11 Tips To Help You Shoot Better Real Estate Drone Videos

With real estate agents and marketers making a beeline for drone video services, you might also be thinking to venture into the field. And why not? After all, real estate drone video is a lucrative enough area that can help you earn some serious money. However, do keep the following tips in mind when you get hired to shoot a real estate property.

1. Steady And Long Shots

The number one thing to keep in mind is to always take steady, long shots. This is actually a staple advice for any drone video. But in the case of real estate, the advice becomes even more important since you are creating a video for a client who wishes to impress prospective customers. And as far as drone videos are concerned, it is the long and steady shots that usually come off looking amazing. Shoot for a few seconds longer than you need. This will come in handy on the editing table when chopping and merging the clips.

2. Interior Shots

One area where real estate drone videography will differ from normal landscape videography is in the area of interior shots. While the latter involves shooting in open spaces, real estate videography requires that you also shoot inside the homes, in cramped spaces. And this presents itself with a set of unique challenges. Since the interior of a home will contain multiple objects, you should expect some difficulty in flying the drone without crashing into something.

But as you become more accustomed to the interiors, you should be able to glide the drone wherever you want without crashing into anything, whether you move forwards or backward. Since the space inside is tight, you don’t need to shoot any longer videos. Instead, 5 to 10-second shots will be more than sufficient. And be sure to arrange the interiors very well before the shot. This will not only help you in flying the drone with better control, but you will also be able to capture more beautiful shots of the interiors.

3. Mind The Wind

Take into account the wind conditions while shooting exteriors of a property. As a first rule, always check the weather forecasts and only arrange for shooting the property when the winds are expected to be calm. And in case you have to face windy conditions, make sure that you always fly the drone in the direction of the wind. If you try to move the drone against the wind, then you will have trouble with getting steady shots. You may also lose control of the drone, and it might even crash to the ground. If the winds prove to be too strong, then abandon the exterior shots for the day and use the remaining time to capture interior shots of the property.

4. Multiple Angles

Always capture the property from multiple angles. For example, if you are shooting the garage, then capture videos from the top, left, right, and front sides.  You can then edit them later on to create a seamless view of the garage from all angles. This will give the viewers a better idea of what the garage looks like. Shooting the garage from one single angle, say from the top, will not give much of information to the viewers and they might seek out more pictures or videos. This obviously is undesirable. The agent or the marketer will also be happier when you create real estate videos showing multiple angles of the property.

5. Lighting

Another big factor you should take into account is the lighting of the property, specifically the exterior shots. And for this, you need to consider the position of the sun. As far as possible, find out the time when the sun strikes the property in a pleasing manner that lets the property stand out from its background. Avoid harsh lighting conditions like the noon. Instead, opt for times when the property is lighted in a softer manner.  Remember to include shots when the sun is rising or setting. The golden tone of the entire scene will give the property an ethereal, dreamy look, thereby making the real estate video look more beautiful and appealing.

6. Shoot Multiple Times

If possible, ensure that you shoot a particular scene multiple times. This is because you will mostly be judging the video from a tiny monitor. And since your mind is focused on getting the shot completed on time, you might miss out on some imperfections in the video. However, if you shot the clip two or three times, then you will have better leeway to pick the best shots while at the editing table.

7. Horizon

You should also check the viewfinder alignment grid every time to shoot a clip. Make sure that the grid lines are perfectly level, both vertically and horizontally. Only this will ensure that the property looks perfect on all the videos. If the grid lines aren’t straight, then the property will appear distorted in the shot. Though slight distortions can be neutralized while editing, highly exaggerated distortions cannot be corrected using editing tools. So, keep the horizon perfectly level and straight when shooting the property.

8. Overhead Shot

An often used shot in most real estate videos is the overhead shot. Make sure to include these in your video too since overhead shots not only look beautiful but gives a bird’s eye view of the property and eth entire surroundings. As such, a prospective buyer will have a better understanding of the overall layout of the property.  You can check out AirVuz in case you need some inspiration and ideas for planning overhead shots.

9. Capture Interesting Details

When shooting from the skies, everything on the ground will inevitably look tiny. As such, there is a chance that you might lose out some important details of the property and surrounding. Maybe the shrub near the house is arranged in a very beautiful way that it accentuates the look of the property. In such situations, remember to capture the shrubs and the property in a way that the video shows the beauty of the well-arranged shrubs and how they enhance the overall look of the house. It is these little things that will excite the buyers and get your clients more deals.

10. 3 Axis Gimbal

Always use a 3-axis gimbal when taking drone videos. This will hold the camera steadily in its position, protecting it from being affected by any vibrations and ensuring that you are able to shoot super smooth videos that look truly amazing. And if you find that you don’t have a gimbal on any particular day, it is better that you avoid shooting the property that day. Without a 3-axis gimbal, the resulting footage will never look professional.

11. Post Processing

Finally, learn some post-processing tricks so that you can edit and join the video clips in any way you like.  Give special attention to changing the speed of the shots when appropriate. In some shots, slowing down the video might make it look amazing, while in a few other shots, speeding up the video might create interesting effects. Also, remember to color grade all the clips in a way that the entire real estate video has a single color tone throughout. Otherwise, the tome of the video might keep changing every few seconds, which will not only come across as unprofessional but will also not leave a good impression the viewer’s minds. With excellent editing and post-processing skills, you can easily turn out all the drone shots of the property into a stunning real estate presentation.