Blue Mantle Films
Aerial Demo Reel - DJI Phantom 2 with Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal
updated
This is my first upload to this channel in a year and a half, and my first drone upload in nearly four years! I decided recently to finally try my hand at FPV, and while I didn't initially think I would be publishing FPV content, my thought process has shifted over the last few months. For those who have followed my work from my early days of droning, you probably know how much I love creating videos with drones. Until a few months ago I had avoided doing FPV because there are so many talented creators in this space. While that is true, and I'm very much a newbie to FPV, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and upload a video that's a little less-polished than I usually strive for. I'm leaning into the Matti Haapoja/Peter McKinnon school of thought of "done is better than perfect", and I hope to continue learning how to FPV and to (hopefully) one day be good at it.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy watching this and can hopefully take something from it!
We've been attending the festivals since a month or two after they started, and have wanted to make a video about it to showcase the wonderful work that is being done to revitalize a small town's downtown. We hope to continue making videos that can help in this revitalization, and can showcase what many amazing people are doing!
The equipment used to film this video is:
Cameras: GH6
Lenses: Voigtlander f0.95, 10.5mm, 17.5mm, 25mm, 42.5mm, and 60mm
Mic: RØDE Stereo Videomic X
Drone: DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Editing, Sound Design, and Color Grading all done in Adobe Premiere Pro.
The music for this piece is "Colourful Way" by Sofia, and it was licensed through Musicbed.com.
For my purposes I wanted to test battery life, usable range, and the latency of the system, because those three things would most affect the usability of the Mars 300 for livestreams. Overall I was very happy with the device, and I plan on using this on my streams whenever I can.
There are a few things to keep in mind while using this on livestreams, and this video walks through those considerations so that if you want to use this for livestreams, you'll have confidence you can do so successfully.
Since receiving the first device, a Mars 300 Pro (Standard), I have also purchased a second one, this time the (Enhanced) version, which features external antennae. I haven't noticed any significant difference between the two devices, but in theory the Enhanced version is for environments where there's more potential interference to the wireless signal. Since it was only $20 more for the Enhanced version I decided it would be nice to have one of each.
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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Teaser
0:17 - Introduction
1:37 - Battery Life
3:33 - Range
6:01 - Latency
8:14 - Monitoring & the App
9:23 - Conclusion
The drone used for this was a Phantom 2 (not Vision or Vision+), and the camera used was a GoPro Hero4 Black mounted on a Zenmuse H3-3D gimbal (weirdly I found that the H3 gimbal, designed for the Hero3, actually stabilized the camera better than the H4 gimbal). The footage was edited in Premiere Pro for timing, layout, and color grading, then processed through After Effects to remove barrel distortion and to do other corrections (horizon leveling, image stabilization when-needed, etc.).
This was filmed in 2015, using 2014 drone tech. Part of the reason for finally editing this video is simply because I had the footage and I wanted to finally put it to good use rather than have it live only on my hard drives. But another part of the reason for making this video is to practice not being limited by the equipment I had/have. Of course newer drones make capturing similar shots far easier and faster, but it was still possible to capture pretty shots even with drone tech that's now over six years old.
The song used in this video is "Sipping on Sunshine" by Mike Mains, and it was licensed through Musicbed.com.
All footage was filmed in and around Columbus, OH. If you're interested in learning the specific locations, turn on Closed Captions, and I've listed the locations on there.
If you like the video, please give it a 'thumbs up', which will help the video be seen by more people. It actually does help the algorithm to know if you liked or didn't like the video. :-) And if you'd like to see more videos like this (whether vintage or modern 'Blank by Drone' videos) please subscribe.
The manual trigger integrates with the ParaZero SafeAir ASTM-compliant systems, allowing you to manually trigger your parachute in the case of an emergency. It's a necessary component to be ASTM-compliant for a Part 107.39 waiver, which allows drone operations over people. Using this device, the SafeAir parachute system in conjunction with the manual trigger device, makes getting a 107.39 waiver relatively easy.
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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Teaser
0:21 - Introduction
1:48 - Hardware
3:04 - Setup: ASTM Add-on
3:58 - Setup: App & Firmware
4:30 - Setup: Unlocking ASTM Package
5:10 - Setup: Connecting the Trigger
5:42 - Conclusion
This is the second of two films we've made of Switzerland. The first was a drone and timelapse film, intentionally edited to be a slow and relaxing view of the country. This film, on the other hand, highlights some of our experiences at the beautiful places we visited. We hope you enjoy watching, and we also hope this can inspire you to travel and experience this beautiful country!
The equipment used to film this was:
Panasonic GH5 (used for the majority of the on-the-ground footage)
Panasonic GH4 (for some of the timelapses)
Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 (I love this lens! Three years later and it's still my go-to lens)
Lumix 7-14mm f4.0 (for timelapses and the occasional wide-angle b-roll shot)
DJI Inspire 1 Raw (aerial shots)
SLR Magic 8mm f4.0 Lens (on the Inspire 1)
Syrp Genie & Magic Carpet timelapse dolly
RØDE Stereo Videomic X (awesome mic for natural location audio)
The film was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects.
