Finally got to film a home today. Not for pay just for fun. My business partner also has a realstate business. Thought I would practice on some of his properties to learn how to fly better, film, work with different camera angles and learn how to use the video editing software better.

Using GoPro Studio, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 (Need a degree to use this one) lol

Let me know what you think.
http://youtu.be/ElzI4js0mGk

Not bad.  I would slow your pans down.  Your color saturation was high in the beginning of the video and lower in the later portions.  You should strive for consistent video throughout.  Nice location.  I hope your friend sells the property.  Keep practicing.

nice work . As a home buyer it made me want to see more of the interior and neighborhood, A mix of aerial video and still shots along with interior shots may set the hook better. Keep em coming.

There's a couple shots where you push in or fly toward the house. I love those. I like the shots where you turn the camera clockwise but the bird is basically staying still.

The parts though where you raise the bird up, feel like you're leaving. I think if you did the reverse and came down from high it would present a more inviting feel like you're coming to the property.

I agree with Tahoe_Ed that the pans could be slightly slower. The last shot you have where it's just circling the horizon doesn't do much for me cause there's no real frame of reference on where the house is in relation to that view. And for me, a shot like that, if it can somehow show where the house is, should be used up front. That last shot should be like a slow pull in toward the front door, even if it's a similar shot to the one you used at the beginning, again, to welcome the buyer in to the house.

I also think the text at the beginning would play better broken up as overlays throughout the video instead of a one big chunk of text at the beginning.

That's just me. I like it though. I'm a hobbyist also and am maybe looking to make videos like this on the side just for fun once I get my flying skills down a little more. Look forward to seeing more videos from you.

Good effort, agree slow down the panning, but a good start, thx for sharing.

Here is a project I did for a house that was for sale :

All constructive criticism my friend. No offense from anyone. As mentioned, keep practising and you will develope your own style.

Thanks so much for all the advice. I have so much to learn and a lot more practice ahead of me. Not really sure what happened with the color on the video. First shots I took came out really dark so I had to play around with the exposure and saturation a little. The second shots I took came out more clear. Tried to match up both videos but didn't do a very good job of it. I wanted to get video of the back of the property but there were to many trees, low hanging branches and some powerlines back there. Didn't want to take the chance of crashing my Inspire. I'm sure as I fly more and get more experienced shots around foliage like that won't be so scary or challenging.

Again, thanks for all the advice. Now time to practice some more!

I thought it very cool of you to put your work up for criticism.

I agree with the points made, especially from JakeLikesStuff.

The only point I would add is to consider your music beds carefully. Not that the music was horrible by any stretch, but I found myself distracted by it.

I must point out that I have the unique background of not only being a certified videographer, but also a recording artist and song writer (although not a famous one- ha).

Music choice is certainly subjective... but anyone who says music isn't important needs to watch the Exorcist and realize the lack of music helps create the atmosphere. Or watch Star Wars with the sound turned off. Or Close Encounters of the Third Kind!

Consider your shoot: you were shooting a home that obviously was near a large body of water, judging from the plant life. I would have chosen a Jimmy Buffett-style tune... something that implies water-lifestyle.

You could use music choice as an upsell to your clients because searching for music is time-consuming... and it should be billable time.

Good luck with everything!

ChadAustin Posted at 2015-2-23 23:18
I thought it very cool of you to put your work up for criticism.

I agree with the points made, espe ...

Thanks I'll work on that from now on. Can't thank everyone enough for all the great advice and tips.

It's a great first real-estate vid. Keep it up!

fhagan02@me.com Posted at 2015-2-24 03:11
As far as real-estate video promos go... I've learned that the aerial view can get a real boring...r ...

Very nicely done. Thanks for the advice. I'll keep practicing and work on getting better shots.

Just an FYI the FAA would consider this commercial photography even if you were not compensated. Because the footage was used for commercial purposes, you and your friend that used it for the purpose of selling the house could be fined if he does not have an exemption.

Is it legal or illegal to do this (for pay) in the U.S.?  I keep hearing both yes it is illegal and no it isn't illegal because the FAA has no rules to enforce.  I hate to beat a dead horse but, I'd really like some clarification.  
Thanks

This was NOT for pay. I just did it for fun and to get more experience flying and filming.