Making memories is nice. Because they keep our life going. Given our hectic daily life, we all are victims of stress. Traveling is the ultimate liberator that rejuvenates and boosts us to be on our track. It opens one’s mind to new ways of living and looking at the world. The most rewarding aspect of traveling around is that it keeps one alive. And this is the reason why every year hundreds of wacky travelers take the road. All the adventures and misadventures, new people, new places, unique landscapes – documenting these can help others find the motivation of coming out of their comfort zone and travel through the world.
Shooting an informative travel film is a great way of telling the world of your adventures.Well, if you are one of them and want to inspire others by taking your experience to another level, this blog is meant for you then.We would help you as to how to make a travel film and understand the way you can effectively capture, record and document your treks. Your chronicles can possibly instill a wanderlust on the viewers.
A travelogue involves a number of things to be taken care of, be it you shoot with your crew members, or alone. Not only you have to keep your equipment handy, but also you have to think about the travel, food and lodging arrangements – a travel planner can help. So let’s start with the tips of creating top-notch adventure travel movies.
The Equipment:
Mirror-less cameras
Forget DSLRs. Undoubtedly they have magical battery life and renders really amazing photos, but what about that big burning hole in your pocket? While shooting a travel film, you must also maintain a strict budget. So opt for the mirror-less cameras that are equally effective. And for all the good reasons, the new Sony A7iii is a perfect option for adventure travel films.
Alternatively, you may try the slightly older version Sony A6300, but which sports similar features of its successor.
Gimbal
You can shoot excellent pictures from various angles by shooting with a gimbal. Take cinematic smooth shots with a gimbal that has its own stand. This will help you capture jungle shots or if you plan to take an interview of someone you come across in the midst of your sojourn.
But, consider the weight of the gimbal, the microphone and ND filter of the gimbal while buying one.
Lenses: a prime, a zoom, and a wide
While shooting, these three are the aces that would give you the ultimate photographic experience.
To capture all those low light moments, have an arty prime lens as handy. But only when you do have some time to spare on.
For zoom lenses, just ensure you get one that is image stabilized. The 24-105mm f4 zoom lens for a highly stable shot that will ease your editing works. For wildlife documentaries, try the 70-200mm lens but they come with heavy weight and length.
The wide lens of 16-35mm or wider will empower you to capture things even in the tightest of spaces. Shots that cover people and crowd, are perfect to be shot by a wide lens. You get a great landscape view!
Drones
Travel film companies have a high budget for drone shooting. But some countries are sensitive about drones and see them as unethical journalism. So whether you have a big crew with you or you are a solo traveler, be extra cautious about these flying gadgets. Anything like that can put someone behind bars for years as per the country’s law.
So do your homework beforehand if you plan to take a drone with you. If you get a ‘go ahead’, then get something like DJI spark that is lightweight and handy, and gives outstanding landscape shots.
Microphone
Your video won’t create that desired impact if the sound quality is inadequate. So don’t ever think your mic is later option. People usually tend to overlook this vital element. But to pick up the ambiance of where you are, microphones are indispensable. Since they add a bit of weight to the gimbal, try choosing a lightweight mic.
Now the Rules:
Talking about the rules of shooting a travel film, your film must play by the rules. Whether you like it or not, travel shoots are tests of tenacity and are made of rules that must be taken good care of.
#1. First thing first, keep your camera kits to a minimum. The lesser is the weight, the more you can jump around and take incredible shots. Filming in extreme locations can already make your pace slow. If unnecessary weight is added on, your travel documentary will take months to shoot.
#2. Don’t move the camera if you want to take the shots like a pro. Don’t fidget with the zoom as that might cause some shakes and jerks. Jerks are repellent for people watching a video, so aim for a smooth experience for them.
#3. To be a bit closer to being a pro and create a stellar travel film, take transitional shots, moving from one place to the other. Transitional shots break the monotony and make you closer to being pro.
#4. Some R&D is also needed for the kind of clothes you should carry. Because when you are shooting the film, you must also keep yourself warm or cold. Carrying the right type of clothing for the respective locations solve this.
#5. Keep your camera cleaning kit handy if any cleaning is required while filming. You never know when would you need it, but keeping it clear from dust and water is the best thing you can think of.
#6. Variety as that spices up life. From a cinematic perspective also, this is applicable. So don’t stick to one kind of shot throughout. Nobody will like to make it to the end of your film and all your efforts would go waste. Mix your shots in both focal length and composition, use your wide lens to get an intimate shot or low tracking shots that covers through the grass.
Then zoom it away and take wide shots of the landscape. While editing, toss them and mix’em up! Make your movie come alive.
#7. Don’t get too carried away by the beauty of the sceneries and the location and stray from your actual story. Or from your characters! A remarkable location is ought to impress your audience, but it cannot create that desired impact without a compelling story and enthralling characters.
#8. Water, and light Refreshments – It is highly essential to keep yourself hydrated and full to keep you going. But unfortunately, while you are engaged in a shooting, rarely would you get a chance to refuel yourself. So in those times, light refreshment or snack keeps you positive.
#9. Finally the Editing – So you are back home now and ready with all your footage. It’s time for some storytelling.First, sort out the good and the not so good footages, this will help you to make your choice. Then gradually frame a linear flow as to which scenes you want to show first, and mainly what would be the intro.
Focus on a strong intro as that would entice your audience to wait for more to happen.Structure your story in a way that it draws the onlookers in gently. This requires constant control on the pacing. Once you get the pace correct, you are halfway done.
#10. Next comes the sound selection. This includes, the foley sound, the background score and the effects. Sound design is a vital element in creating an engaging travelogue. Irrelevant or lousy background score can turn incredible action-packed travelogues into comedy travel movies in no time. Hence give ample time to sound mixing and find a score that compliments your video.
But as you know, sometimes silence is golden, so let some shots pass by sans music.
#11. Another rule of thumb is the duration of your video. If it is your first time trying your hands on travel documentary, then stay happy within 5 to 60 minutes. Once you gauge the response of your audience, then you may think of escalating your duration.
So you are done. Now what?
Sharing is caring! One of the best things about travel filmmaking is, you can capture people, moments, and places that can be shared with the world.
So once you are done with the final phase of your video and is satisfied with the outcome, take a deep breath, and start uploading it on your YouTube or Vimeo channel.
Share it on your social media handles too. The more you share, the higher will be your number of audience. Subtly request them to share your video.You may also upload the video on websites that allow online streaming or download. Who knows it would be counted among one of the best travel movies and feature next on Netflix!🙂
If you have some more valuable tips to add, please share them in the comments section below. And in case you have footage of your travels that you want to give a shape of video, you may try us. We would give your video a professional look with excellent sound mixing and editing. Because in the end it all depends on how perfectly you edit your video.So, good luck to you. Start traveling!
