Q&A, 25 Apr 2024: ND/PL Over CPL, ND64-128 for Snow and Sand, the Eclipse Filter Nobody Should Try, Resolve's Appetite for GPUs, Customs and Common Sense Abroad, Which Drones to Pack, FPV Nausea, and Jonathan's Rough Cut

A polariser's correct angle depends on the sun and the drone's heading, and it can only be set on the ground - so he rarely uses plain CPLs, preferring ND/PL for the light reduction. The student's Mavic 3 Pro has an aperture; the Mini 4 Pro (like the Air 3) is fixed f/1.8. Night: NDs off for the lowest ISO; snow and sand: ND64, sometimes ND128. The student had bought an ND2000 and laser glasses for an eclipse hyperlapse, then learned it could cook the sensor and the glasses block a narrow band - abandoned.

He records discrete 30-90 s shots and stops between setups - easier to edit. The student's i7 PC needed RAM, a 12 GB GPU, an 850 W supply and case surgery for Resolve; John is on a MacBook now and points to the 'make Resolve faster' lesson. Europe: no customs trouble, EU registration and ~$5-for-5-years insurance; St. Lucia ignored an authorisation email - he doesn't believe they confiscate at customs, so fly early, away from people, 400 ft, lights at night. Packing: once only a Mini 3 Pro for Europe (sub-250 g rules); now an Air 3 or Mavic 3, plus an FPV. FPV goggles left the student nauseous for two and a half hours; John, weeks in on the Avata 2 (three-blade props, quieter), never. Handheld: Canon R6 Mk II on a gimbal; the student's Galaxy S24, clip-on Freewell NDs, Osmo-style mount, 4K30.

Strong: smooth push-ins, pull-outs and zooms (water tower pull-away, solar-panel flyover), a composition he liked. Notes: smooth the abrupt normal-to-fast ramps; brighten trees and shadows, pull highlights for cloud detail; add contrast to the log-looking shot; cut ground footage into flat sky; fewer fast pans - a small phone gimbal for those; a faster pace ('personal preference'); continue the turn and pull-back for a bigger ending reveal; one repeated angle, an aeroplane SFX he disliked, the solar sequence wants several shots not one pan. Early cut, so glitches and grade expected to be fixed.