Explorer, author, trail prospector & travel writer

These 5 Secrets Will Make Your Travel Videos Approximately 100 Times Better

Secret 1:

Know your story. Know it well before you set off. Good films begin with a clear question and travel towards an answer through a series of shorter scenes linked together, each of which reveals something new — just as in a play. Focussing on this will help you to shoot what’s relevant, not just what looks nice, with the bonus of saving you untold hours in the edit. Travels are often filmed but seldom edited because the footage all-too-often doesn’t cover the key points of a clear story. I found this the most difficult thing of all when shooting Janapar.

Secret 2:

Know your camera. It’s a tool to capture raw material for the edit, which is where the real creativity happens. The last thing you want to do is miss a critical moment because of an operational error. And, inevitably, it’s those challenging moments you least want to shoot that’ll end up being critical. Being able to shoot in pitch darkness or when you’re exhausted or under duress makes it much more likely that you’ll capture those moments successfully.

Secret 3:

Show, don’t tell. The best writing advice also applies to video: it’s more effective to show a story unfolding than to tell the viewer what’s happening. This involves getting characters on screen in ‘actuality’, and narrating their experiences. If you’re alone, that character is you. Be comfortable and candid, because honesty creates all-important believability, without which viewers quickly switch off. Practice, because it’s tough to begin with. Pretend the camera is your best friend, your mum, your favourite teddy — whatever helps you relax and open up. During video diaries I pretended I was on the phone to an old mate back home, filling him in on what I’d been going through.

Secret 4:

Collaborate. It can be tremendously difficult to see how your project looks to an audience. So show it to someone you trust who’ll give you thoughtful and constructive feedback, particularly someone well-read, who watches a lot of films in this genre, or who is involved in any kind of storytelling. Do this regularly throughout the project. Better still; find someone else to act as your editor. I was lucky to have a friend take on the editing for Janapar. I’d never attempt to produce a film myself without creative collaboration.

Secret 5:

Bury your camera regularly. Live your journey. It’s very easy to start shooting whenever something interesting happens — when travelling you’ll see something new every minute. Giving yourself blocks of time away from ‘cameraman’ mode will not just allow you to get your teeth into the experience, but will also give you time to reflect on what’s happened since your story began, strengthening that all-important focus on the bigger picture when you resume shooting later on.

What are your biggest questions about filming your travels?

This article was originally written for Wanderlust’s Insider Secrets blog.


Comments

3 responses to “These 5 Secrets Will Make Your Travel Videos Approximately 100 Times Better”

  1. Great read with solid advice. My buddy and I are in the planning stage of our worldwide tour and debating various methods for capturing shots. Is there any video equipment you wished you had? Any that you did take that were unnecessary?

    1. I was on the road for so long that my kit was whittled to absolutely what I needed. The Sony HVR-A1E was at the core of it. I made extensive of use of a wide-angle adapter, which I wish I’d had at the start. My tripod was an absolute necessity, even though it was cumbersome. Altogether it was a very good compromise between portability, picture quality and robustness.

      Story is still the absolute key to a good film. You could shoot an award winning doc on a smartphone.

  2. Thanks for the tips! I’m planning to make my own travel video this coming summer.

Leave a Reply