Top reasons to have drone videography in your wedding video
Image: Top reasons to have drone videography in your wedding video
With the fast pacing rise in technology and popularity in the world of drone videography, we take a look at the top reasons you must have drone videography in your contemporary wedding videography. Let’s check it out!
Benefits OF drone videography in wedding videography
With many wedding videos being stuck in the 1990s with dreary production, overpriced rates, and standard video camera gear that is very much 'down to earth'....as in......' on the ground', a drone at your wedding is a no-brainer, right? If you are going to pay a wedding videographer you need to be asking the questions "Do you use drones in your wedding videos?" and secondly "Do you have an ‘Operational Authorisation’ issued by the Civil Aviation Authority?
A drone video adds a whole new perspective and vantage point to your day.
Now of course you don't want a whole wedding video of aerial shots, of course, a wedding video has many key ingredients like your granny's favourite cake recipe. It's about capturing all the special moments, emotions and embraces, with contemporary camera equipment, creative thought, great editing, and music, giving its overall style and feel to the video. However, using odd drone shots in a tasteful way to set the scene of the church or in more recent times a rustic barn in the depths of the Norfolk countryside will make the world of difference.
Image: Drone shots in your wedding video are a great way to set the scene for the wedding ceremony and reception location - making your wedding film look more like a feature film whether its in Hollywood or East Anglia
The rise in the popularity of drone wedding videography
With the rising popularity of cinematic and 'movie-style wedding videos, a drone is a perfect answer. It’s like having your very own 'Spielberg' style blockbuster wedding movie hit. Instead of being a box office smash, it will certainly be a smash hit for you and your partner to enjoy as well as the whole of your family and friends!
Image: Top reasons to have drone videography in your wedding video
What permissions, documents and insurances will my wedding venue require to allow a drone at our wedding?
This is a really great question, one which comes up an awful lot! Most wedding venues are now used to having a drone at their wedding venues and are very welcoming but will no doubt have to do some due diligence and will want copies of documents sent across before the wedding date.
Wedding venues will usually require the following;
A valid Operational authorisation issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (or C.A.A). This authorisation is reissued annually upon receipt of satisfactory documents, insurance and flight logs.
Copy of drone-specific insurance and risk assessments
They may want to have a meeting prior to the wedding day to go over any questions they may have to ensure the safety of guests, team members, estate buildings and neighbours to the wedding venue etc
Some venues may require a flight plan, which will show where the drone operator intends to fly on the day (this isn’t very common but has been known)
It is also worth noting that with changes in recent years, lighter-weight drones don’t necessarily need Operational authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority, which is true, but this doesn’t mean your wedding venue will want a wedding videographer flying a drone without this.
The Operational Authorisation is all about safety and competency. Race Wedding Videography will always have the appropriate documents.
In fact to me, Health & Safety is a mindset, not a department - that's why I have made it really easy to access this Health & Safety + Drone Documents pack for your wedding venue’s records via my online portal.
Your wedding venue can download x1 simple PDF which includes the following:
Public Liability Insurance
Civil Aviation Authority Unmanned Aircraft System Operational Authorisation
Drone Insurance
Image: A drone in your wedding video also is great for getting to those hard to reach places that would usually not be accessible
Image: A drone operator at the controls of the drone remote. Usually a smart phone is linked to the remote control so the operator/ pilot in command can see detailed drone flight details, like height, distance, as well as a view of what the camera is recording.
Drone Videography of the wedding ceremony and wedding reception location
Whilst different wedding film-makers operate differently, Race Wedding Videography generally films many of the drone shots of the wedding venue and wedding reception location very early on in the day around 8.30 am onwards. This is a great time to film as usually, no one is up, it is generally quiet and helps set the scene for the day and you make get some beautiful sunrises too! Drones are also quite nice to discretely film later on after the wedding ceremony when everybody may be outside the wedding venue enjoying the sun with a glass of champagne. As the drone is just below circa 400ft in the air and generally fairly quiet, more often than not, the guests are blissfully unaware of there is a drone nearby filming. Sometimes brides and grooms are keen for a group photo so sometimes this can be doubled up to be a quick video of everyone. Sometimes a drone can be used for shots of the bride and groom too - if the filming location lends itself to it. Imagine a vast empty beach or country field with just the bride and groom, can look epic! Drones are great, but don’t worry it’s all about adding a small and tasteful element of these shots ‘from above’ into your wedding film and not overusing them! But we should count ourselves lucky, although drones are now the ‘norm’ and a lot more accessible to wedding filmmakers even 10 years or so ago, this would be unheard of! If you wanted an aerial shot from above in your wedding film, you would need a helicopter! Oh, times have changed hey….!