The music for this piece is "Through Different Eyes" by CHPTRS, and it was licensed through Musicbed.com.
We spent 9 days in Switzerland in May 2017 during a 5-week roadtrip around Europe, and it was incredible! I've been working on one variation or another of this film for almost three years now. Each time I tried to edit this I just couldn't find the right way to put it together to convey how incredible the experience and how beautiful the landscapes were. Admittedly I still don't think this video does it justice, but it's my best attempt, so it's here for you to hopefully enjoy.
Turn on Closed Captions if you'd like to see where each shot was filmed.
Locations featured include:
Jungfraujoch
Gotthard Pass
Brig
Bettmeralp
Lake Lucerne
Grindelwald
Zermatt
The Matterhorn
This is the first of two videos that we've made about Switzerland. Our next video is in our "Through Our Eyes" series, and will highlight some of our experiences exploring this incredibly beautiful country.
The equipment used for this video was:
DJI Inspire 1 Raw
Panasonic GH5
Panasonic GH4
Canon 70-200mm f2.8
Voigtlander 25mm f0.95
Lumix 7-14mm f4.0
And this was edited in Premiere Pro and After Effects.
The music tracks are "Dwell (Snowfall Remix)" by Tony Anderson and "Deeper (Extended Version)" by Chris Coleman, and they were licensed through Musicbed. I've been wanting to use "Dwell" since discovering it on Musicbed almost five years ago, but it's such a long and slow track that it needed the right subject, and the dramatic landscapes of Switzerland were the right subject.
Thanks for watching!
If you like this video and would like to see more, please subscribe and hit the bell.
Also, if you're going to be purchasing filmmaking equipment, and you're interested in supporting the work that I do, please follow this link to a list of the equipment I use for filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlefilms
That's an Amazon Associates link. All of the prices for that equipment are the same as you'd find elsewhere, so it won't cost you anything extra, but I'll get a small kickback, which can help me grow this channel and the content I can produce.
#AdobeAfterEffects #ContentAwareFill #SensorDust
I've said this on previous festival videos as well: these videos are a little different than our usual, but for each video that we make that's outside the realm of our "normal", our hope is that we can continue to improve as filmmakers, so that we can tell better stories through beautiful visuals.
The music for this project is "Rest of Our Lives" by The Light The Heat, and it was licensed for this video through Musicbed.com
The equipment used to make this video was:
Panasonic GH5
Voigtlander f0.95 10.5mm, 25mm, and 42.5mm lenses
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Nebula 5100 gimbal
We hope you enjoy the video! Thanks for watching.
This video is definitely different than any other video on my channel. I don't really talk about world events here, choosing instead to focus on travel & filmmaking, but the events of the past few weeks are impossible to ignore, so I wanted to talk (briefly) about Coronavirus.
This virus is obviously affecting practically everyone in the world in one way or another. I hope and pray that those who are sick are able to heal, that those who are affected financially are able to recover, and that we can come out of this with a greater appreciation for the blessings we do have. Hopefully these next few weeks or months are a time for you to spend with those you love.
The song is "Greatest Love" by Generdyn, and it was licensed through Musicbed.com.
This was filmed with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. All shots were filmed in DLog-M color profile, then processed in Premiere Pro for color (using the Leeming LUT Pro) and lens distortion correction. If you're planning on buying this same drone and want to help support the work that we do, please consider purchasing from here:
DJI Mavic 2 Pro - amzn.to/2DWdWbE
Mavic 2 Zoom - amzn.to/2OF5xgG
Fly More kit - amzn.to/2NlCcTU
And here's a thorough list of the equipment I use for my filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia
These are Amazon Associate links. Making purchases from these links allows us to receive a small commission, giving us more opportunity to continue making creative videos.
#djimavic2pro #drone #netherlands #holland
0:00 - Precap
0:37 - Introduction
3:24 - Overall Suggestions for Application
4:14 - Steps to Apply
6:35 - Application Specifics
17:42 - Wrapping Up
18:45 - Coupon Code
This video is more of a niche video specifically for those who are interested in obtaining a 107.39 waiver to conduct operations over people. If you're not actually interested in this, then this video is not for you. It's definitely on the long side, and it includes a lot of the nitty-gritties to obtain the waiver.
For those who are interested in obtaining a 107.39 waiver, this video is a resource that allows you to go through the process relatively easily. If you are able to obtain this waiver by following the steps in this video, please leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to know that I could help others to get the waiver.
Also, as mentioned in the video, ParaZero set up a coupon code for viewers of this video. Use the code "bluemantle50" on the ParaZero website for $50 off any ASTM system purchase.
