Film language for beginners

Glossary

Every drone and film term you come across on this site — briefly and clearly explained in one sentence. Search for a term or browse by category.

Exposure & camera

Shutter speed: How long the sensor gathers light per frame. For film you keep to 1/50 s for natural movement.
ISO: The light sensitivity of the sensor. Low (100) = clean image; high = brighter but noisier. Keep it as low as possible.
Aperture (f-number): The opening of the lens that determines how much light comes in and how much is sharp. Fixed on the Mini and Pocket.
Exposure (EV): The overall brightness of your image. A touch of underexposure (−0.3 EV) protects your highlights.
180° shutter rule: The rule of thumb that your shutter speed is roughly 2× your frame rate (25 fps → 1/50 s). Gives cinematic motion blur. Read more →
ND filter: A grey filter that holds back light, so that in bright conditions you can still stay at 1/50 s. A "pair of sunglasses" for your camera. ND calculator →
Dynamic range: How much detail your camera holds at once in the brightest and darkest parts. Log profiles increase this.
Histogram: A little graph from light to dark that shows whether your image is well exposed (not too much "against the edges").

White balance (Kelvin): The colour temperature of light, in Kelvin. Set it manually (~5500 K) so the colour does not shift during a shot.
Colour profile: How much contrast and colour the camera already bakes into the image — from ready-to-use (Normal) to flat (log). Profiles explained →
Normal: The standard profile: a lovely, immediately usable image without any post-processing.
D-Log M / D-Log: DJI’s flat log profiles. The Mini 5 Pro has D-Log M, the Pocket 4 true D-Log. They retain more detail, but you have to grade them.
HLG: A 10-bit profile (on the Mini 5 Pro) that looks great on HDR TVs without you having to grade it.
LUT: A colour "preset" (look-up table) that converts your log footage in one step to a normal or stylistic look.
Colour correction: Making your image technically correct: neutral white balance, good exposure. Comes before the creative look.
Colour grading: Giving your image a feeling or style (warm, cool, cinematic). Comes after the correction. The Colour Filmmaker →
Rec.709: The standard colour space for web and HD. You export in this so your film looks the same everywhere.
Bit depth (8- / 10-bit): How many colour tones your image contains. 10-bit gives many more tones and prevents banding in skies.

Frame rate (fps): The number of images per second. 24/25 fps = cinema look; 50/60 fps lets you film to slow down later. Choosing guide →
Slow motion: Slowed-down footage you create by filming at a high rate (50/60 fps) and playing it back on a 25 fps timeline.
Gimbal: The motorised suspension system that keeps the camera stable — in the drone and in the Pocket 4.
Cine mode: The slowest flight mode of the drone: soft, smooth movements for cinematic shots.
Hyperlapse: A timelapse in which the camera also moves — a long recording, a short smooth clip.
ActiveTrack / POI: Smart modes in which the camera automatically follows a subject (ActiveTrack) or circles around it (Point of Interest).
Composition: How you fill the frame: rule of thirds, leading lines, depth and a level horizon. Read more →

B-roll: Loose atmosphere and detail shots that you lay over your main story. Always film more of it than you think you need.
Establishing shot: A wide opening shot (often from the drone) that shows where you are.
Sequence: A series of shots (wide → medium → detail) that together tell one moment or action. Read more →
Cutting on the beat: Making your cuts coincide with the music — the simplest way to make an edit feel tight.
Sound design: Building up sound: ambient sound, whooshes on transitions and music that softens at important moments. Audio & music →

EU drone certificate (A1/A3): The online exam you need for a drone from 250 grams. Free to obtain from the government. Drone rules →
RDW registration: Your compulsory registration as a drone operator; you stick your registration number on the drone.
Natura 2000: Protected nature reserves (such as large parts of the Veluwe) where drone flying is forbidden. Heerde & Veluwe →
Return-to-Home (RTH): The function that automatically flies the drone back to the starting point — on low battery or signal loss.