This is How Not to Crash Your Drone into a Tree
- Anna Maxey
- May 1
- 2 min read
Before today, if you were to ask me about drones, I would have said “those things the government uses”. I’ve obviously seen people use drones on Tiktok because I’m obsessed with traveling and hiking. When I see their videos, their shots look so beautiful and show so much more of the landscape that you can’t get on your phone from eye level.
Flying a drone for the first time was amusing. My professor showed us the tutorial on how to use drones and it seemed easy to learn. We used DJI drones, which lets you use your phone to see the footage from the drone. When I got to flying, I figured everything out pretty fast. I was only scared of another drone flying at me.
During this process, I learned about the importance of drones and the god shot. A god shot changes perspective and shows more of the setting in a story. As a god shot is really impressive, there are many rules that come with drones.
There are many restrictions that come with flying a drone. Can’t fly over 400 feet, no bad weather, don’t go over 100 mph—just to name a few. These rules are to help you fly drones safer and drone safety is the law. The Federal Aviation Administration gives rules to flying in national airspace.
Using drone footage can elevate your story by giving it a new angle. My mini documentary is about the executive order passed on the increase of clear cut logging in national forests and parks. I can use drone footage aka god shot to show how large the landscape of my local national forests are. If I didn’t want a perspective shot, I could use a drone to follow a park ranger walking or doing a task for some b roll. This footage will help my story become more immersive, by guiding the viewers through what goes on in the park ranger’s daily routine.
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