3DR Solo for documentary filming?

[kluulz]

Hey everyone,

I quickly write to ask what your thoughts are regarding using the 3DR for some documentary film shooting.
We are a making a new independent documentary film, and so after seeing the drastic price drops of the 3DR's on amazon, b&h, bb etc. we are almost set to buy one. This will greatly save us money within out budget, as we wanted to get a Mavic. (3DR Solo + gimbal + extra battery: 340us, vs Mavic at 999us)

I have a few questions first though:

Are we able to put it up into the air, set it to one of the flight modes (eg. orbiting) and then leave it on its own? Is it able to return to home on its own once battery is low, or does it need help for this?

The reason why I ask is because we need a drone that requires the least amount of work. We do not have a budget to get a drone pilot, and would then be putting it up in the air and then turn to other tasks that need to be done.

An issue which has been discussed on this forum is flying it up from a boat. A lot of our recordings will be from a boat. This, seems to be very risky... However, with the low costs, it's worth giving it a shot. Besides, from my understanding this is a problem with all drones. Perhaps it can take off from someone holding it in the air?

Thanks a bunch,

 

[just_bruce]

If you are doing this in the states, the FAA will require you have a pilot at the controls. You cannot simply put a bird in the air and trust the automation functions. You may be surprised how reasonable the cost of a pilot can be, or what can be worked out.

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Hey everyone,

I quickly write to ask what your thoughts are regarding using the 3DR for some documentary film shooting.
We are a making a new independent documentary film, and so after seeing the drastic price drops of the 3DR's on amazon, b&h, bb etc. we are almost set to buy one. This will greatly save us money within out budget, as we wanted to get a Mavic. (3DR Solo + gimbal + extra battery: 340us, vs Mavic at 999us)

I have a few questions first though:

Are we able to put it up into the air, set it to one of the flight modes (eg. orbiting) and then leave it on its own? Is it able to return to home on its own once battery is low, or does it need help for this?

The reason why I ask is because we need a drone that requires the least amount of work. We do not have a budget to get a drone pilot, and would then be putting it up in the air and then turn to other tasks that need to be done.

An issue which has been discussed on this forum is flying it up from a boat. A lot of our recordings will be from a boat. This, seems to be very risky... However, with the low costs, it's worth giving it a shot. Besides, from my understanding this is a problem with all drones. Perhaps it can take off from someone holding it in the air?

Thanks a bunch,

If you're making a documentary film "for profit", then you will need to have a licensed operator operating the drone. It is not recommended that you launch a drone, set it into autonomous flying modes and then do other things. You should shop around because for the price of a drone, you may just find a licensed operator who has a drone that you can afford. You could even offer to advertise his or her business in your documentary in return for their services.

 

[just_bruce]

If you're making a documentary film "for profit", then you will need to have a licensed operator operating the drone. It is not recommended that you launch a drone, set it into autonomous flying modes and then do other things. You should shop around because for the price of a drone, you may just find a licensed operator who has a drone that you can afford. You could even offer to advertise his or her business in your documentary in return for their services.

Just to be clear, profit doesn't figure into it. Commercial purposes includes not-for-profit in many if not all circumstances. At least as I read the text of part 107
.

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Just to be clear, profit doesn't figure into it. Commercial purposes includes not-for-profit in many if not all circumstances. At least as I read the text of part 107
.

To avoid confusion, my term "not for profit" is actually referring to personal profit and not any "non profit" businesses. Of course it will all depend on how the FAA will define your usage. Commercial purposes is usually automatically defined as "for profit" while non commercial is defined "non profit making/generating" or "personal use". Once a profit is made, regardless of the amount, it is now considered commercial. However, again it depends on the definition, for instance, if you make a documentary costing X amount of dollars and you don't make that money back, it doesn't mean that it was a "non profit" documentary or non commercial documentary. It really depends on the intent for which you made said documentary.
In fact, on the FAA site they quote the example of taking a picture without a commercial license, but solely for personal use. If sometime in the future someone does offer to buy the rights for said picture, that actually would be allowable, but only if the original intent was for personal use. However, I really wouldn't like to have to prove that one in court (and I'm sure the onus would be on you to do so).

However using footage for promotion for a business or service, even without direct profit could still be defined as commercial use. So even using a photo taken from a drone on a sales letter or business promoting flyer, could still be defined as commercial use even if technically you are giving away the flyers, it's still used in the generation of business or advertisement of a service.

What a lot of people may not know is that if you upload your clips to Youtube and "monetize" the clips, then technically your clips is now being used for "commercial" purposes which by definition, means that unless you have a commercial drone license, you're now in violation of the law.
Same with submitting photo's or video's to news stations or papers for monetary compensation.

Anyway, back to the original point, buying a drone for making a documentary without wanting to pay a pilot. Sounds like a very bad idea, not only from a legal perspective but also for tax reasons. Don't forget, you can claim the expense of a drone operator and their drone from the costs of making your documentary as a business expense. Or, buy your own drone, get a commercial license, then write off the cost of buying the drone and actually bill your business for your operating costs (including your license costs, study materials costs, insurance, software and piloting hours). You'd be mad to miss out on that opportunity.

 

[kluulz]

Thanks for all the responses. We are not getting a drone pilot not just because of budget, but also because in the area where we are filming there won't be any available. I understand that it is not a good idea to put the drone up and leave it. Thank you for pointing that out, and we will then man it when we are using it.

So apart from this, will the 3DR be a good drone to use?

