Plan the Event Before the Drone Takes Flight
If your company is planning a corporate event, this article will help understand how to prepare if you’re thinking about employing video drone coverage for it.
The benefits of drone footage is that it can reveal the size, the setting and the atmosphere of an event in ways that ground-level video simply cannot. It can document a crowd filling a venue, establish the surrounding location and even follow people’s activity across a large outdoor space.
But capturing useful footage however, takes some advance planning. The event schedule, venue layout, crowd conditions and the purpose of the finished video all affect what can be filmed and how the final product will turn out.
If drone coverage is added at the last minute, the operator may arrive to find that an important shot is highly unsafe, the required flight authorization cannot be obtained in time or that the planned launch area is occupied by guests or event equipment. All setbacks that can be avoided with proper planning.
When the drone operator can plan alongside with the rest of the event, it gives the production team a much better chance of capturing footage that earns its place in the final video.
Steps to Properly Plan Drone Videography For Events
Feel free to download and complete our Event Drone Video Planning Checklist (PDF) to organize the details your operator will need to assess the location, prepare the required shots and address any flight requirements.
Decide what the drone footage needs to accomplish
First begin by determining how the footage will be used. This important steps helps the drone team plan the right shots and capture the footage in a format suited to the finished video.
For instance an event recap, a promotional video or a news segment may each require a different approach.
This video shows example of drone photography and videography that captures the essence and scale of an event and provides viewers with breathtaking aerial perspective.
A corporate anniversary video might need an aerial view of employees gathered outside the building. A festival organizer may want footage that demonstrates attendance. A product launch could require carefully timed video of a brand reveal or a branded display. All using drone videography, but in quite different angles and perspectives.
The intended use also affects how the drone operator covers the event. For instance a continuous documentation requires a different shot plan than a short highlight video that contains several carefully selected aerial clips. Virtually every event is different and requires it’s own custom planning to ensure the final product is right for publishing.
Before the event date, provide the production team with a list of the moments and details that matter most.
Some examples of these can include:
- The venue and surrounding location.
- Guests arriving.
- Signage, displays and sponsor branding.
- The crowd at peak attendance.
- A scheduled presentation or product reveal.
- Performances, races or outdoor activities.
- The completed event setup before guests arrive.
- Movement between different activity areas.
- A procession, parade or organized group activity.
- Parking areas, entrances and overall attendee flow.
All this planning helps the drone crew prioritize specific footage instead of trying to randomly film anything and everything from above.
Bring the drone video provider into the plan early
If your goal is to have aerial footage play an important role in the finished production, bring in the company that’s providing your drone video services while the event planning can still be adjusted. The aerial component of the project should be discussed before the event schedule and filming positions are finalized.
Even a seemingly straightforward flight could be affected by so many unforeseen obstacles including nearby airports, temporary airspace restrictions, buildings, trees, power lines or the distance from the attendees.
This gives the drone team the ability to properly assess the proposed location, identify practical operating areas and explain which requested shots are realistic or out of reach. Early involvement also gives the operator time to secure any necessary airspace authorization and coordinate this information with the venue.
This type of planning is especially important for large public gatherings where the safest flight path depend on setting aside a controlled area that guests cannot enter, so this should be established early on in the planning.
Make a plan for required deliverables
At this stage it’s important to confirm what deliverables are needed before the event so the drone operators can plan and record the right footage, and decide which filming and camera settings to use.
In planning deliverables, some important details could include:
- Raw footage, edited clips or a finished video.
- Video resolution and frame rate.
- Horizontal or vertical formatting.
- Which clips are required for social media.
- Whether footage style must match other cameras.
- File format and delivery method.
- Rights to use the footage in advertising, broadcasting or future productions.
- Any required lengths of the finished video(s).
- Branding, titles, captions or sponsor acknowledgements to include.
- Whether multiple versions are needed for different platforms or audiences.
- Any footage or highlight clips needed during or immediately after the event.
- Still images to be extracted from the video footage.
- If applicable, the number of revisions included with edited deliverables.
Also, if another production company is going to be hired to edit the footage, take note that the drone operator should be informed of their preferred camera settings and file specifications.
Confirming these details before the event gives the drone operator a clear filming plan and ensures the delivered footage is ready for its intended use.
