Generally, there will be customization made to some or all of the plans listed below, but these plans can help you stay above your cost price to ensure that your efforts are fruitful.
Overview of various price plan options
Event Coverage
$100/hr
Hourly on-site coverage included
Polishing and editing video available at same rate
Aerial Photos
$150Per Property
Final work delivery 1-3 days
One hr on-site
10-20 Polished Images
Raw images (Upon Request)
Aerial Video
$400
Two hours on site
One final edited video
Raw footage (Upon Request)
Combo
$500
Three hours on site
One final edited video
15-25 Polished Images
Raw video and images (Upon request)
Per Property Per Property Per Event
Final work delivery 3-5 days
Final video uploaded on Vimeo in HD Final video uploaded
on Vimeo in HD
Final work delivery 5-7 days
Final work delivery 1-2 days
Invoice Check List
Add every single detail of what will be delivered:
• 15-20 Polished Aerial Photos
• One edited video between 3-5mins in length uploaded for client to access via Vimeo or YouTube
• Turn around time will be between 3-5 business days after the day of recording.
• All payment must be made at the day of delivery.
• Following dates of coverage will be provided: Add Date, Time.
• If weather interruptions are made then deposited amount will be shifted to another date at no additional cost.
• Cancelling: 50% deposit can be shifted to another date, no returns.
• Delivery of final file can be made via USB key upon request.
Practice List - Part 1Perfect your aerial cinematic shots using these inanimate objects
Boat Abandoned BuildingStandalone TreePossible Cinematic Shots
• Discover shot over the Tree • Discover shot beside the Tree • Ground up from under the Tree
• Follow boat from behind • Follow boat pan on water than up • Follow boat side pan view
• Fly from space • Fly to space • Orbit Rotate
Practice List - Part 2Perfect your aerial cinematic shots using these inanimate objects
Bike Sun ReflectionNarrow TreesPossible Cinematic Shots
• Fly between trees • Fly over trees • Ground up shot between trees
• Follow a biker you know • Follow biker in small speed close shot • Follow biker in fast speed wide shot
• Capture reflection on water • Capture lens flare
Helpful Links
Audio:Royalty Free: • hMp://incompetech.com/music/royalty-‐free/ • hMp://www.bensound.com/royalty-‐free-‐music/2 • hMp://www.purple-‐planet.com/
Premium Tracks: • http://www.pond5.com/ • https://www.musicbed.com/• http://audiojungle.netVideo: Supported Import Media link: • hMps://support.apple.com/kb/PH12754?locale=en_US
Manage Library storage: • hMps://support.apple.com/kb/PH17905?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US
Photo: Adobe Lightroom Presets • hMps://contrastly.com/free-‐lightroom-‐presets/ • hMp://www.on1.com/free/lightroom-‐presets/
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