5 Drone moves for Shooting Real Estate Videos

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My top 5 drone moves for shooting Real Estate Videos.
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[@6BlackWings]

I call them "The forward reveal", the "Slide and Pan", the "Tight Slide", the "Crane up Reveal" and the "Track away". It's crazy, I know, but unexpected bonus is that you don't have to memorize what they do because you can tell what it is by the name!

[@jamesricks]

If someone uses one of this guy’s weird names on my crew I am avoiding letting that person have a conversation with me at all costs

[@explorethewonder]

Thank you for sharing your tips!

[@zandermagic]

Thank you Grant! Greatly appreciated!

[@michaelpoczynek]

Awesome scenery. Great videos thanks.

[@jemmyxmarks2286]

Thanks for the tips, i am a Beginner, the tips very simple and to the point, very Nice Thank you.

[@RobGraham048]

Thank you for this video. Great information for us new to the field.

[@ELCEV]

Thanks for the tips, great looking homes.

[@MaryChurchillRealtor]

Great video - thank you! And what beautiful scenery!

[@k4nch1]

Love this. Thanks a lot mate! Cheers!

[@marnienorris]

This is a great tutorial and thank u for sharing your tips!!

[@Ronriko1]

Love this.

[@AmedeePhotography]

The second shot you can do easily using Point of Interest intelligent mode if you use with any DJI drone

[@budhi1411]

Grant, this is excellent! This is helpful for my upcoming real estate projects this year.

[@StarBurstNovelty]

Thank you for your efforts - good stuff!

[@callumjenkins5694]

wow those properties and views were nuts!

[@katjahehn6076]

thanks for the helpful tips

[@adefisolaolasebikan3637]

Lovely shoots

[@infospinpix5152]

Thanks for the Tips..

[@Mister_DMG]

Thank You this was a great video

[@WhaikoreroRaps]

Love it brotha!!!

[@pablophotoart1]

Cool video! I was really hoping for the "Kiwi" shot though 😉

[@FerdinandMalapit]

Thank you grant

[@skyrendermedia-aerialphoto571]

Great tips. Always looking for ways to shoot better drone real estate videos. Thanks for putting this together.

[@richlolanyways]

So nice !

[@kensmapleleafretirement]

Thank you. It has been a while since a bookmarked a video. Thanks for the tips. I have one to do tomorrow and I have never done one. Thanks.... TTYL....

[@mspduk]

Amazing shots and dream properties.

[@AerialLensVideo]

Thanks for posting this - very helpful and - obviously - attractively done. Inspirational and right to the point. Much appreciated!

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+AerialLensVideo Cheers and thanks for the comment.

[@murphyandmurphybrand]

I miss Queenstown. Lovely shots and great video

[@storieswithaly1247]

Great summary. Nailed it.

[@rkaag99]

Magnificent setting on the chosen footage! NZ must be awesome to experience.

[@shaarinikannan3872]

Lovely

[@eastalabamaaerial9024]

Stunning Scenery here. My goal is always to allow the viewer to enjoy the footage and forget it is even taken with a drone

[@freestatedrone3371]

Excellent footage and amazing scenery. Ive always wanted to visit. Thanks, Grant!

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Cheers

[@chrisnarvaez5414]

Thank you for this video. Now I can use all my DJI drone with my Real Estate.

[@mathiascharman8635]

Super helpful video! Thanks! ;)

[@ewilsonheritage]

Great video from TN in the states. Beautiful properties as well.

[@AcesUpMedia]

Thank you for the helpful video! Learned about birds too ;)

[@TriniWeekes]

Great video, very nice basic drone moves

[@JartaMan]

I like how you choose names that are impossible to remeber..... :)

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+JartaMan Yup I struggle to remember them as well!

[@TheStoneReport]

Thank you from Utah in the USA!

[@UVOAgency]

SALT LAKE CITYYYYYYYY

[@horizon42q]

Nice tips

[@pathslesstrampled9906]

Kakapo. That bird is cool as hell.

[@sersec8785]

Great video

[@timmctighe5176]

Thanks Grant. I'll use your shot names and of course give you full credit. Love NZL....

[@paulriggs42]

Love the shot naming !

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I have to be honest and even thou I love the names, I have trouble remembering them so will generally refer to them by their more boring names like slide & pan or crane up!

