Would a Drone Video Bring Me More Business?

Video has been on the rise for years and has easily been a number one asset when promoting a business online. A great way to see your product in action is through the use of a drone.

Drone video makes you feel like you are part of the experience. For things that are large and outdoors, a drone video captures everything: The size and scope of your operations, the power behind your machinery, the impact of your products/services.

I recently had a client that was building a whole new plant and during the process I had some drone video taken.  It was used on their social media and website.

Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert at drone videography, but luckily I work with someone who is. Jonathan Lahr of Lahr Brothers, is a drone videographer and filmmaker in Sartell, MN who specializes in drone videography. In this blog, he will be going over the some frequently asked questions about drone videography.

DRONE QUESTIONS

How does drone videography differ from normal video services?
“The biggest, and most obvious, difference is the amount of flexibility you have with shooting your video. You aren’t constrained to a stationary shot or limited range of motion. Everything is horizontal with standard video. With aerial video footage, you have access to the vertical. You can shoot over and around objects with relative ease. It makes video more dynamic and active, which I believe improves engagement with any video.”

What got you started in doing drone videography?
“My brother (Nathan) and I were always interested in technology and when commercial drones started becoming available to the public, we wanted to try it. For us, it was easy to pick up, kind of like playing a video game. Once we started to realize the applications for it, we took it more seriously.”

Do you need to be certified to fly a drone?
“If you want to fly for fun and don’t want to make money, no. In order to fly for businesses, you need to be a licensed drone pilot. We got certified through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and received our Small UAS Part 107 Remote Pilot license. We retest every two years, so our knowledge stays sharp and current.”

What are the responsibilities of a drone pilot?
“There are several responsibilities of a drone pilot when performing a flight. You need to have knowledge of your aircraft, airspace classifications, flight restrictions, and other operating requirements and limitations.

In a commercial capacity, you need to have proper insurance, licensing, and/or waivers when conducting flights. There is a lot of pre-planning involved from inspections on the aircraft and scheduled flight path to weather and airspace restrictions on any given day. We also have crew resource management for small teams.

The amount of work before the flight is often underestimated.”

What limitations are there to drones?
“During any video shoot, numerous conditions can hamper a shooting day. The two biggest for drones are weather and airspace restrictions. Smaller drones can be more prone to flight issues during windy days and storms can prevent a flight from even taking place.

Airspace restrictions are also factors drone pilots need to be aware of. Certain airspaces you can’t enter without waivers and permissions and even scheduled events can limit airspace access. Often times most issues can be mitigated with proper planning.”

What is the cost of drone video services?
The costs can vary based on a number of factors. Location, equipment, services, and requirements for the finished product. Doing a video for a special event may be different than a commercial video for a business.

That’s not to say that drone videos are necessarily expensive. You can get incredible results for a reasonable price. It all depends on the project.

Can a drone fly over people for my commercial?
I get asked this all the time. Yes, but only with proper waivers or under certain conditions. Sometimes waivers can take a while to get for projects, so pilots will avoid flying over people when doing projects without them. That might mean only filming buildings or shooting from a safe distance. However, this may be changing soon.

Back in January, the FAA proposed some new changes that would allow drones to fly over people without a waiver and fly at night, which I am especially excited about.

Which is better: Traditional video or drone video?
One is not necessarily better than the other. When both are used together is when the videos really come together. If you want more movement and show off the size of a product or business, aerial video is going to help a lot. Event venues, sports, vehicles like boats, cars, and other outdoor utility vehicles really benefit from drone video.

Drone video helps businesses stand out from the competition, in my opinion. It gives you a better idea of the scale and puts the viewer in a place of wonderment. When people watch videos of sweeping landscapes for vacation promotions, there aren’t many people that watch those and say, ‘I don’t want to go on vacation.’

Aerial video brings people in, gets them thinking about where they want to be and if your product is associated with it, they very well may want your product too.”

As a special discount, I’ll be offering $50 dollars off a drone video purchased through Solutions By JoyGenea. You can contact her to get more details. Contact JoyGenea

If you have any additional questions regarding drone videography, send them to: lahrbrothers@gmail.com

– Jonathan Lahr

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