5.30am, a Drone and a Very Specific Client Brief: Behind the Scenes at Oceaneering

The final day of a three-day video production with engineering firm Oceaneering began considerably earlier than most filming days.

At around 5.30am, I was on site preparing to capture aerial footage of the facility at first light — specifically because that was what the client wanted.

And that's an important distinction.

Commercial video production isn't always about turning up with a camera and finding something that looks good. The job is to understand the client's objectives, anticipate the practical challenges and then build a production around delivering the footage they actually need.

For this particular shoot, the early-morning aerial sequence was an important part of the brief. That meant planning for the location, weather and light, understanding the operational environment and airspace considerations, and making sure everything was ready to capture the relatively short window when the conditions were right.

After more than 25 years working in commercial photography, video and aerial production, I've learned that experience becomes particularly valuable when things aren't completely straightforward.

The drone itself is only one part of the process.

You need to understand the location. You need to know what the finished film requires. You need to be able to adapt when conditions change. And you need to make decisions quickly without compromising the safety or quality of the production.

In the video, I start the morning by driving towards the Oceaneering facility over the Queensferry Crossing, talking through what I'm doing and where we are in the production.

The three aerial clips that follow are selected from that morning's shoot.

They're only a few seconds of the finished material, but there's considerably more behind them than simply pressing record.

Three days of production had gone into the project. The final morning started before sunrise. The aerial filming was undertaken specifically to meet the client's brief, and the footage then had to be reviewed and carefully selected to make sure it earned its place in the final film.

That's the part of commercial production I enjoy: taking a specific brief, understanding the complications and then finding a way to deliver it.

The end result should look effortless.

Getting there rarely is.

Jason Baxter Media Commercial Photography | Video Production | Aerial Media Scotland

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