[@terrancepinkney777]

Very nicely done. I'm new to this whole idea and found your video. I like the fact that its simple and easy to understand and with practice I will be able to do this in time. Hello from Southern California!

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Cheers

[@Mr_Kenneth]

Great video Grant. Simple and to the point as always. Look forward to practicing these this week. NZ is a beautiful place. very envious mate :)

[@jamesricks]

Simple and to the point, starting from 2 minutes in… minus the irrelevant bird names

[@KapaluaRealtyCoLtdLahaina]

This will really help us a lot & the concepts/example footage made it all clear! Warm regards and aloha from Maui.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+Kapalua Realty Co Ltd Glad to hear. Cheers from N.Z.

[@RASIDOOR]

tripod mode with my dji phantom 4 advanced and your 5 drone moves ... am on my way out to fly now

[@RICKHALBUR]

Thanks

[@GaleForceDrone]

Great video and very informative. Nice to have some definition and structure to use as a guideline. Love the names! Haha! :-)

[@desertbirdmedia1462]

Love this! Named my drone the Kiwi One... Great tutorial. Cheers...

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+Desertbird Media Glad to hear you found it useful, I keep forgetting my clever names! Cheers

[@lukegrasso991]

by far the best video. this has really helped and hopefully i can pull these shots off. btw loving the unique names ;)

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Cheers - I have to admit even I have trouble remembering the names, must do a updated version with simpler names.

[@gregmentsbio]

As a biologist I was pleasantly surprised by the names you gave your shots when I came just for the info. I will 10/10 call a shot a "kakapo" - for conservation awareness and because it sounds cool!

[@onlineoffgrid]

Enjoying your videos Just starting out with drone for video/photo use. All new experience not something I've done before but we all have start somewhere 😃

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+delineator Cheers

[@KAAKEproperties]

Thanks for giving us those creative names and adding some humor to your video. Doubt I will remember when I get around to doing them,lol

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+Philip Kaake Yes it was a bit tongue in cheek, even I have trouble remembering the names! Think I'll make a video with better names!

[@jamesricks]

@@GrantJohnstonVideos or just call them what they are… be honest you will never use those when talking to another video maker

[@trosencrantz]

Thanks for the video!! Question: When filming video's say Realestate, what is the best way to keep lighting to Not fluctuate going from a dark area to say the bright white sky? Like from a front door and then backing up as the bright sky becomes so bright and tends to wash out the image. Seems like in manual, you'll get a nice color based on your starting point but will either get blown out with a bright sky or vice versa. In auto it will adjust but then you get and see that change in the clip. Is it all a matter of post production? So how not to get fluctuations in light while moving in the scene?

[@justinwaldman3716]

Really great, Grant. I really enjoy your no-nonsense presentations. Thanks. Thinks *Hmmm, I'm going to have to find a Cape Parrot shot now.. . . "

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I'll be looking out for the Cape Parrot moves. Cheers

[@kimosabi860]

Nice market to shoot.

[@Miamiaerial]

the best aerial drone shoots are those where viewers dont anticipate it was shoot with a drone ;-) Thanks Grant

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Well said. Cheers

[@inheaps]

Thanks for the video! How much do you typically make from shooting one piece of property?

[@84jordie]

Thanks for the tutorial mate. Very helpful tips indeed, if i may ask of any tips if the property is surrounded by trees? Thanks!

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Good question, if the property is too concealed by tree's etc I have actually advised clients not to use the drone and stick to a traditional land camera and save themselves some money. Some clients may still want to see where the property sits on the landscape but if the drone doesn't add to the video then I don't recommend it. Hope that helps. Cheers

[@ash7675]

I can imagine you've improved a bunch.....the majority of your shots are easily repeatable. Try after try after try. How much fun!!!! I saw one wakeboarding shot that was impressive. I imagine it was one of hundreds....anyhow. Just read an article you wrote. Wanted to see how good you were.

[@jarodgoodman527]

First off, thank you for making these very helpful videos. I have learned a lot so far and have a question for you. I am just starting out with my drone and within the next couple months will be getting into real estate photography/videography. What is a good rule of thumb on how much to charge? Would it be better to charge before, half now/half later, or after? Deposits? Anything helps! -Jarod, Texas 🇺🇸

[@gigilatex65]

cool video

[@jonickness]

Not sure if those bird names will catch on but this is a great video. Beautiful houses too. Thanks.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Wasn’t my best idea, I have trouble remembering them!

