By Umair Vanthaliwala

Ultimate guide to starting your own aerial filming business

**Please note that this is a powerpoint presentation that was discussed in detail on an online course.

In 2013, I started my own company called Aerial Films (aerialfilms.ca). I’ve successfully filmed North America’s Flyboard competition. Aerial Film’s aerial shots were used by ESPN in their featured segment of showcasing Flyboard as a new booming water sport.

In addition, many of my videos have been used by Canadian National Broadcasters like CBC Canada, CTV News and Huffington Post Online. In this course, I’ll attempt to transfer my knowledge and experience that I have in this industry and how I went from reaching out to clients and now clients reaching out to me for professional aerial coverage. I’ve captured Golf courses, Boat Cruises, Weddings and Luxury Real Estates Properties, which exclusively are valued over $250 Million dollars.

Introduction

Founder Aerial FilmsUmair Vanthaliwala

Camera  Setup Resolution,  Frame  Rates,  Field  of  View,  Storage  and  other  technical  

bottlenecks.

1

Course Overview

Aerial  CinematographyBasic  drone  flying  skills  followed  

by  drone  safety  and  into  cinematic  shot  and  how-­‐to’s

2

Video  Editing,  3D  Animations  and  Photo  

EditingImport,  Edit,  Color  Correction,  Match  audio  to  video,  3D  Fly  throughs  and  exporting  videos

3

How to turn a hobby into a business

Aerial  Photo  SetupWhich  time-­‐lapse  interval  to  

choose  and  why  along  with  the  right  mega-­‐pixel  choice  for  the  

type  of  photo  needed.

4

Business  Essentials Business  name,  logo,  website,  

pricing,  business  plan,  marketing,  invoicing  and  etc.  

5

After you’ve completed this course, you’ll have basic and some advance insights into the following software.

Software Training Overview

Final Cut Pro X

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe After Effects

Photo Polishing and batch image processing

Video Editing and Colour Grading

3D Text Fly throughs

Tout AppSending marketing emails that don’t look like a regular email.

Billings ProUsed to invoice and track client accounts

Adobe IllustratorUsed to create and edit logo templates

Post-Production

Business Management

In this section, I’ll provide insights into the types of resolutions, Field of View and Frame Per Second settings that I used to capture videos for my clients. In addition, I’ll share some of my experiences with the best time-lapse photography settings that I found optimal

and the reasons behind him.

How to setup your camera for best Aerial Video and Photo resultsIntroduction using GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition.

Understanding Video Resolutions. Which resolution is best for aerial

videography?

Understanding Field of View. Which one should you use for what

circumstance?

Understanding Frames Per Second. What frame rates to use in what lighting condition?

Which resolution is best for aerial photography?Which time-lapse is the most optimal for aerial photography?

Introduction to Video Post-ProductionFinal Cut Pro X

In this section, we’ll be focusing on video post-production. Goal would be to start off with the assumption that we’ve made in this course that you know nothing about video editing, hence a quick intro to video editing platform followed up with some advance skills of colour grading and matching video to the beat of the audio.

Introduction to Final Cut Pro

Colour correcting footage

Match video to the beat of your

audio

Backup Options Cutting and organizing footage

Import, tag and store media

Helpful links for royalty free music and professional

transitions

Exporting Options

Introduction to Photo Post-ProductionAdobe Lightroom

In this section, we’ll be focusing on video post-production. Goal would be to start off with the assumption that we’ve made in this course that you know nothing about video editing, hence a quick intro to video editing platform followed up with some advance skills of colour grading and matching audio to video or video to audio.

Introduction to Adobe Lightroom

Camera profiles (Remove fish

eye)

Cropping and framing an image

Photo Polishing (selective

sharpening)

Import, tag and store media

Helpful links for free Adobe Lightroom

Exporting/Watermarks/Automatically add client’s

name to filename

Introduction to 3D Text Fly through Adobe After Effects CS

In this section, we’ll be focusing on how to implement 3D fly through text in your aerial shots. To do this, we’ll use Adobe’s After Effect product to create fly throughs and then reimport it back into Final Cut Pro X.

Introduction to After Effects

Adding and Testing 3D texts, shadows and smoothness

Enable 3D Motion tracking

Import clips from FCPX

Helpful links for royalty free music and professional

transitions

Exporting Options

In section of the course is allow about aerial cinematography. From creative ways to adjust your gimbal calibration to eye catching cinematic aerial shots.

Aerial CinematographyFlight safety, Drone setup and Cinematic Aerial shots

First and most important topic to cover is safety. Where to never fly

and where to avoid flying.

Flight Safety

Inside peak in my drone case. What items I like to carry and some backups I like to keep handy

What’s in my drone case

Walkthrough of basic flight controls and calibration practice.

