Drones are becoming a common presence on beaches: a person on the sand with a controller, watching a white quadcopter drift out over the water. They are now appearing on dive boats as well, where guests unpack one on the way to a dive site and ask whether they may fly it.
DJI released the first Phantom early last year. In April, it launched the Phantom 2 Vision+, with its camera on a stabilized gimbal, which eliminates the shaking typical of a GoPro mounted on a lightweight drone. GoPro itself begins trading on the stock market today, an indication of the commercial value now attributed to small cameras. Anyone with a modest budget can now produce aerial video that previously required a helicopter.
For tourism businesses on the islands, this development deserves attention.
Why does aerial video work for a tourism brand?
A single overhead shot explains an island more effectively than a map.
It can show where the dive centre is located relative to the beach, how close the reef is, the colour of the water over the shallows turning dark blue where the channel drops off, or the small bridge between two islands. In five seconds, a guest understands geography that would otherwise require a paragraph and a hand-drawn map.
This is the main strength of aerial footage: it establishes the setting. It answers the questions "where is this, and what is around it" before anyone needs to ask.
The format is also new, which currently works in its favour. People stop scrolling to watch, because they have never seen their holiday destination from that perspective. This advantage is temporary, however. Novelty fades quickly, and within a year or two we expect most resorts to use similar sweeping shots.
How much drone footage should a video include?
Drone footage should complement a video rather than make up most of it. Many businesses are already overusing it.
Once a business acquires a drone, every video tends to become a drone video: two minutes of slow aerial sweeps set to dramatic music. The result is attractive at first but loses interest after thirty seconds. From above, every island, beach and resort looks much the same.
What viewers remember is closer to ground level: faces, the instructor laughing on the boat, the turtle, the meal after the second dive. Aerial shots show none of this. They establish the setting, after which the video needs to return to where the people are.
A simple guideline is effective: one or two drone shots to open, perhaps one to close, and the rest filmed on land and underwater. Drone footage works like seasoning: a small amount enhances the whole, while too much detracts from it.
Where do aerial shots add the most value?
- The opening seconds of a video, to show where you are located.
- The header image on your home page or your "getting here" page.
- Showing the size of a property, the land around a lodge or the distance between the water and the rooms.
- Seasonal change, in locations with distinct seasons. This does not apply in Bali, but a lake in July and the same lake in January represent two different selling points.
What rules apply, and when is permission required?
In many places, the rules are unclear or still being developed, and many operators act as though none exist, flying over crowds, private villas, airports and temples. Some of these early users are significantly harming local perceptions of drones, and we expect regulations to tighten as a result. Last week, the US National Park Service announced a ban on drones in its parks, and other authorities are likely to take similar measures.
Two steps are advisable now.
First, check the local rules before flying, wherever you are. They vary considerably from one country to another. In Canada, for example, recreational flying is treated differently from commercial use, which includes filming your own promotional video and requires a Special Flight Operations Certificate from Transport Canada. Its drone safety information is worth reading, even for owners of small drones who may assume it does not apply to them. Rules in other countries vary widely. If no clear answer is available, contact the local aviation authority before flying, not afterwards.
Second, ask for permission before filming people. The legal requirements depend on the jurisdiction; for a business, the principle applies everywhere. A guest relaxing on the beach has not agreed to appear in your advertising, and neither has the neighbouring property agreed to appear in your promotional video. Ask for permission, or frame the shot to exclude them.
This is also a matter of courtesy. A drone hovering over a quiet beach is noisy and can be unsettling. A business that flies one considerately, at appropriate times and over its own property, receives far fewer complaints than one that treats the airspace as unrestricted.
How should a small tourism business use a drone?
Commission a few quality aerial shots of your property, early in the morning when the light is soft and the beach is empty. Have them done properly once, by an operator who flies safely and knows the regulations, rather than sending a staff member up every week.
Use these shots where they explain something: your home page, the opening of your video, and the page that tells people how to find you.
Then devote the rest of your effort to photo and video of real people, filmed up close: guests surfacing from a dive with broad smiles, the crew, the food. This is the content that leads people to book, and it requires no aerial equipment.
We expect that within a few years, drone shots will be as common as sunset photos. The businesses that continue to stand out will be those that show who they are, at eye level.