[@albertlopez85]

is the xiro explorer v a good starter to get into drone video and photos ?

[@mattrigione2376]

I’ve probably watched this video 5 times now.... informative, straightforward, and simple but damn those names are hard to remember

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I agree, I now just use the plain descriptive names like pan & slide, track in etc

[@eagleeyeviewimages]

Nice video

[@jerrodcorey25]

So what camera is used in this video and what drone is carrying it if I may ask please

[@TheOgBambam1991]

Okay so I had my first job last week and I think maybe I went a little far with the footage. I guess what i'm getting at is that I'm thinking about shooting more cinematic to bring a different feel to the industry and maybe not so much in 60fps but taming it down to 24fps. I'm sure you've tried this but I wanted to pick your brain and see if its a good Idea to shoot like that or keep it pretty simple. In my way of thinking i'm just trying to put on the best show I can for the property to help get it sold but I don't want to go to far. Please when you get time I'd love to hear your opinion. Or see it. Thanks man!

[@richgran]

Great job, thank you. I like them all and I agree, the Kakahe can be the most difficult especially while changing elevation and adding camera tilt. I just realized that I have a question for you. Let's say you are doing a Tui. I have a tendency to maneuver from one Move to another in the same shot, I keep rolling. Is it better to complete one move before starting another to ease editing? I may have answered my own question, but it seems that if I complete one move before starting another, it would help me to plan each shot. Which raises another question... Can you offer some advice on planning your shoots.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I tend to think and do one shot at a time but I’m sure it could work continually as well. I find I also have to manoeuvre the drone into the right place as well for each shot.

[@aninstrumentalvision]

Nicely done. Excellent drone footage. But naming them after birds makes things more confusing, IMHO. Prefer real cinematic terms such as zoom in, tracking shot, crane, dolly.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I hear you. Well work on better names.

[@tera6245]

love the use of bird names..gives it that distinct NZ flavor, well done..kia kaha..

[@BelyndaHibbertBelz]

Nah, stick with your bird names! I like them ;)

[@indycustommade3568]

I agree. I am getting old and have trouble remembering all my kids names lol. So lots of birds is rough. Great tutorial though. Have been doing real estate photography since 2004 and want to add drones.

Some1 got really upset about the bird names move. Well, technical naming would be really better. Slide-and-Pan or whatever. I bet 100bucks, a youtuber wont remember any bird`s name next day. Those drone moves are classical and very practical. Good you mentioned them and reminded that such moves really work. Chochmingwu(corn mother), Dowanhowee(singing voice), Kakawangwa(bitter) are next to consider :-) (I dont mean to be mean, it is just that in this field of work I also work at, I cannot imagine naming such moves with such names no matter how logical explanation and point they have and are linked to a certain drove move.) Great vid!

[@UKAirscape]

Love the names. Love the stunning scenery even more. Wow.

[@curtmartini66]

Same move I like to use. I don't have names for the moves. So ill sperad yours around.

[@CathyDirector]

WOW maybe i can do all that in a few months or a year. :)

[@derekfite4805]

Love the names! Great idea. I'm in the US, but I'll try to remember and use your bird names ;)

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I have to admit even I have trouble remembering those names!

[@BarnettAssociatesTeam]

Thanks for the tips Grant! Appreciate it. My question has to do with camera angle. In the past, before using lens filters, I angled the camera down (still using a P2 w/ attached GoPro) to improve color quality and not film the propellers. Now using lens filters, I tend to keep the camera straight up and push the propellers out in the video editing software. What is your take on camera angle?

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+Barnett Associates Team keeping the camera straight or horizontal to the ground helps reduce the curvature or distortion of verticals that most wide angle lenses tend to do so I think what you are doing should work well. Cheers

[@BarnettAssociatesTeam]

Appreciate it Grant!

[@harjeetsingh1632]

Amazing shots and great locations. Can you please mention the location names.?

[@Piros181]

Nice video thanks , have to ask what camera is that on the wooden tripod ?

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

That was my Dads original Yashica Super 8 movie camera. Many family movies shot on that!

[@Piros181]

Nice rig thanks . I love the old stuff Im a bit of a film tragic.

[@Altune45]

Very nice shooting. How much of your realestate video is drones? Do you do any interior shots with drones? I'm just getting into this and want to find out what I need to be successful .

