This is not my best work. I am showing it mainly for the story and the final scene.

I work with the cinematography teacher at my son's high school. Mostly I help with the Astronomy program. We had a big turnout st the observatory last night for the lunar eclipse, but I digress.

Yesterday he asked if he could borrow my GoPro as a friend was coming with a Phantom 2 to take some video of the school and the new atheletic field. I told him that I had a new Phantom 3 Advanced and offered to come by and show him.

We talked about the advantages of the Phantom 3 while I was getting set up. Even before the thing left the ground he was dictating an email on his phone to the headmaster petitioning hard for the school to buy one!

So, the footage from this is pretty rough as I was trying to explain things while flying around this unfamilar environment with buildings, trees changing elevations, etc. I had a few close calls more than once. It was a Sunday so there was really no one on campus. I would not have been flying around above the school if classes were in session.

The teacher was thrilled with the capabilites and wants me to teach him to use it when the school gets one. He stated that he would not let students fly it at first. At least not without very close supervision and some rules on how it would be used in the film program.

At any rate I think the smile on his face in the last shot says it all.

Nice video,  and new convert to boot!

Very nice specially the zoom out of the bulldog on the football field.

Looks like a great place to go to school! Nice video as well.

CaveDrone Posted at 2015-9-28 19:27
Nice video,  and new convert to boot!

Thank you. Always preaching to the lay people!

Willie Wonka Posted at 2015-9-28 19:40
Very nice specially the zoom out of the bulldog on the football field.

Thank you. I thought I was squared up with the field, but did not realize it until I was already up to high.

Kudos on doing this shoot! Very good! Would you be able to share what your camera settings were? Stunning quality!

EL SID Posted at 2015-9-28 21:07
Looks like a great place to go to school! Nice video as well.

Thank you. This is our private/public high school. Originally a seminary built in the 1700's (the central building with the bell tower). The students still get out at noon every Friday as the seminarians would 100 years ago. That way they could catch the train back home to their families for the weekends.

Students from our town and 7 neighboring towns attend. The school became private so they would not have to comply with many of the state's regulations. This gave them the freedom to set their own course for how to best educate the students. The "tuition" is paid from the residents' property taxes.
It is an amazing high school. It excels in academics, sports, drama, music and the arts. The film program puts out films as good as any I have seen from a college curriculum. The plays and and musicals are directed by teachers that are former Broadway stars.  I sometimes forget that I am watching a high school production. My kids have no idea that this is not your normal high school.

Very awesome......  Your video is good sample for what advantage by Drone to film.......... beautiful.....

QECadmin Posted at 2015-9-28 21:48
Kudos on doing this shoot! Very good! Would you be able to share what your camera settings were? Stu ...

Thank you.

This was just kind of a messing around session so the camera was pretty much left to its own. We wanted to get some general aerial shots and some of the new athletic field. The teacher was so fascinated that It turned out more of me showing off some of the Phantom's capabilities and how to operate it. So, the filming kind of went out the window. There is a lot of video of the aircraft hovering in place while I showed him things on the controller and app. It was pretty bright and I did notice a little rippling in some of the shots due to probably a high shutter speed. I should have added even a modest ND filter to counter that. It was also a bit windy.

White Balance - Custom 5400K - NEVER auto
16:9 aspect ratio
1080p 30fps
Color setting - Normal - I find LOG a little too flat. I have better luck in post with color grading with the Normal setting.
ISO - 100
Shutter speed - Auto
Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation are set to -1 I think
Minimal editing in Final Cut Pro X
While time of day is not a setting, avoiding mid-day is better if you can. Colors are more saturated and warm in the morning and late afternoon.

I understand the whole concept behind ND filters and the 2x the FPS for that correct "cinematic" effect, I don't find the effects from leaving the camera exposure on auto objectionable. I do pay attention to exposure and have the histogram displayed on the screen at all times.

I do minimal color correction, but this is where your video will transform from ho-hum to something a little more eye catching. The key is to use the video scope and bring the blacks (shadows) down just enough to touch the bottom line of the scope. You may have to play with the exposure a little. Just the right amount of black is what gives the video a certain richness.

The other thing I do is bump up the overall saturation a little. You don't want to overdo it and make it look like a carnival.

That's about it. Good Luck!

nabesarawak Posted at 2015-9-28 22:27
Very awesome......  Your video is good sample for what advantage by Drone to film.......... beautifu ...

Thank you very much for your kind words.

aopisa Posted at 2015-9-28 20:50
Thank you. This is our private/public high school. Originally a seminary built in the 1700's (the c ...

Your kids are getting a good start on life!  It's great that the tuition is paid with taxes like regular public schools,  Regular (not rich) kids finally have the same education as the trust fund kids.  We need more of that in the States.

Jim

CaveDrone Posted at 2015-9-29 07:11
Your kids are getting a good start on life!  It's great that the tuition is paid with taxes like r ...

You are right. There a re plenty of rich kids this area. That new athletic field was a single donation as is the library and science building. At the same time we have kids that rely on the school meal program every day. In the end, everyone has the same access to everything the school has to offer.

You are doing OK and I think DJI has a new customer and member of the ranks.

You are doing OK and I think DJI has a new customer and member of the ranks.

You are doing fine and I think we have a new member in the ranks.

aopisa Posted at 2015-9-28 21:42
Thank you.

This was just kind of a messing around session so the camera was pretty much left to i ...

I went ahead and bought an ND16 - takes some getting used to, and I need to play around with it a little more. Your footage is really good, and for a quick throw-together it's right on point!@ Thanks for sharing this info, much appreciated. And thanks for being a great ambassador to our hobby...ah yes, the fun we get to have with these 'toys' - yeah I know, it's not a toy

rodger Posted at 2015-9-29 09:27
You are doing fine and I think we have a new member in the ranks.

Thanks Rodger. I am anxious to see the results from the Phantom once I finally get out to consciously  make a video.

QECadmin Posted at 2015-9-29 10:15
I went ahead and bought an ND16 - takes some getting used to, and I need to play around with it a  ...

Thank you!

As I just stated to rodger, I can't wait to see the video from the Phantom once I get the chance to do more than just throwing something together.

aopisa Posted at 2015-9-29 10:20
Thanks Rodger. I am anxious to see the results from the Phantom once I finally get out to consciou ...

Keep hitting it aopisa, it will work out and you will develop your own style. Where are you in the US?

rodger Posted at 2015-10-2 20:48
Keep hitting it aopisa, it will work out and you will develop your own style. Where are you in the ...

Vermont. We are just about to hit peak foliage color. People come from all over the world to see it. I hope to get some video during this incredible, but fleeting time. That is if it ever stops raining.

aopisa Posted at 2015-10-3 08:57
Vermont. We are just about to hit peak foliage color. People come from all over the world to see i ...

I am in Rhode Island. The storm will be with a couple more days. We always seem to get one of these in foliage season. The salt air destroys the color. I use to go to Vermont every foliage season to do some Photography.