 

[jimloss]

Hey everyone,

I quickly write to ask what your thoughts are regarding using the 3DR for some documentary film shooting.
We are a making a new independent documentary film, and so after seeing the drastic price drops of the 3DR's on amazon, b&h, bb etc. we are almost set to buy one. This will greatly save us money within out budget, as we wanted to get a Mavic. (3DR Solo + gimbal + extra battery: 340us, vs Mavic at 999us)

I have a few questions first though:

Are we able to put it up into the air, set it to one of the flight modes (eg. orbiting) and then leave it on its own? Is it able to return to home on its own once battery is low, or does it need help for this?

The reason why I ask is because we need a drone that requires the least amount of work. We do not have a budget to get a drone pilot, and would then be putting it up in the air and then turn to other tasks that need to be done.

An issue which has been discussed on this forum is flying it up from a boat. A lot of our recordings will be from a boat. This, seems to be very risky... However, with the low costs, it's worth giving it a shot. Besides, from my understanding this is a problem with all drones. Perhaps it can take off from someone holding it in the air?

Thanks a bunch,

Don't forget that you'll need a GoPro camera to go with the Solo. If fisheye isn't acceptable, then you'll need a replacement lens with no distortion.

The Solo application has Smart Shots that will help with filming.

The Solo itself can be put into place with the camera directed at a specific spot and will hold steady - even in strong winds.

 

[andrew.baker.142]

For the price (especially if you have a compatible GoPro camera) it is hard to beat. That being said, if you are expecting to depend on it day in and day out you should have more than one.
Search this forum. There are TONS of info where people are answering similar questions.

 

[IrishmanPDX]

The drone is only as good as it's operator. Realistically you'll get about 15 minutes flying time (depending on weather conditions) and depending on the operators skill, the solo does have a good amount of speed in it (if it's following your boat for instance). The Solo is also very big and bulky when compared to newer "fold up" drones, however that weight seems to help it keep a bit more stable in windy conditions, lighter drones can suffer from wind buffeting.
However realize all the info (a lot to take in) is really for your own protection. If you make a commercial documentary and you don't have a commercial license, the FAA can penalize you. Even if you make the documentary and get your license at a later date, you still could be fined for embarking on a commercial venture without the proper licensing. If you're trying to save money by getting a Solo instead of a Mavic, you probably can't afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars you could be fined. That could also increase if you don't have insurance on your drone when flying it for commercial use. Keep that in mind and good luck with your venture.

 

[kluulz]

The drone is only as good as it's operator. Realistically you'll get about 15 minutes flying time (depending on weather conditions) and depending on the operators skill, the solo does have a good amount of speed in it (if it's following your boat for instance). The Solo is also very big and bulky when compared to newer "fold up" drones, however that weight seems to help it keep a bit more stable in windy conditions, lighter drones can suffer from wind buffeting.
However realize all the info (a lot to take in) is really for your own protection. If you make a commercial documentary and you don't have a commercial license, the FAA can penalize you. Even if you make the documentary and get your license at a later date, you still could be fined for embarking on a commercial venture without the proper licensing. If you're trying to save money by getting a Solo instead of a Mavic, you probably can't afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars you could be fined. That could also increase if you don't have insurance on your drone when flying it for commercial use. Keep that in mind and good luck with your venture.

Thanks IrishmanPDX. I am not American, so the FAA does not have anything to do with me. I am Danish, and we do not have any department of government working within this area. On top of this, I will be filming in a very remote island of the outskirts of Indonesia.

I'm going to go for the 3DR as I already have a gopro 3 black, and we will be getting one extra gopro for the documentary film also. Tanks for the comments guys!

 

[IrishmanPDX]

Thanks IrishmanPDX. I am not American, so the FAA does not have anything to do with me. I am Danish, and we do not have any department of government working within this area. On top of this, I will be filming in a very remote island of the outskirts of Indonesia.

I'm going to go for the 3DR as I already have a gopro 3 black, and we will be getting one extra gopro for the documentary film also. Tanks for the comments guys!

Hi Kluulz, you may want to check the regulations with the Danish Transport Authority, they actually do have laws regarding drone usage, in fact, they are way ahead of the EU shared laws (the DTA didn't want to wait for the EU to catch up, so they compiled their own ideas back in 2016). There'a brief write up here that covers 2016 & 2017 changes:

https://www.njordlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/new-danish-drone-rules-in-2016-and-2017.pdf
So you actually do have a department of the government not just working in this area, but setting the standards for other countries to follow.

Please note that Indonesia also complies with the International Civil Aviation Organization for it's drone laws. So you may want to check that you're compliant when filming here:

UAS TOOLKIT
https://www.icao.int/Meetings/UAS/Documents/Circular 328_en.pdf

I can only urge you to do your research before filming for your own protection.

Best of luck with your project!

 

[kluulz]

Hi Kluulz, you may want to check the regulations with the Danish Transport Authority, they actually do have laws regarding drone usage, in fact, they are way ahead of the EU shared laws (the DTA didn't want to wait for the EU to catch up, so they compiled their own ideas back in 2016). There'a brief write up here that covers 2016 & 2017 changes:

https://www.njordlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/new-danish-drone-rules-in-2016-and-2017.pdf
So you actually do have a department of the government not just working in this area, but setting the standards for other countries to follow.

Please note that Indonesia also complies with the International Civil Aviation Organization for it's drone laws. So you may want to check that you're compliant when filming here:

UAS TOOLKIT
https://www.icao.int/Meetings/UAS/Documents/Circular 328_en.pdf

I can only urge you to do your research before filming for your own protection.

Best of luck with your project!

Thanks a bunch. Will do some research.

 

[andrew.baker.142]

I think you will be very happy with Solo! Practice and have some backup parts.