We worked in partnership with the lodge manager, Rayne Davidson, and with the owners to be able to stay here for several days for the purposes of creating this film. It was awesome not only to be able to see the place, but to actually live at the lodge for a few days to get the full experience! And they even allowed us to invite family (one brother from Nashville, another brother and his family from Dallas). Staying at the lodge also afforded us the opportunity to film in a variety of weather conditions, from beautiful sunrises to misty mornings to stormy afternoons to brisk evenings around the firepit.
If you're looking for a cool and unique vacation experience, you should definitely consider this place! You can check availability and book your stay through their website: http://www.beckhamcave.com
We're very thankful to Rayne, who was wonderful to work with! She was so hospitable, and even acted as our tour guide, showing us cool hiking spots and caves (more than just Beckham Cave!), arranging ziplining, horseback riding, and canoeing, and overall just making sure we had a great experience while there.
We also want to thank Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for the ziplining and horseback riding adventures! They're a wonderful group of people who offer all-inclusive vacations at their ranch, allowing guests to participate in the many outdoor activities that they have. Please check out their website at: http://www.gohcr.com
A little about the project itself:
This film was two years in the making! We first heard of Beckham Creek in 2017 when it was for sale and went viral. At the time, I reached out to the realty company to inquire about making a video, but nothing came from that inquiry.
Then a couple of months ago we were making plans to go to Nashville for a wedding, and Beckham Creek Cave Lodge popped into my head again, so I looked it up and saw that it had been developed into a vacation rental. So I reached out to them and started a conversation with Rayne, and within a few days we had arranged for us to stay there.
The equipment used for this film:
Panasonic GH5
Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 lens
Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 lens
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Nebula 5100 Slant gimbal
Syrp Genie slider
RODE Stereo Mic X
The song for this film is "Bloom" by Tony Anderson. It was licensed through www.musicbed.com.
All footage is copyrighted to Blue Mantle Films. If you'd like to use portions of this film, please reach out and we can discuss specifics.
There are two main reasons I'm excited for this feature: 1) I can see it being very useful for removing the shadow of my drone, or removing myself from an image if I inadvertently end up in some of the shots, and 2) removing unwanted logos or objects from stock footage clips to make them stock-ready.
Let me know your thoughts on this process and how you anticipate using this feature in your videos!
Thanks for watching.
If you like this video and would like to see more, please subscribe and hit the bell.
Also, if you're going to be purchasing filmmaking equipment, and you're interested in supporting the work that I do, please follow this link to a list of the equipment I use for filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia
That's an Amazon Associates link. All of the prices for that equipment are the same as you'd find elsewhere, so it won't cost you anything extra, but I'll get a small kickback, which can help me grow this channel and the content I can produce.
#AdobeAfterEffects #ContentAwareFill #RemoveObjects
We filmed this in November, but we ended up having a busy fall and winter, so it took some time before we were able to put this together.
The song is "Kings and Queens" by Secret Nation, and it was licensed through Musicbed.com.
If you're planning on purchasing this drone, and want to help support the work that we do, please consider purchasing from here:
DJI Mavic 2 Pro - amzn.to/2DWdWbE
Mavic 2 Zoom - amzn.to/2OF5xgG
Fly More kit - amzn.to/2NlCcTU
And here's a thorough list of the equipment I use for my filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia
These are Amazon Associate links. Following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow us to receive a small commission, giving more opportunity to continue making creative videos.
#djimavic2pro #chicagodrone #hyperlapse
If you're planning on purchasing this drone, and want to help support the work that I do, please consider purchasing from here:
DJI Mavic 2 Pro - amzn.to/2DWdWbE
Mavic 2 Zoom - amzn.to/2OF5xgG
Fly More kit - amzn.to/2NlCcTU
And here's a thorough list of the equipment I use for my filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia
These are Amazon Associate links. Following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me more opportunity to continue making creative videos.
The song is "Paradise" by Analog Heart, and it was licensed through Musicbed.com. I love the music from these guys, and I've used several of their songs in my videos.
All footage was filmed in Miami, Florida (with, admittedly, an emphasis on the coastline since it's easier to film there than in the city). The flights adhered to Part 107 regulations. Those flights that were in Class B airspace were conducted under a wide-area authorization, and night flights were conducted under a Daylight Operations waiver.
If you're planning on purchasing this drone, and want to help support the work that I do, please consider purchasing from here:
DJI Mavic 2 Pro - amzn.to/2DWdWbE
Mavic 2 Zoom - amzn.to/2OF5xgG
Fly More kit - amzn.to/2NlCcTU
And here's a thorough list of the equipment I use for my filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp
These are Amazon Associate links. Following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me more opportunity to continue making creative videos.
Many of these steps are the same that I use for my traditional timelapses and hyperlapses, not just for aerial hyperlapses, so if you're working on projects that include those, my hope is that there's some value in this video for those purposes also.
This video is not going to be for everyone...it assumes that the viewer already has some familiarity with the programs that are used, and by covering the overall or broad steps that are taken, that you're able to pick up a thing or two that you may be able to add to your workflows.
