so ive been flying for about a year now mostly just messing around getting footage for myself but lately ive been trying to actually make stuff that looks intentional and not just random clips stitched together. my problem is i get to a location and kind of freeze up and just fly whatever comes to mind which usually means i end up with like 40 minutes of mediocre footage and maybe one or two usable clips.

do you guys actually plan shots beforehand or is it more of a feel thing when you get there? ive seen people talk about shot lists but i dont really know how that translates to drone work specifically. like a reveal shot or a tracking shot makes sense in theory but actually executing it while also thinking about altitude and the wind and battery life is a whole other thing. any tips from people who actually shoot with intention would be great

honestly the planning thing clicked for me when i stopped thinking about it as "what do i want to fly" and started thinking about it more like, what story does this location tell and what angles show that. sounds pretentious maybe but it actually helps. i usually do a quick walkthrough on google earth or even just maps satellite view the night before and identify like two or three anchor points i want to hit ? a wide establishing pull back, something low and close to the ground for texture, and usually one move that uses the environment somehow like a reveal through trees or over a ridge.

when youre actually there battery pressure is real so i prioritize. first battery is for the shots im most confident in, second battery is for experimenting. also i started keeping notes on my phone after each flight of what worked and what didnt, nothing fancy just a few words. after a few months you start to notice your own patterns and what you tend to miss.

same problem here tbh, i just kinda go for it and hope something looks good lol. but one thing that actually helped me was watching the footage back and picking my favorite 3 clips then trying to figure out WHY i liked them. usually it was something about the movement having a clear start and end point, like the camera was going somewhere with a purpose. now i try to think of each shot as having an "in" and an "out" before i even take off. still messy but less random