How to Fake a Drone Shot?

Recently I came across this awesome tutorial and trick that let’s you fake a drone shot with a phone. The tutorial is not mine so the credit goes to Chung Dha who created this amazing tutorial.

The process involves using three main items:

• Smartphones like iPhone or Galaxy
• 3-Axis Gimbal like DJI Osmo Mobile or Zhiyun Smooth
• Very Long – Boom Pole

Once you have this combo, the idea is to attach the Gimbal on the boom pole with the smartphone attached the gimbal. The boom pole that Chung uses, allows you to reach up to 6 metres in height.

Now you are ready to reach for the skies. To capture different styles of movements you can follow these tips that Chung shares in the video.

Tracking shots

Hold the setup, in a 45 Degree angle and make sure you lock the gimbal (to ensure its pointed in the same direction) so it doesn’t pan across as you move the boom pole.

Now just pan the boom pole from left to right or right to left as needed.

Rising shot

To get this kind of shot Chung says that its not easy, you need to lift the boom pole as well as walk in the direction of the gimbal slowly so that the vertical movement of the gimbal happening at the same spot where the shot starts from.

Dolly shot

To get this kind of shot Chung says you need to work on you “Ninja walk” to get a smooth walk. The best way to achieve this is to bend your knees and walk in smooth gentle steps. Having your elbows tucked into your body will also help smooth out the movement.

Conclusion

It’s so cool to see people getting creative with their gear and ideas. Once again showing that gear doesn’t have anything to do with your photography or videography, its your creativity that achieves the results.

If you loved this video, give Chung a thumbs up and subscribe to his channel and Facebook group.