If you haven't used LRTimelapse, and are interested in giving it a try, you can download it here:
lrtimelapse.com/download
And if you end up liking it, you can purchase a license for it so that you can use it personally or commercially.
Please feel free to leave a comment, letting me know what you think of this process, or any questions that you have on it. I can't guarantee I'll respond, but I will try.
Thanks! I'll see you in the next one.
This video covers the post production workflow that I go through when working with the images I capture with my DJI Mavic 2 Pro. I use Lightroom for the majority of my edits, working with the raw image files, then I load the image sequence into Premiere Pro to do final touches and for exporting the video files.
Any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments below.
Enjoy!
The tutorial is a bit on the long side, but I wanted to be thorough and cover everything that I thought would be helpful to get great hyperlapses.
If you have any questions on this, please feel free to leave a comment below and I'll do my best to answer.
I have several more videos coming up where I'll delve into other features of the Mavic 2 Pro, including a more thorough post-processing workflow tutorial, so please come back for that!
A very special 'thank you' to The Gothard Sisters, who so graciously allowed us to use their music in this video. They make beautiful music, and they just released a new album, so go check them out:
youtube.com/thegothardsisters
And here's our video from last year's festival: youtube.com/watch?v=-sW8OUUJsYI
This week we are moving to a new house (our first!), in a new state, and we're excited by the many possibilities that this next season in our lives will hold for us.
The making of this film has nothing to do with our move, but I thought the timing of this made a nice analogy for the next steps in our life.
We hope you enjoy this film and will consider sticking around to see more content like this. We've got so much in the works, including more creative and travel films.
This film was made with a Panasonic GH5 and Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 lens. We filmed the spring shots in April 2017 (some of the very first shots I ever filmed with the GH5), and filmed the snow shots in February 2018.
The music is "Dusk" by Autumn Spirits, and was licensed through Artlist.io.
This is the second video in a three-part series on data management, so be sure to check out the first video here:
youtube.com/watch?v=pQpZ4SI3Kz4
All camera footage (aka non-screen recordings) in this video was shot on the Panasonic GH5: amazon.com/dp/B01MZ3LQQ5/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
With a Voigtlander 25mm f0.95: amazon.com/dp/B00IGQV17Q/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
Here's the equipment I use regularly to make my videos: amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp
These are Amazon Associate links. If you're interested in buying some of this equipment, following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me the opportunity to continue making creative videos.
This is one in a three-part series on data management, so be sure to check out the other two videos once they are released.
All camera footage (aka non-screen recordings) in this video was shot on the Panasonic GH5: amazon.com/dp/B01MZ3LQQ5/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
With a Voigtlander 25mm f0.95: amazon.com/dp/B00IGQV17Q/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
Here's the equipment I use regularly to make my videos: amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp
These are Amazon Associate links. If you're interested in buying some of this equipment, following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me the opportunity to continue making creative videos.
In my last video we covered the post production side of things, how to fix flicker if you've filmed something without realizing that a light source is strobing, but for this video we cover how to avoid this problem in the first place.
It's a really simple tip, so the video is short. In a future video, if you'd like, I can go into much more detail on framerates and shutter speed and how they affect each other.
This video was shot with a Panasonic GH5: amazon.com/dp/B01MZ3LQQ5/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
And a Panasonic GH4:
amazon.com/dp/B00I9GYG8O/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
With a Voigtlander 25mm f0.95: amazon.com/dp/B00IGQV17Q/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
And a RODE Stereo Videomic X: amazon.com/dp/B00O5B3KCU/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
Here's the equipment I use regularly to make my videos: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bluemantl...
These are Amazon Associate links. If you're interested in buying some of this equipment, following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me the opportunity to continue making creative videos.
This method of removing video flicker is a variation of a method I first learned from Philip Bloom, which I ended up using extensively (and adapting as-needed) when working with slow motion footage that I shot in Europe this past May.
The best way to deal with flicker is to shoot in such a way that you don't have it in your footage in the first place. This can be done by ensuring your frame rate and shutter speed are offset from the speed of a flickering light source, such as LEDs or Fluorescent lights.
But what if you've shot something and you didn't realize there were flickering lights until you were reviewing the footage later? In this case, here's a quick trick that can help fix it. This won't work in all scenarios, but it's an easy first step to take to see if it works.
I hope this was helpful!
All camera footage (aka non-screen recordings) in this video was shot on the Panasonic GH5: amazon.com/dp/B01MZ3LQQ5/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
With a Voigtlander 25mm f0.95: amazon.com/dp/B00IGQV17Q/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
And a RODE Stereo Videomic X: amazon.com/dp/B00O5B3KCU/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
Here's the equipment I use regularly to make my videos: amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp
These are Amazon Associate links. If you're interested in buying some of this equipment, following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me the opportunity to continue making creative videos.
