Drone Media

PolarPro Filters:

Mavic-2-pro-a-few-crucial-cinematic-settings

PolarPro tutorial-how-to

Practice:

AOPA - Stick skills (Practice)

Drone Photo/Film Competitions:

Cool Drones:

Story Telling:

7 Story Arcs & templates
Camera Shot Guide

Aerial Story-Telling

From Eric Cheng

"There needs to be a journey in order for a story to work well."

Tell a story that explores space. A particular natural formation like the cliffs over a nice spot on the coast, a lake that reflects light just so in the hours before sunset, or the silhouette of a bunch of cacti in the desert all can be part of an interesting story if the right pieces are captured.

Answer before you fly:

Does video have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
Is there a sense of context? Are the subjects anchored, somehow, in an environment or feeling?
Is video satisfying to watch? Beautiful, evocative, disturbing, educational?
Do you care about it? Did you plan, capture and edit it?

Tips & Tricks

What is a Story Arc?

A good story includes the 3 key elements: L-ements or 3Ls

interesting characters (LIFE),
engaging settings (LOCATION),
and a intriguing plot (LORE)

How to fit these elements together in a cohesive way? Story arcs are tools to provide a map or plan for a story.

The Formula

Story = Open+ Rise + Climax + Drop + Close

Simpler still. A story needs a definite beginning, middle and end. (Open, Climax & Close)

Open - establishes a time & place and introduces the character(s). Who are they, what is going on? This establishes or introduces the setting or world of the character(s).

Rise - occurs once stage is set, generally characterized by conflict, challenges or curiosity (3Cs)

Trigger - an event to start the plot rolling.
Quest - response of characters to trigger
Surprise - plot twist, turn, or thickening (unexpected event)
Critical choice - decisions the character(s) make(s) to lead to climax

Climax - plot hits high point. Drama or tensions are high, viewer is invested. The most exciting or compelling actions.

Drop - occurs on the other side of the climax. Using an analogy the drop is the return downhill off of a mountain peak. The drop helps ease viewers into the resolution.

Close - resolution that ties the plot up, solves major problems and satisfies curiosities (unless sequels are planned.)

The Diagram

The story arc can be represented as a diagram: A level line during the intro. Rising action increases the slope until the story's climax when the slope decreases dramatically (falling action) before leveling out in resolution.

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