Basic Drone Controls

Full breakdown of cinematic shots in theory and practice.

Cinematic shots and How-to

How to change Gimbal settings for a smooth cinematic effect

Cinematic Gimbal Adjustment

How to plan your sites and shoot them.

Site Planning

Tips on planning shots that will contain 3D text.

Adding Ambient drone shots

In-Depth look at tools to use to review footage on site.

Reviewing using proper footage on site

In this section, we’ll discuss how should run your aerial business. We’ll discuss how you should come up with a business name, logo, website and more importantly how you should price and deliver your services. I’ll cover all business administrative software I used when managing Aerial films; from marketing, to analytics to billing.

Business EssentialsHow to kick start and manage an aerial filming business

Where to look when thinking of a business name. How to create or

buy a logo

Business Name and Logo

Where to host your website and other hosting options. Godaddy vs. wix.com

Hosting websites

How to create a business plan that you’ll track towards in your fiscal

year.

Business Plan

How to price your services. What hourly rate to start off with. What hourly rate to

target at.

Pricing

How to obtain your first client. Where to find them and how to reach out to them. Use of Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo

Marketing

How to invoice your clients. What details to include in your invoices. What software to use.

Invoicing

What monthly subscriptions to keep in mind. Once budget is available what subscriptions to opt-n for.

Subscriptions

How you’ll advertise your first video that you’ve made. Ideas of your first video .

First Video

Price Plans

Here’s a breakdown of various different price plans that can be offered to customers interested in aerial coverage. Generally, there will be customization made to some or all of the plans listed below, but these plans can help you stay above your cost price to ensure that your efforts are fruitful.

Overview of various price plan options

Event Coverage

$100/hr

Hourly on-site coverage included

Polishing and editing video available at same rate

Aerial Photos

$150Per Property

Final work delivery 1-3 days

One hr on-site

10-20 Polished Images

Raw images (Upon Request)

Aerial Video

$400

Two hours on site

One final edited video

Raw footage (Upon Request)

Combo

$500

Three hours on site

One final edited video

15-25 Polished Images

Raw video and images (Upon request)

Per Property Per Property Per Event

Final work delivery 3-5 days

Final video uploaded on Vimeo in HD Final video uploaded

on Vimeo in HD

Final work delivery 5-7 days

Final work delivery 1-2 days

Invoice Check List

Add every single detail of what will be delivered:

• 15-20 Polished Aerial Photos

• One edited video between 3-5mins in length uploaded for client to access via Vimeo or YouTube

• Turn around time will be between 3-5 business days after the day of recording.

• All payment must be made at the day of delivery.

• Following dates of coverage will be provided: Add Date, Time.

• If weather interruptions are made then deposited amount will be shifted to another date at no additional cost.

• Cancelling: 50% deposit can be shifted to another date, no returns.

• Delivery of final file can be made via USB key upon request.

Practice ListPerfect your aerial cinematic shots using these inanimate objects

Practice List - Part 1Perfect your aerial cinematic shots using these inanimate objects

Boat Abandoned  BuildingStandalone  TreePossible  Cinematic  Shots

• Discover  shot  over  the  Tree  • Discover  shot  beside  the  Tree    • Ground  up  from  under  the  Tree

• Follow  boat  from  behind  • Follow  boat  pan  on  water  than  up  • Follow  boat  side  pan  view  

• Fly  from  space  • Fly  to  space  • Orbit  Rotate

Practice List - Part 2Perfect your aerial cinematic shots using these inanimate objects

Bike Sun  ReflectionNarrow  TreesPossible  Cinematic  Shots

• Fly  between  trees  • Fly  over  trees  • Ground  up  shot  between  trees

• Follow  a  biker  you  know  • Follow  biker  in  small  speed  close  shot  • Follow  biker  in  fast  speed  wide  shot

• Capture  reflection  on  water  • Capture  lens  flare  

Helpful Links

Helpful Links

Audio:Royalty  Free:  • hMp://incompetech.com/music/royalty-­‐free/    • hMp://www.bensound.com/royalty-­‐free-­‐music/2    • hMp://www.purple-­‐planet.com/  

Premium  Tracks:  • http://www.pond5.com/ • https://www.musicbed.com/• http://audiojungle.netVideo:  Supported  Import  Media  link:    • hMps://support.apple.com/kb/PH12754?locale=en_US  

Manage  Library  storage:    •  hMps://support.apple.com/kb/PH17905?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US  

Photo: Adobe  Lightroom  Presets  • hMps://contrastly.com/free-­‐lightroom-­‐presets/    • hMp://www.on1.com/free/lightroom-­‐presets/