Ahoj, This is Zdenka.
I've got seven tips for filming a travel video with iPhone 14
Pro and DJI Osmo Mobile 6.
That is what I'm going to be using in today's video.
However, all these tips apply to any smartphone
and any gimbal.
Let's go through storytelling,
creating a shot list,
Filming handheld and with gimbal, music and more.
This video is sponsored by Epidemic Sound.
Let me start by saying this.
There is a clear difference between
montage and a travel video.
A great travel video doesn't have to be only for fun.
Think of it as a piece of art
your audience wants to enjoy.
They want to be part of your trip.
They want to be pulled into your story.
They want to feel like they're actually there with you.
What is the purpose of your travel video?
Is it to entertain, inspire or educate?
Is it to capture your family vacation?
This year, I'll be traveling myself, showing off all these
interesting places in all the upcoming tutorials
so don't forget to subscribe if you're not already.
Before you go on a trip
learn about the place you want to go.
Use Google Maps,
Instagram or other social media.
Look up the places you
want to visit and pay attention to
lighting.
What time of the day are the photos or videos taken?
Some places will look great during sunrise or sunset, but will
not look amazing in the middle of the day.
Waterfalls, for example will depend
on the position of the sun.
Have a bit of a plan, a shot list.
If it is your vacation,
you might not have a plan because most of the activities happen on the go.
At least, that's my case.
Speaking of vacation,
if you will be going on a vacation with your family or friends,
you don't want to just film, film, film and film
nonstop and ruin the vacation for everybody else.
It would be very annoying.
Film only at the best time of the day.
Dawn. Sunset.
Dusk.
Short clips. Variety.
You will get the most beautiful footage as the light
will be way better than filming at noon.
Then here and there
you can throw in extra clips from different times of
the day.
If you don't have a plan,
have a solid plan for the beginning and ending of your story.
The beginning doesn't have to always start with packing a suitcase.
You can be creative many different ways.
For example, use Google Maps to show the location
and then transition straight into the location.
Or have a unique quote at the end of the travel video.
The middle of the travel video
you can fill up with showing off the place,
restaurants, food, fun activities, hiking, driving a van, sightseeing,
sunset, beach time, special moments with people you are traveling with.
Don't be shy and ask other people if they can be included
in your travel video.
But don't be creepy. Ask. You just don't wanna go and
point a camera at them.
Shoots to edit.
Don't just over shoot and film anything and everything.
Think about what you are filming and if it fits in your story.
If you will be using phone like this one, you can film many things handheld
as this has amazing stabilization
in portrait mode and cinematic mode.
Film the little details.
Close up shots, those all can be done handheld.
The quick moments. It is best to film at 60 frames per second so you can
keep most of the clips in the real speed
and use slow motion by slowing down some clips only when it
makes sense and when it fits in your edit.
You don't want to create entire video in slow motion.
It would not pull you in.
You would be looking at slow motion montage.
Most of the time I see people
walking around and film only from one point of view as they are standing up.
The problem is when they film something which is below their waist line.
By looking down you will make things look way
smaller. Go down, create shots pointing up. You will get a way
interesting view as normally we are not looking at
objects that way.
Those will be more unique
and since you will be filming handheld, you can create some interesting
moves and spins. When you need to film movement shots,
this is when gimbal comes in very handy.
It is very difficult to keep the horizon perfectly straight
if you are filming handheld.
Gimbal will make this move way easier for you.
You can also film Hyperlapse on the go or time lapses
as you are enjoying your favorite drink.
Sunset or sunrise time lapses are always very mesmerizing.
When you will be enjoying food,
place the gimbal on a tripod, put it on a table, let it film,
enjoy the food, enjoy the moment, or if you are on the beach,
use tracking feature, track your family members.
Have the gimbal on the ground.
Be in the moment.
It is very important to learn how to use your gimbal before you go on a trip.
Not learning how to use your gimbal during your trip.
There is a learning curve.
I do have an in-depth DJI Osmo Mobile 6 tutorial,
I'll link below for those interested.
Audio is more important than the video.
The visual part because the audio
will bring out the authenticity.
When you see something and hear the natural sounds at the same time,
you will get the complete feeling of being physically there. When you are filming,
try not to talk so you can record the natural sounds.
Once you are done filming, then you can talk all the way you want.
Get a small microphone for better audio.
There are plenty out there.
I'll link some suggestions below.
Here is a sample shot with no natural sound,
only music.
And here is the same shot, but with natural sound as well.
If you don't have natural sounds, you can download them.
And the same goes with the music.
It is very important to find the right music for your travel video,
especially the location, and to ensure you don't get a copyright claim.
If you will be posting your video to YouTube or other social media.
You can use Epidemic Sound service.
They have a very large library.
You can find many tunes from all over the world
so finding the right to travel, video music should not be a problem.
I have been using the service for four years now.
Everything is easy to find.
It is well organized.
New music and sound effects are
added all the time.
You can download full songs or just stems, just the drums or melody,
you name it. You will find a link to get a 30 days free trial
below the video in a video description.
And on top of that Epidemic Sound is giving you guys
an additional two months for 50% off.
All you have to do is click the link and
use ZDENKA50 at checkout.
Thank you very much
Epidemic Sound for making this video possible.
Let's talk about the actual shots.
Don't film everything just with a standard lens.
Use wide angle shots to establish the scene to show off the entire place.
It is best if you throw a person in the middle of the landscape
or a car.
It will make the landscape look even bigger. Then
move on to detail shots with a standard lens.
Those are your creative shots.
Shoot through the foreground to give you the texture.
Shoot details from interesting angles, shoot up as I mentioned earlier.
Lastly, use your telephoto lens for capturing interesting objects.
People, views.
Every lens will give you a completely different view.
If you add time lapses and hyperlapses,
you will get a great mix of material to work with.
Keep the shots stable, keep it clean.
When you film a certain scene, a certain location,
think about the transition.
How are you going to transition from location A to location B?
You can use HYPERLAPSE, you can create whip
transitions. Simply whip to the side when you
finish filming a clip and the next location start with
a whip.
What you can also keep in mind
is start filming certain shots from
hiding behind an object and finish a shot with the same move.
Just hide behind the poll, behind the railing.
Anything in the foreground.
This will give you more freedom when you're editing the travel video,
you will have more opportunities for different transitions.
There are also plenty of pre-made
transitions you can download for specific video editing software.
Let's say you're filming in a location where there is not enough
motion happening. There's nothing going on.
It offers a lot of static shots like buildings,
but there's simply nothing going on.
In this case, the gimbal can really help you out.
Move around, go forward,
pan to the side, zoom in.
Although I recommend that one doing it in a post.
You will get a much smoother result with controlled speed.
Keep an eye
on some additional movement such as people walking by or birds flying around.
And if you cannot create additional movement on the spot,
you used a tripod so you have a lot of static shots,
you can certainly create movement in a post.
Instead of showing this shot, which is not
moving at all, you can slightly
zoom in or zoom out. You can zoom in a
bit and then create pan movement to the side. Give you the thumbs
up if you like today's video.
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Leave a comment below and I'll see you in the next.
Cau... Ahoj...