I recently became curious about pinhole photography, and decided to make my own DIY pinhole photography lens. The first iteration was just an old credit card that I poked a crude hole in --the pictures from that one were terrible-- but as I started to refine the process and to experiment I eventually came to this iteration.
It was fun to go back to the basics of photography, and to try to better understand light, optics, and photography principles.
This video is the first in a new direction that we're taking with our channel. We'll still be producing travel films as often as we're able, but we want to be able to release content more regularly, so we'll be working on various filmmaking (and occasionally photography) tutorials and tips, with the hope that we can grow as filmmakers and that you can learn something from our successes and our failures.
Please share it with your friends, please like and comment on this video, and if you're interested in seeing more content like this, please subscribe to our channel.
Thanks for watching!
I need to say a very big "Thank You" to Chris of Epic Adventure Rides. He dedicated two days of his time to helping us film around Page, Arizona. Many of the shots you see in this video would not have been possible without his help. If you're in Page, I highly recommend reaching out to him and going on an Epic Adventure: http://www.epicadventurerides.com
For our 12th video in our Blank by Drone series, we bring you to the dramatic landscapes of Arizona! It has been almost a year and a half since our last Blank by Drone video, but we're happy we FINALLY got around to editing this one.
We filmed this on the tail end of our 14-month RV trip around the country. We were driving from California back to Maryland, and spent about a week in Arizona. It is such a beautiful state, and we were able to witness some pretty dramatic weather during our time there as well.
If you have the opportunity to travel to Arizona, you should do it! Make sure you give yourself enough time to take it in and enjoy it.
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Here's the equipment used for this video:
Drone - DJI Inspire 1 Raw -
amazon.com/dp/B01DNJUOQ4/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
Camera - Panasonic GH4 -
amazon.com/dp/B00I9GYG8O/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
Lens - Lumix 7mm-14mm - amazon.com/dp/B00TJ5NKPE/_encoding=UTF8?ref=exp_inf_pl_bluemantlemedia
And here's a thorough list of the equipment I use for my filmmaking:
amazon.com/shop/bluemantlemedia?ref=ac_inf_hm_vp
These are Amazon Associate links. If you're interested in buying some of this equipment, following these links and buying from there won't cost you anything extra, but will allow me to receive a small commission, giving me the opportunity to continue making creative videos.
This video is our timelapse film of Pinnacles National Park that we filmed back in April of 2016! We spent a little over a week in the park. We camped, hiked the trails, climbed through talus caves, and saw some beautiful sights.
Pinnacles National Park is a fascinating place. It looks out of place with the surrounding topography: The rocks jut out from the otherwise rolling green hills of the Salinas Valley area in California. The park is a release site for reintroducing the California Condor out of captivity and back into the wild, and we were able to see the condors several times while there.
One thing that I really tried to push while filming this was to capture the actual on-site natural sound. I had a stereo audio recorder with me, and at each location that I filmed a timelapse I would also record about 30 seconds of audio.
The equipment used for this film was:
Panasonic GH4
Lumix 7-14mm f4.0
Canon 70-200mm f2.8
Metabones adapter (to mount the Canon lens)
Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Timelapse Slider
Zoom H4n audio recorder
Manfrotto tripod
The music is "Bloom" by Analog Heart, and it was licensed through www.musicbed.com. I also used this artist's music for my Death Valley Timelapse film: youtube.com/watch?v=7QFy4L9SHpQ
As I've mentioned in other recent videos, we spent five weeks in Europe this year. It was an amazing trip! Almost two of those weeks were spent in Krakow with my sister and brother-in-law, and while a lot of that time was just hanging out with them, we did go into the city several times and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and tastes that Krakow had to offer.
The equipment used to film this was:
Panasonic GH5 (used for the majority of the imagery)
Panasonic GH4 (for the hyperlapses)
Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 (I love this lens! Almost all traditional b-roll imagery was filmed with it)
Lumix 7-14mm f4.0 (for hyperlapses and the occasional wide-angle b-roll shot)
RØDE Stereo Videomic X (awesome mic for natural location audio)
The film was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects.
The music for this piece is "Soldier" by Fleurie. It took about three weeks to find the right music for this...I tried editing this footage to probably half a dozen other songs and none of them worked. Holly kept encouraging me to try this one, but I wasn't sure it would work, so I didn't for awhile. Once I did try it, everything just started to fall together so well.
In December of 2010 I put on my bucket list that I wanted to witness a total solar eclipse, so I did the research and found that the next one that would be feasible for me to attend would be 7 years hence, in 2017. Long story short, roughly seven years after deciding to go, we packed up our minivan, drove our family down to Tennessee, and did, indeed, witness a Total Solar Eclipse.
From the point on the Path of Totality that we were, the duration of totality was 2:13. This video represents the entirety of totality, starting several seconds before totality begins, and going until a minute or so afterward.
