Filmmaker Justin Heaney captures the essence of Istanbul, Turkey in this unique video. I was interested to learn more about his motivations for producing this film. This is what he told me:
“For me it is the human condition that I am drawn to when filming on the road. I try to shoot ‘under the radar.’ I like to represent the marginalized aspects of society and show them in a natural, non invasive way. I generally try to avoid subject/camera interaction because people become less interesting when they become self-aware. I think my success lies in the voyeuristic journey achieved from unadulterated observations of people in their natural surroundings. Music is huge part of any travel film, especially when attempting to depict a country or culture. I shy away from traditional music. Instead, I choose more universal music that matches the cadence and tone of the visuals. Most of my time in the editing room is spent meticulously cutting visuals over the musical nuances. All sounds are created in post (I shoot with zero audio). I sometimes capture the odd atmosphere on an external recorder. I shoot from the hip and never use a tripod. I prefer to use just one lens; One long zoom lens, and no wides lenses. This keeps things up close and personal.”