words Alexa Wang
Human beings are inquisitive by nature and have always loved traveling. When our nomadic ancestors settled in one place in search of a livelihood, travel became a hobby. Over the years, as photography gained popularity, so did travel photos.
Today, the average viewer likes to get a holistic picture of the place they intend to visit. That is why we see a general shift in preference towards travel videos. Simple travel walk videos or travel vlogs are often seen to have millions of views.
However, the other side of the story is the fact that there are thousands of people who create travel videos every month. Unless your travel video has content to stand out, it is likely to get lost in a sea of digital content. To avoid such a thing, in this article, we will talk about some such tips that will help you create exceptional travel videos.
Do Your Homework And Watch Diverse Travel Videos
In the world of filmmaking, experience is the best teacher. If you are looking for a head start in this field, you should consider spending time watching the work of others. Such proactive measures will give you an idea of the working of travel videos, the way they are formatted, the ordering of video clips, frame shots, and other technical details.
Once you have a gist of how videos work, you can experiment and identify the style that works for you. With tools like InVideo, you have complete control over the frame and can express your creative freedom effectively.
Adjust the Camera Settings Before You Begin the Trip
Trying to adjust the picture profile of your camera on a trip never goes well. If you are a novice, it is a good practice to spend time checking the settings of your camera and identify the one that works the best for you. You can then set it to default for all your camera modes. That way, there will not be any inconsistency in the footage due to the change in the camera settings.
Shooting Effectively
While filming travel videos, many people have the misconception that having an innumerable amount of video footage is the only way forward. While it is a good idea to have a lot of video clips, you need to know where to draw the line. Understand that unless you take in the scenery and enjoy the trip, you cannot judge what will work for your travel film. Overshooting will cause you to misjudge, and that will take a toll on your overall video quality. You can consider dedicating a time of the day to your video filming. Usually, early mornings or late evenings are a safe bet. Travel and explore the rest of the day to decide the shots that you would capture at the designated time.
Plan Your Story
Any good video demands good storytelling, and you need to plan your actions. Since traveling is a spontaneous activity, the best thing that you can do is invest your efforts in extensive research about the place before you venture into the field. That way, you will have a story outline and can be ready to shoot any time you observe an interesting sight.
While it is acceptable to deviate from the story while capturing the footage, it is mandatory to have a basic story framework in place before the capturing. Such planned activities make it easier for you to edit your video and convincingly tell the story.
Keep The Focus on the Location
While creating a travel video, remember that it is all about the place, its heritage, local life, cuisine, etc. Do not take a narcissistic approach to video-making wherein you talk about yourself or show off your life.
To ensure that you are doing it right, make a conscious effort at shooting lesser footage of the pubs and restaurants you had been to or the shopping that you had indulged in. Rather, focus on the architecture, culture, and history of the land to create an interesting story. A good visual story will prompt people to follow in your footsteps and encourage them to do the same.
Keep Your Shots Varied
Before you venture into travel videography, you need to learn the different shots. Creating a time-lapse video from a moving vehicle or a slow-motion video of a waterfall are some ways of keeping the viewer engaged. Depending on the location you are shooting at, you can consider panning up, down, right, or left or shooting from a worm’s eye.
Get Close-up Shots of Locals
Human beings are gregarious and connect well with the emotions of others. If you can get close-up shots of locals staring at the lens, your viewers are likely to develop an emotional connection with the video. Try to communicate with the locals of the place that you are visiting and befriend the locals. Then, ask their permission for a short video clip.
While images or video clips of locals improve the appeal of your travel video, you need to realize that in some parts of the world people do not like being photographed. That is why it is a good idea to seek permission before you capture any shot. If required, you may seek the help of a translator or use a translation mobile app.
Travel videos, if unedited properly, often look like a bunch of random video clips stitched together. While filming a video is undeniably an important part of video making, you need to pay due attention to the joining. At every stage of the video editing, make sure that your travel video has a dedicated purpose and a story that it is trying to justify.
If possible, try to have multiple versions of the edited video. A tool like InVideo will allow you the luxury of saving multiple versions of the edited video on your device. You can then compare them to see which works the best for you and then upload the same on your blog or social media handle. With this, you will be increasing your fan following, and over time, you will figure out the art of making travel videos.
