In the last few years using a drone for wedding films has become increasingly popular. However, I don’t use a drone as standard and for those wondering why…this blog post is for you! I love filming the fun, natural emotion of your wedding day and a drone isn’t the best for those moments. Here’s why:
Drones are loud and distracting
I imagine quite a few of you who have watched the impressive, cinematic drone shots to the opening of a wedding highlights film think ‘Wow!’. When I first saw one I thought this too. That is until I stood next to one flying and realised how loud and intrusive they are. If you’re looking for a film that captures the day as it happens without distracting your guests then a drone isn’t for you.
There is a temptation to over use the clips captured from the drone…it gets boring!
I might be the only person with this opinion but when wedding films have drone footage they use it A LOT. I’m talking about the first sixty seconds of a five minute film being just the shots of the venue taken from a drone. Don’t get me wrong, I always take a few shots of the venue to set the scene but sixty seconds out of a five minute film is long! I find it very boring. In 20 years time I’m sure you’ll much rather look back and see your younger selves getting ready with your loved ones than a whole minute of shots of a building.
Drones don’t capture those special moments between you and your guests
If you’re looking for wow factor shots then a drone is perfect. For shots of you and and your guests having a great time a drone just can’t capture the emotion because it’s too far away (see my point above about it being loud!). The professional cameras and lenses I use means I can zoom in and capture natural emotion from the day without being intrusive. I’m quiet, discreet and couples often comment they didn’t even notice me filming for most of the day.
It’s weather dependent
Even if you really wanted shots from a drone, it’s not guaranteed. If it’s too windy, pouring with rain or temperatures are below freezing then it wouldn’t be safe to fly.
Filming with a drone for weddings legally requires a licence
Flying a drone for commercial purposes requires a licence. This obviously costs money and for me, it’s just not worth it to get one for myself. I’d probably use a handful of shots per wedding (see above about it getting very boring!) so it’s not worth it. If any couples really love the idea of drone footage then I would hire a trusted drone pilot, who has hundreds of hours of experience, to come to the wedding for a few hours and capture those shots for me.
Setting the drone up and flying it on the wedding day is really time consuming
From a purely logistical point of view, setting up and filming with a drone takes a long time and it’s not really possible as a solo videographer. It’s much more effective to hire a specialised drone pilot to take the epic, cinematic shots of your venue for a small part of the day whilst I focus on filming you with your loved ones. It would be awful to miss any important moments so having a separate drone pilot means nothing would be missed!
