A real look at how adding footage to your website can keep your visitors engaged.

Drones – more than a toy.

a real look at how adding footage to your website can keep your visitors engaged.

Scale

Our client, AG Equipment Company, wanted to showcase their impressive facility on their new website, during our design phase we knew that a drone would be the best way to capture the sheer size of their campus. Unlike a static shot, a drone uses movement to reveal the scale of massive tools. When people or ordinary objects are juxtaposed with large equipment or buildings, viewers get a better sense of the magnitude of the item you are highlighting.

Perspective

A warehouse or other industrial space may look drab from the ground floor, but a sweep through tall shelves holding parts or a bird’s eye view of a large machine adds visual interest. Drones enable you to capture things that you wouldn’t be able to see even if you walked through a space. Filming from bumpy or uneven surfaces that would trip up even the most experienced camera crew is a non-issue for a drone.

Safe

In an industrial setting, safety is often a top concern, but with a drone you can give clients an all-access pass to see how your equipment and processes work without putting them in harm’s way. Drones also eliminate risk for your video crew. Shots that would traditionally require cranes, ladders or other equipment are easily accessible by drone. The simplest solution is often the safest and this was especially true for our shoot onsite at AG Equipment.

First-Person Point of View

Drones offer a unique opportunity to tell a story from your website user’s point-of-view. Traditional cameras can make it difficult to show this perspective, requiring expensive equipment for a smooth shot that won’t make your viewers “sea sick.” Drones eliminate the need for pricey gear and capture seamless shots from a client’s perspective.

Special Events

If 10,000 people attended your event, you’d want to show that in a dramatic way! What better way than to show a bird’s eye view of the crowd. Stills or video can be used to illustrate the success of your event. Grab photos of the crowd at your 5k race and fundraiser, show a bird’s eye view of your booth at a tradeshow or use video to capture work on a construction site.

Movement

Static shots are more interesting when they are punctuated with movement. Sure, a pan or zoom can add some life to your video, but a drone will give you endless options. For AG Equipment, drones allowed us to create a fast-paced video that quickly highlights the benefits of their brand. Strategically placed on their website home page, this video will make a big impression on potential clients.

Cost-Effective Investment

Quality drone footage can be multi-purposed. Piggy backing on the point above, one shoot can be used on a variety of materials, making it a smart investment. The cost to hire a small crew to shoot top-notch drone video is far less expensive than the cost for cranes, helicopters or other equipment that was once needed to facilitate these incredible angles. If you are already making the investment to create a branding video, adding a drone will dramatically raise the quality of your video, without adding much to your budget.

A reputable firm will ensure the shoot is compliant with the latest FFA regulations and make sure your goals for the video are met.

Environmental Impact

If you are shooting in an environmentally sensitive location, like a lake or a snow-covered slope, drones are the most environmentally friendly option. Instead of an entire photography team trampling an area, a drone creates virtually no impact on the area around it. One, or two operators at most, minimize the impact on an area. Rechargeable batteries and a modest carbon footprint up the ante for this sustainable option.

As you can see, if you are looking for big bang for your buck and great video, drones are a smart choice.

We are excited to unveil the full video for AG Equipment when we launch their new website. Check out this preview we’ve put together to illustrate some of the shots mentioned above.

A special thanks to Dan Maras at Videoworks for his help on this project.

We’d love to hear from you, let us know what you think and how you could incorporate a drone in your next project.