People are talking more and more about the power of using video content in the sales process. It helps customers visualise their proposed holiday, giving them a teaser for the views and experiences they could enjoy.
But not everyone has the budget to get the professionals on the case. Well, making your own travel videos, on a fam trip or your own holiday, has become a lot easier thanks to advancements in technology, such as HD cameras on mobile devices such as the iPhone 6. These will allow you to film slow motion and playback footage at almost 10% of the real-time speed. Faster processors put HD video editing right in the palm of your hands.
Apps like Replay can now automate the tedious task of video editing, while other apps such as Filmic Pro allow you to shoot higher-quality footage on your mobile device.
All these advancements aside, the most important thing to consider when thinking about your own travel video content is who your target audience is and what they expect from your brand.
If your only video is a poorly shot, shaky iPhone video that sits on your YouTube channel or homepage, this does not give potential customers the right idea when they are about to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds with you on their next holiday.
If you are looking to simply show your brand’s authentic and down-to-earth side through social media then some fun iPhone or GoPro clips while on your latest fam trip will do just the trick. If you want to create content that will directly affect your customers’ purchase decisions then a certain amount of dedication will be required on your part.
It is possible to create professional-looking travel video content with something like an iPhone, but this takes patience and a desire to learn the craft of film-making and editing. To help speed along this process, here are a few simple techniques to get you closer to creating your own “get up and go travel” YouTube content.
1. Always use a tripod
The most noticeable difference between professional content and amateur video is camera movement. Holding your GoPro or iPhone with one hand will make it shaky. If you don’t have a tripod, put the camera on a chair or table to keep it steady.
“You can still create iconic ‘Hollywood’ camera movement without the big budgets”
You can still create iconic “Hollywood” camera movement without the big budgets. Try putting your camera on something that can slide easily across a table top or surface, press record, push the camera at a steady pace across the table and voila, you have just created your first tracking shot.
If using a GoPro and all you have is a handle or “selfie” stick, try pushing the back of the GoPro against your lips. Your head will help stabilise any movement in the camera shot. When using your GoPro in water, lick the glass cover every few minutes so that water droplets run straight off the lens and don’t obscure your shot.
2. Sound it out
Audio is just as important as video so try to capture ambient audio alongside your video footage when filming. If using something like the GoPro, take the camera out of its case to ensure you capture that wonderful sound of a morning market or waves crashing on the coastline.
If you plan on doing interviews with staff or guests, invest in the Rode Smart Lav+, which plugs directly into your iPhone for clear, crisp sound from your subject. It’s worth paying for good, royalty free music too. Websites such as pond5.com sell songs for around £10-£30 per song, and this way you won’t end up having your video removed by YouTube for copyright infringement.
3. Fools rush in
Take your time and shoot for the edit. Make sure that when you are filming a particular activity you get multiple shots of the same object or activity from wide, medium and close-up angles. This will allow you to make much more dynamic cuts in your edit and it will look like you have more than one camera.
4. Do it like a Pro
GoPros are a cost-effective way of getting high-quality footage, allowing you to capture scenes from unique angles. Their wide fisheye lenses are more suited to action and outdoor activities, but with a little practice you can use them to film landscapes and even hotel interiors by switching the field of view to get rid of that noticeable fisheye look.
GoPros also make shooting time-lapses straightforward, allowing you to show slow events like sunrises, sunsets or frantic Moroccan souk traffic in a matter of seconds.
5. Plan the shoot
Try to plan your videos as much as possible before going on your fam trip. There is no need to go so in-depth as to create storyboard drawings, just a simple list of what you would like to film and how many videos you hope to get out of the trip. This will help you visualise the videos as a whole and realise whether or not you have too little or too much footage of one particular activity or location.
6. Early bird catches the footage
If you want to create something a little more cinematic, try getting up before sunrise and filming during golden hour, when the sun casts a beautiful orange glow on to everything. Plan some of your shots and activities around these times.
Also take into account that cameras like GoPros have limited manual functionality, so if you are filming in direct sunlight keep the sun behind you. Also if you are filming interiors try switching on all the lights in the room before getting your shot.
7. Interact
Most importantly, have fun. By having a sunny disposition, people around you tend to smile more. This looks much better on camera. Chat to the locals about what you are doing. More often than not they will be accommodating, telling you where to find the best views of their city or even allowing you to film in the back of the kitchen where granny makes her famous meatballs. It is these interactions that make travel the wonderful pursuit it is, so capturing these moments means your video will be more likely to hit the right note with your viewers.
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