The video was shot in 4K at 60 frames per second. I used a Panasonic GH5 camera, with a Canon 70-200mm lens (mounted with a Metabones adapter) pushed all the way in to 200mm. Since the camera has a micro four-thirds sensor, that allowed for a 2x crop factor, and I also utilized the Extra Tele Conversion function (cropping in to the middle 3840x2160 center of the sensor) to give me extra reach. In the end, if I correctly understand the ways the various features/functions interacted with each other, I had the full-frame focal length equivalent of 560mm.
The music (in case you don't recognize it) is "Moonlight Sonata" by Ludwig van Beethoven. It seemed a fitting piece for this film. I used YouTube's royalty-free music library as the source, so I'm not even sure who the musician playing the piece is.
Witnessing the eclipse was a truly incredible experience! If you have the opportunity to attend a solar eclipse at some point in your life, I highly recommend that you do. We definitely plan on witnessing the U.S. eclipse in 2024.
During our recent trip to Europe we knew we wanted to spend some time at the place we each called home for a few months. Also, one of my sisters was doing the study abroad program this last semester, so we were able to visit her and give our little ones some quality time with her.
Equipment used for this film:
Panasonic GH5 (all ground-based video)
Panasonic GH4 (timelapses)
DJI Inspire 1 Raw (aerial shots)
SLR Magic 8mm f4.0 Lens (on the Inspire 1)
Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 Lens
Olympus 45mm f1.8 Lens
Syrp Genie & Magic Carpet timelapse dolly
The song for this film is "Brighter Days" by The Light the Heat. It was licensed through www.musicbed.com.
In April and May of this year we spent five weeks traveling around Europe. Our flight back to the United States included an 18-hour layover in Brussels, so we made the most of it by going into the city for the evening. I hadn't planned on making a stand-alone film of this adventure, but after spending the night 'on the town' I realized we had enough to make a film of it.
It was a wonderful evening for us, and pretty unique for our trip because it was the only time we stayed out late in a city. I think we've decided that we do need to include at least one 'stay-out-late' evening on each of our future trips. :-)
The equipment for this film was the Panasonic GH5 with the Voigtlander 25mm f0.95 lens.
The music for the film is "You Found Me First" by Jake Etheridge, and it was licensed through www.musicbed.com. Please check out his work and support his music.
Thank you for watching!
If you've seen any of our recent work, you'll know that this video is a bit different than usual. We're still moving forward with the drone/timelapse/travel videos, but we're always looking for creative projects to work on. We hope that by continuing to work on varied creative projects, we can continue to improve as filmmakers.
The music for this project is "The Three Coins" by The Gothard Sisters. They were awesome this weekend (several shots of them in the video, particularly toward the end), and we hope we can collaborate with them in the future.
The equipment used to make this video was:
2 Panasonic GH4s
Lumix 7-14mm f4.0
DJI 15mm f1.7
Lumix 25mm f1.7
Olympus 45mm f1.8
Canon 70-200mm 2.8 (mounted via a Metabones adapter)
Glidecam HD 2000
DJI Inspire 1 Raw
Please enjoy the video! Thanks for watching.
We were contacted by the Newport tourism office, Discover Newport, and asked if we'd like to make a video of their wonderful town. We are so happy we did. We spent a week in Newport, and between filming (mostly in the mornings and evenings) we were able to spend some time enjoying ourselves around the town. It's such a beautiful place! So a very special 'thank you' goes out to everyone at Discover Newport:
http://www.discovernewport.org
The song for this video is "Heights of Wonder" by Gyom. It was licensed for this video through www.musicbed.com.
The equipment used for this video was mostly the DJI Phantom 2 with a GoPro Hero 4 mounted on a Zenmuse H3-3D gimbal. Some of the shots were filmed with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, and the twilight shots were filmed with a DJI Inspire 1 Raw...a new system for me which I'm very excited about!
Thanks for watching!
To see more of our work, please subscribe to this channel!
All of the shots were taken with a Panasonic GH4 with a Lumix 7-14mm f4.0 or a Lumix 25mm f1.7. I had both my GH4's filming at the same time so I could get more coverage from one spot.
The music for this video is "Health, Happiness, & Success" by Tim McMorris. It was licensed for this video through www.AudioJungle.net
I hope you enjoy!
We spent all of last summer driving around the country filming different cities. We still have four more cities that are filmed but yet to be released...I'll release those videos as quickly as I'm able to edit them.
The song is "Tonight" by Secret Nation, and was licensed for this video. You should check out their stuff:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretNation...
iTunes: itun.es/us/vnkf1
This video was shot on a GoPro Hero4 Black, mounted to a DJI Phantom 2 with a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere, After Effects, and Photoshop.
Some of the locations in the video include:
Civic Center Park
Colorado State Capitol
Coors Field
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Downtown Aquarium
Molly Brown House
Elitch Gardens Theme Park
Colorado Convention Center
Pepsi Center
Denver Zoo
Kirkland Museum
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
Black American West Museum
Bluebird Theatre
Denver Coliseum
Chamberlin Observatory
City Park
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Thanks for watching!