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Its changed a bit the previous summer from being about 40% drone and 60% interior video to probably 80% drone exterior video and stills this last summer.

[@exposurerealestatemedia]

Hey Grant. Were all these shot with the Inspire 1 Pro? The footage looks great and I'm debating on getting this versus getting sucked into the "latest and greatest" a.k.a. the Inspire 2.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Mixture of standard X3 and X5 cameras on the Inspire 1

[@eagleeyeviewimages]

Your new subscriber 👍

[@DenisElec]

Hi Grant, thx for this. Question for you, what's the video recorder behind you ? And in which case do you use it?

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Hi - its actually my fathers old Super 8 film camera that we used for family movies when I was young. Cheers

[@TV-of1ud]

Thank you Grant. Can you recommend a beginner video editing software for someone beginning with a Mavic Pro? I'm also in the real estate field.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

+T. Vale That's a tough question to answer, fortunately most video editing packages out there are more than capable of doing what you need these days. I only really know fcpx and premiere pro. It comes down to learning time with your selected choice and getting comfortable with it. Cheers

[@jmitteco]

Decent info. Guessing the the people in New Zealand will appreciate the bird names. Personally, I like the professional terms that already exist.

[@BeeTay]

What editing software do you use to overlay music and combine/splice clips?

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

I use Final Cut Pro X but just about any editing software works well these days.

[@360-media]

Great Video. To the Point. I Will NEVER remember those name, but good video. A whataakookawhatawho

[@rogerneeb]

do you do any internal footage? if so what type of shots do you recommend?

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Absolutely, in fact I always encourage clients to shoot internal as well as Drone exteriors is probably only 30% of the story I believe. Check out my Real Estate course for what shots I recommend, the link is in the video description. Cheers

[@pootytang4687]

Awesome video, but your technical descriptions are better than the names of the shots. Cool idea to name them after birds buttttt its a Bit confusing. Like the falcon I would think to be a swooping in reveal . Or the eagle would be high orbit. Or humming bird for a close reveal. Idk.

[@Avirath_]

In the “EAAR” no offence hahah I love the NZ accent!

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

No offence taken

[@rumihayes6907]

Is this 1080p video or 720p. I don’t think it is 4K though. Right? The names are cool. I don’t live in New Zealand so those are new birds to me.

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Yes 1080p and even thou I like the names, I have trouble remembering so tend to stick to the traditional names like Push In etc etc

[@raycrew]

Hi Grant, can you tell me do you need a license here in NZ to film commercially, and if so how do you go about getting it? Cheers

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

No you don't, anybody can shoot with the part 101 default rules as long as you adhere to the regulations. Have a look at the airshare.co.nz website which gives a good run down. Cheers

[@raycrew]

Thanks Grant, much appreciated.

[@Graeme_Lastname]

I hated it when they changed cps to Hz. Descriptive names always preferred by myself, don't know about others. Good info m8. ;)

[@BDrones]

Good afternoon sir I just passed my F107 license exam and I actually just got my first real estate gig today however I know I am nowhere near ready for this and wanted to say I appreciate the video I just saw of the top five drone shots I am currently going to go through your channel and hopefully I find more about real estate photography with drones I really value any advice you can give me and would appreciate you checking out my channel thank you again talk to you soon

[@garyjohnson6551]

Just beginning here. While I love the content, do you ever catch any "crow" for flying over other homes while filming your targets?

[@GrantJohnstonVideos]

Not yet but I'm usually careful about it and often theses upmarket homes have a lot of real estate to play with. The chances of it happening in higher density residential settings is increasing due to all the drone bashing we get in the media here now. Have had a neighbour yell at me when testing my drone over my own property thou!

[@jamesricks]

Video starts at 1:39

[@tonzray]

chur bro,mean as kapai...

[@RRRIBEYE]

These are nice, basic shots. What's funny is I can get very "SIMILAR" (keyword here, because I know I'm about to get pounced) shots like these for a LOT LESS with my Mavic MINI, believe it or not! Now of course, with your property shoots, you're probably charging upwards of $1000. I've done some cool shots for clients for less expensive properties in the $1-200 range, including post-ography-editing. What is your drone theyya and how many kiwis that run~ya?!

[@TheBluesine]

Sounds like your going hunting hehe....