Confirm the airspace and venue requirements
Before a flight, the drone operators must determine whether the location is in controlled, restricted or temporarily restricted airspace even if the property owner has given permission to fly there.
This includes reviewing the surrounding airspace, checking for any temporary flight restrictions and obtaining any required FAA authorization before the event.
You simply need to provide the team with the exact location and event times early on in the planning so these checks can be done in advance.
Depending on the location and type of event, your drone operator will also work with you and the venue to address:
- Written authorization from the venue or property owner
- Coordination with event security
- Local permits or filming requirements
- Approved takeoff and landing areas
- Access to restricted portions of the property
- Coordination with other camera and production crews
These requirements should be investigated well before the event date instead of finding out that the venue sits beside a controlled airspace on the morning of the shoot.
Discuss and plan safe flight paths around attendees
Crowd conditions have a direct impact on how an event can be filmed so the drone operators should not simply be asked to launch over a gathering even if the event organizer has requested an overhead shot.
The aircraft, nature of the flight and exposure of people on the ground must all be considered, but certain FAA rules permit drone operations over people when specific operating requirements are satisfied.
Rest assured that in many situations and with professional video editing, effective aerial footage can be captured without positioning the drone directly above attendees. The operator can film from the perimeter, use angled views, establish a route over an unoccupied section of the property and/or use zoom features to capture crowd footage from high up and out of the way of people.
For crowd footage, event planners can help by confirming:
- A secure takeoff and landing zone.
- Space separating the operator from guests.
- Clearly marked areas that must remain unoccupied.
- Access to the site before attendees arrive.
- Information about roads and vehicle movements.
- Assistance from venue staff or security when necessary.
If Needed Schedule the Most Important Aerial Shots
Add the important aerial shots to your event schedule and share the event run-sheet with everyone on the team including the drone operator. This schedule should explain which moments are fixed, which are flexible and which footage must be captured.
Schedule each shot for when the event will look the way you want it to appear. For example:
- Film the venue after setup is complete but before guests arrive.
- Capture entrances while guests are actively arriving.
- Schedule crowd footage for the expected peak attendance.
- Provide exact times for presentations and outdoor activities.
- Plan a closing shot while enough daylight remains.
If attendance or setup timing is uncertain, have the drone operators capture some shots twice. For instance the venue could be filmed shortly after opening and again when the crowd is expected to be at its largest.
You should also identify the must-have shots and the ones that would simply be nice to include. If weather or schedule changes reduce the available flight time, the operator will then know which footage to prioritize because they’ll have a stack of extra shots on file.
Finally, give the operator a day-of contact who can confirm when important activities are about to begin because even a small change in the schedule can cause an important aerial shot to be missed.
Prepare for Changes in Weather Conditions
Ask any professional drone operator and they’ll tell you that wind, rain and temperature can all affect drone operations. Flying conditions can also change at different elevations and around tall buildings, so all these factors have to be considered well before the flight begins.
Before liftoff, it’s wise to include a level of flexibility in the filming schedule so filming can be moved earlier or later if necessary. If the event spans several hours, you should provide the operator with windows of opportunity when the most important activities will occur.
Note, that a highly experienced drone operator can handle most weather conditions but it’s good to have a backup plan that identifies what the ground crew will capture if a particular aerial shot cannot be completed safely.
Remember no piece of footage is important enough to justify launching in unsuitable conditions but be assured that a skilled operator will always be ready for the moment he can safely get the drone in the air and get the right shots needed.
What the Drone Video Provider Should Help You Plan
Filming an active public gathering requires an operator to respond to crowd movement, schedule changes and unexpected activity without losing sight of the original production goals and a qualified drone services provider will ask you detailed questions to help develop a workable coverage plan.
Before hiring a drone company, confirm that it can:
- Evaluate the location and surrounding airspace.
- Identify required authorizations or restrictions.
- Provide an FAA-certificated remote pilot.
- Supply appropriate insurance documentation.
- Plan flights around guests and event activity.
- The drone company’s relevant event experience
- Coordinate with venue management and production crews.
- Explain how upcoming weather conditions can affect coverage.
- Deliver footage that’s suitable for its intended use.
Make sure to do extensive research on the company to ensure they’re the right fit for the project.