Most of our videos are filmed with a drone, but this one is different: we knew we wouldn't be able to fly a drone in Death Valley (drones are banned in National Parks) so we focused mostly on time lapse (aka timelapse) photography for this video. We tried as well to incorporate a travel element to the video, showing our experiences of traveling around the park and enjoying the sights. We spent 9 days there, and while we didn't make it to every potential location, we tried to get a variety of shots and locations.
The equipment used for this video was:
Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Motion Control Dolly
Glidecam HD-2000
Panasonic GH4
Lumix 7-14mm lens
Canon 50mm f1.4 (mounted to the Panasonic with a Metabones adapter)
Canon 70-200mm f2.8 (also with the Metabones adapter)
Zoom H4n external audio recorder for capturing natural sound
The harsh conditions of the shoot took its toll on my equipment...my cameras got a lot of dust in them and need to be sent out for cleaning. My 70-200 lens was shaken up too much by the bumpy dirt roads and needs to be sent to Canon for repairs, and I dropped my 50mm lens down a cliff and destroyed it. :-( But, as one of my favorite YouTubers (DevinSuperTramp) would say, "It's all about the shot." The risks to equipment are worth it to get beautiful shots.
The song in this video is titled "Storybook", and is by Analog Heart. It was licensed through The Music Bed.
Featured in this video is footage from around Northern New Mexico, such as both the High Road and the Low Road to Taos, and other areas, such as Tres Piedras. We spent two days in Santa Fe and two additional days driving around New Mexico. We loved our time there!
Please also check out the video we made of Santa Fe:
youtu.be/pB3tSYC22Q4
The equipment used for this was a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. A more detailed breakdown of all of the equipment we use for these videos can be found on our blog. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, with Photoshop used very occasionally to help with masking for color correction.
The music in this video is titled "Runaway Heart" by SeaStockAudio, and was licensed through audiojungle.net.
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below. I do try to respond to questions. Also, I'm working on growing my YouTube channel, so please subscribe to see more videos as we release them.
Please also check out the video we made of New Mexico:
youtu.be/LusCYX8xJwQ
The equipment used for this was a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. A more detailed breakdown of all of the equipment we use for these videos can be found on our blog. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, with Photoshop used very occasionally to help with masking for color correction.
The music in this video is titled "Driving Indie Anthem" by SeaStockAudio, and was licensed through audiojungle.net.
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below. I try to respond to questions. We've got about six more videos to edit (and continue to shoot more, even as we catch up on editing) so please subscribe to see everything we have in store.
This video was inspired by another Christmas song mashup video I saw recently:
youtube.com/watch?v=oiSn2JuDQSc
Please check out his channel...he has done some really cool mashup videos.
I had hoped to have this video completed by the time the new Star Wars movie came out, but it took many more hours and days to make this than I had anticipated. Two days late, though, isn't too bad, eh?
I hope this video is able to bring you some joy! Please explore around my channel to see if you enjoy some of my other videos.
Thanks for watching!
We shot this video of Oklahoma City a bit later on in our summer travels, but I was so excited about it that I skipped over editing several other videos to make this one. It's one of my favorite videos we've made so far.
The equipment used for this was a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. A more detailed breakdown of all of the equipment we use for these videos can be found on our blog. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
The music in this video is titled "Emotional 2" by SimpleAudio, and was licensed through audiojungle.net.
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below or feel free to send me a message. I do try to respond to questions. Also, I'm working on growing my YouTube channel, so please subscribe to see more videos as we release them.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bluemantlemedia
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This video of Providence, Rhode Island is our sixth video in the Blank by Drone series. We shot it in June, but we've had so much going on with traveling that we weren't able to finish it until now.
We've got about six to eight more videos in line for editing, so we've decided to stay in one spot for awhile and work on editing without shooting. That means we'll be able to release videos more frequently than we have been in the last few month.
The equipment used for this was a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. A more detailed breakdown of all of the equipment we use for these videos can be found on our blog. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, with Photoshop used very occasionally to help with masking for color correction.
The music in this video is titled "Piano Inspiration" by RafaelKrux, and was licensed through audiojungle.net.
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below. I do try to respond to questions. Also, I'm working on growing my YouTube channel, so please subscribe to see more videos as we release them.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bluemantlemedia
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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bluemantlemedia
This video is different than any other drone video I've made, and it's a style that I've been itching to try to for awhile. I know not all of the shots are perfect, but I had fun making it and I hope you're able to appreciate the fun side of this video.
The equipment used for this was a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Zenmuse H4-3D Gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. A more detailed breakdown of all of the equipment we use for these videos can be found on our blog. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
The music in this video is "Ciao, Italy" by Fabrizio_Spagnuolo, and was licensed through audiojungle.net.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bluemantlemedia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bluemantlemedia
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bluemantlemedia
This video, the fifth of the Blank by Drone series to be released, was actually the third to be shot. We shot it back in March/April, but we've had so much going on that we weren't able to start editing until almost June, and even then it was hard to finding the right feel for the video, so it took a long time to edit.
