First off, very cool Jeffrey. I like the footage and you did a good job on your first real extended usage of the drone.
I agree with Ben, the music is cool.
I think the footage could have been played back faster though. I think with the Alabama hills being so much just rocks and piles of boulders, that 8 minutes is perhaps too long. I think if you doubled the speed, it would help drawn in the viewer to give them more of a feel of being a part of the landscape. The slower movements and pace just seemed too slow and harder to connect for me.
In the 3rd or fourth clip (I think), you are high over head and there is a thin trail meandering through the scene heading off to the right. I think it would have been really cool had you had the drone follow along that path, basically giving the viewer a look of what they would see had they been hiking that trail. Plus having the footage following the trail I think would have been very engaging for the viewer.
And one last idea I thought of as I was watching. I thought that it would be really cool had you started the whole clip with the drone down lower. Maybe like 10 feet in the air with the whole view being filled with rocks and boulders. Then have the drone start to fly to the rocks and then gain altitude as it soars up in the sky. Again at a fast pace. Then lead off to flying towards high vista's and seeing the Eastern Sierra mountains lay out in front. Once in a while flying it back down closer to some of the piles of boulders when they come into the scene.
Have you ever seen Soaring at California Adventure in Disneyland? That type of up high to swinging down low through various scenes I find very engaging. Maybe it's just me?
Just a few idea's. It's going to be great to watch you grow with your drone. It's such a different art form I am sure it will take time for you to find your style, but this was a great start!
