Aerial video that shows how a place fits together
Drone and ground footage cut into a short film that shows the approach, the setting and the flow of the spaces, delivered in the formats each platform needs.
Photos show rooms. Video shows how they connect.
A photo set answers what each space looks like. Video answers what it is like to arrive, walk in, and move from the kitchen to the deck to the view. From the air it shows the approach road, the shoreline, the trail across the street and how far the property sits from its neighbours. That sense of place is hard to get from stills.
A good property film is short. For a listing, a minute or two holds attention; for social, much less. It opens on the strongest image, usually an aerial reveal, then moves through the exterior, the main rooms and the setting, and closes on the best view. Most of the effort is in planning the shots so the edit has something to work with.
Aerial shot types and what they are for
| Shot | How it is flown | Use it to show |
|---|---|---|
| Reveal | Starts low behind trees or a roofline and rises or pushes forward to reveal the subject | An opening, a view, the scale of a lot |
| Orbit | Circles the building at a constant distance and height | All four sides and the surroundings in one move |
| Push-in | Flies slowly toward the front entry or a feature | Arrival; a transition to the ground footage |
| Pull-back | Flies backward and up from the house | Context: the street, the water, the town |
| Top-down | Camera points straight down while the aircraft tracks or rises | Lot shape, roof, pool, landscaping |
| Tracking | Follows the driveway, road or shoreline | Access, frontage and approach |
| Hyperlapse | Many frames over a slow path, stitched into a time-compressed clip | Traffic, tides, clouds and light moving over a site |
From storyboard to final cut
Storyboard
A short list of shots in the order they will appear, agreed with you before the shoot. It stops the edit from becoming a random sequence of pretty clips.
Plan the flight
The pilot checks airspace, obstacles such as power lines and tall trees, take-off spots, and where people will be. Wind limits for smooth footage are lower than wind limits for safe flight.
Capture
Aerials are shot at high resolution and a frame rate that allows gentle slow motion. Neutral density filters keep motion looking natural in bright light. Ground footage is shot on a gimbal to match.
Edit
The cut follows the storyboard, with colour matched between drone and ground cameras, licensed music, and optional titles, maps or lot lines.
Review
You watch the draft in the DroneLink project and leave comments at the exact moment in the video. Each version is kept so nobody edits the wrong one.
Deliver
Final files in horizontal for the listing and web, vertical for social, a branded and an unbranded version, and a hosted link for the MLS.
Why property videos disappoint
Too long
Four minutes of slow orbits and every room twice. Viewers leave early and the best shot never gets seen.
Music that gets the video muted
A popular song without a licence gets the video blocked or muted on the platforms that matter.
People and plates in shot
Neighbours in their yard, children on the street, readable licence plates.
Unusable footage in wind
A breeze that is safe to fly in still makes the footage wobble or drift.
Who shapes the video
Listing agent or marketer
- They need from you
- A cut that fits the MLS, the website and social, on time.
- You need from them
- The story they want told and the three features that matter most.
- On the DroneLink record
- Storyboard agreed on the order; comments on the video in the project.
Developer
- They need from you
- Views from future unit heights and site context for sales and approvals.
- You need from them
- Site access, the planned building heights and any hoarding or safety rules.
- On the DroneLink record
- Footage is kept on the project record for later renderings and progress films.
Architect or visualization studio
- They need from you
- Clean plates and camera positions to place a rendered building into real footage.
- You need from them
- The positions and lenses they need.
- On the DroneLink record
- Shared shot list and deliverables in one place.
Pilot and camera operator
- They need from you
- A clear shot list and a safe site.
- You need from them
- Certified crew who fly within the rules.
- On the DroneLink record
- Flight record stored with the deliverables.
Rules that shape the footage
The rules that apply to photos apply to video. In Canada, flights are limited to 122 metres above ground, pilots need a Transport Canada certificate, and distance from uninvolved people depends on the certificate and the aircraft. In the United States, Part 107 sets a 400 foot limit with an exception near structures. Low reveals near trees, roofs and power lines need careful planning. See drone rules in Canada.
For development projects, aerial video is also a record. Flying the same paths at each stage of construction gives a progress film for buyers and investors, and the same flights can feed construction progress mapping. BDM3d Studios, our sister company, combines aerial plates with renderings to show buildings that are not built yet; see BDM3d.
Questions
How long should a real estate video be?
For a listing, a minute or two is usually enough to show the setting and the main spaces. Social cuts should be much shorter, often under 30 seconds. Longer films make sense for estates, commercial properties and developments.
Can a drone fly inside a house for a video?
Small drones can fly indoors for fly-through footage, and FPV drones are often used for this. It needs a skilled pilot, a cleared route and the owner's permission. See the FPV rules on our social video page.
What resolution is drone video delivered in?
Most property video is shot in 4K and delivered in 4K or HD depending on where it will play. The MLS and many websites stream at HD; social platforms compress heavily. Ask for the master file too.
Can I add music to my listing video?
Only music licensed for that use. Commercial tracks without a licence can get a video muted or removed. Licensed production music is the normal choice.
How high can a drone fly for a property video?
In Canada, up to 122 metres above ground under the standard rules. In the United States, 400 feet, with an exception close to structures. Most listing footage is flown much lower.
Do I need permission to film my neighbourhood with a drone?
You need to follow the aviation rules, including distance from people, and respect privacy. Film the subject property, avoid capturing identifiable people, and do not linger over other homes. Strata and parks may have their own rules about take-off and landing.
What is the difference between a branded and unbranded video?
A branded video shows the agent or brokerage name, logo and contact details. An unbranded video has none of these. Many MLS systems only allow unbranded links in the virtual tour or video field.
Tell us about your Vancouver site.
An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with the price, who will fly it and when.