This video was shot over four days in the spring, and I tried to get a selection of shots that represent different areas around the city. I hope I was able to do the city justice.
The equipment used for this was a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Zenmuse H4-3D Gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 Black. A more detailed breakdown of all of the equipment we use for these videos can be found on our blog. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
The music in this video is "Epic Strings" by AudioSputnik, and was licensed through audiojungle.net.
I'd like to extend a "thank you" to Spinnaker Sailing, who offered to take us out on the bay free of charge to be able to get some shots.
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We shot Hartford, Connecticut for our fourth video in our Blank by Drone series, and this is the first video to be completed as part of our cross-country roadtrip to make aerial videos of cities around the country. We've got many more in the works, so please subscribe to see more.
The weather didn't cooperate for us when we first arrived in Hartford, so our first three days were spent waiting for the rain to leave. Then we spent five more days there, getting the shots you see in this video. The sunset at the end of the video is one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in years!
The equipment used to shoot this was a DJI Phantom 2 with a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal and a GoPro Hero4 mounted on it. I have had so many problems with the H4-3D Gimbal that I decided to go back to the H3-3D, and it is working much better. I may try to do a video on that at some point, but that will be awhile. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects.
The music for this piece is "Legends Are Back" by Rafael Krux, and was licensed through AudioJungle.net
As big shout out goes to Cabela's of Hartford, where we were able to park our RV for the majority of the time we were there.
Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll try my best to answer them.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bluemantlemedia
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This is Episode 3 of Blank by Drone. All of this footage was filmed with a drone in beautiful Ireland.
My wife and daughter and I spent 10 days driving through the countryside in Ireland. We loved it so much, and cannot wait to go back!
We got a lot of rain while we were there, so unfortunately (or fortunately, if you ask Holly) I was only able to shoot on about half of our days in Ireland. The weather did make for some dramatic shots though, and not shooting every day provided me the opportunity to spend more time with my family, which was awesome.
This video was shot on a GoPro Hero4 Black, mounted to a DJI Phantom 2 with a Zenmuse H4-3D Gimbal. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere, After Effects, and Photoshop.
The music for this piece is "Ireland" by Liza Anne. It was licensed through www.themusicbed.com.
Some of the places in the video include:
Sandy Cove, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare
Benbulben Mountain, Co. Sligo
Slieve League Cliffs, Co. Donegal
Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland
Carrick-a-Rede, Northern Ireland
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bluemantlemedia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bluemantlemedia
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bluemantlemedia
For the second installment of my quest to make drone videos of different cities around the world, I made an aerial drone video of Nashville, Tennessee. Originally I had planned on shooting a video of San Francisco in January, but other circumstances changed that.
My brother Paul was diagnosed with a severe and aggressive form of cancer in late December. He was being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, so we went to visit him and ended up spending about a week in Nashville.
Paul loved flying things! I wish his health had been good enough to have a chance to fly my drone, but unfortunately it wasn't. I decided to make this video in his honor, with the hope that it would get some exposure and bring more visibility to their situation.
Paul passed away on January 20th. He is survived by his wife and four kids (the fourth in utero), and my hope is that those who see this video are moved to look into his life more. Dear friends of ours have set up websites for him, one about his life (http://www.livelikepaul.com) and one as a fundraiser for his family (http://www.lovelikepaul.com). Please visit both!
Paul's story is one of tremendous sadness, but also one of hope. We know that Paul is in a better place, and we hope and pray that we will meet him again someday. He went before us to get the party ready. ;-)
If you liked this video, and would like to see more like it, please subscribe to my channel. Please also share this video with your friends and family. And most importantly, again, please take a few minutes to learn more about my brother. Thank you.
This video was shot with a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, using a GoPro Hero4 Black mounted on a Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal.
The song is "Inspirational Piano" by TM_Kazakhstan. It was licensed through www.audiojungle.net
#LiveLikePaul #LoveLikePaul #Nashville #Tennessee #Drone #4K
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The equipment used to shoot this is a DJI Phantom 2 with a Zenmuse H4-3D gimbal, and a GoPro Hero4 camera. The majority of the footage was shot in 4K. Because I was trying to do a quick turnaround on this, and 4K is difficult for my computer to handle, I mastered this in 1080p. Otherwise I'd have been doing a lot of waiting around while clips took a long time to render.
The song is, appropriately, "Snow" by daleclay. Licensed through www.audiojungle.net
Please feel free to leave questions in the comments below and I will try to answer them.
#WinterStormOctavia #Octavia2015 #SnowDay #Baltimore #Zenmuse #H4-3D
I was able to get an early release of the Zenmuse H4-3D Gimbal, and decided to do a side-by-side comparison of it with the H3-3D gimbal.
I'm using a GoPro Hero4 mounted on both, since naturally the only reason you'd want to compare the two is if you'd be using the Hero4.
Spoiler Alert: The two gimbals are nearly identical.