Travel Film 4K
Making a film gives you a lasting record of your trip. Films capture
sounds as well as sights, and give insights in a different way to
written accounts. Plus, with so many ways to share experiences, films
can also inspire others to follow in your footsteps.
Making a decent quality film is like engineering – a blend of art and technology. It’s challenging, but deeply satisfying when you pull it off, and the more you practice, the more accomplished you’ll become. So whether you have ambitions to be the next Michael Palin or just want to create a beautiful film for yourself, the same rules apply.
Making a decent quality film is like engineering – a blend of art and technology. It’s challenging, but deeply satisfying when you pull it off, and the more you practice, the more accomplished you’ll become. So whether you have ambitions to be the next Michael Palin or just want to create a beautiful film for yourself, the same rules apply.
You don’t need masses of expensive gear to make a good adventure travel film.
As long as you use a device that was designed to be used as a camera
you can make a film. The key is what you shoot, not what camera or
editing software you own. You are like a chef cooking a meal: the
quality of the end product is not affected by the choice of knife,
saucepan or oven; it’s all about the ingredients and what you do with
them.
People are incredibly used to a phenomenal standard of film and TV. However, to match these standards you don’t need money, you need discipline. Yes, whether you like it or not, your film must play by the rules.
People are incredibly used to a phenomenal standard of film and TV. However, to match these standards you don’t need money, you need discipline. Yes, whether you like it or not, your film must play by the rules.
Film-making: The Rules
Rule 1: Keep the camera still. This includes piddling about with the zoom. This single fact gets you 50% of the way to being a pro.
Rule 2: Have a story – however simple – and include yourself in it. Add 10% in the pro cart...
Rule 3: When you find an interesting place, person or experience, shoot a proper ‘sequence’. Sequences are the meat of your finished show. This means roughly 20 separate shots at a given location that tell the story visually. If the story isn’t interesting then put the camera away until you are somewhere memorable. Remember, grazing is unhelpful. Far better to shoot a proper sequence every few days than to shoot ten unconnected shots every day for the whole trip.
Rule 4: Shoot transitional shots. These move you from one location to the next. Drive-bys (eg, your bus going past), maps, road signs, day counters and local colour (super important – the weirder the better) all make great transitional shots. This gets you 22% closer to being a pro.
Rule 5: In the edit, back home, intersperse your sequences with the transitional shots. Use commentary and music to suit your taste. This augments you by 7%. Remember that when editing, you don’t need to spend loads on editing software. The basic packages that come as standard on most computers are a great place to start. If you try them and want more, the sky’s the limit.
Rule 6: Keep production values high. Being an amateur doesn’t mean that focus, exposure and sound issues are beyond you. This is the grammar of television and every modern human subconsciously acknowledges it as a result of zillions of hours of watching TV. It’s what they are used to; you have to serve it up this way. The public are not capable of digesting your wobbly cam, wind-noise-drenched masterpiece. Congratulations dear reader, you are at a pro level of film-making.
Rule 2: Have a story – however simple – and include yourself in it. Add 10% in the pro cart...
Rule 3: When you find an interesting place, person or experience, shoot a proper ‘sequence’. Sequences are the meat of your finished show. This means roughly 20 separate shots at a given location that tell the story visually. If the story isn’t interesting then put the camera away until you are somewhere memorable. Remember, grazing is unhelpful. Far better to shoot a proper sequence every few days than to shoot ten unconnected shots every day for the whole trip.
Rule 4: Shoot transitional shots. These move you from one location to the next. Drive-bys (eg, your bus going past), maps, road signs, day counters and local colour (super important – the weirder the better) all make great transitional shots. This gets you 22% closer to being a pro.
Rule 5: In the edit, back home, intersperse your sequences with the transitional shots. Use commentary and music to suit your taste. This augments you by 7%. Remember that when editing, you don’t need to spend loads on editing software. The basic packages that come as standard on most computers are a great place to start. If you try them and want more, the sky’s the limit.
Rule 6: Keep production values high. Being an amateur doesn’t mean that focus, exposure and sound issues are beyond you. This is the grammar of television and every modern human subconsciously acknowledges it as a result of zillions of hours of watching TV. It’s what they are used to; you have to serve it up this way. The public are not capable of digesting your wobbly cam, wind-noise-drenched masterpiece. Congratulations dear reader, you are at a pro level of film-making.
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