One of the beautiful things about travel videos is that they come in an infinite variety. Documentaries, road trip montages, photo motion journeys, travel vlogs…the travel video family tree is a massive, swaying evergreen.
These past two weeks we have focused on two perennial travel video genres; time lapse and road trips.
Truck stop coffee and miles of highway. Open windows, sweet tunes and best friends; road trips are a beautiful expression of personal freedom and the traveling spirit.
Road trips are also often the subject of video and photo fun as the traveler passes through metropolis, prairie, desert and backwater townships.
My memory takes me back one year as my grandpa and I stocked his 21ft motor home with spam and instant coffee and set off for 2 weeks in the American Southwest.
Time lapse or timelapse, whichever you please, is an excellent visual expression of the dynamic forces of time and motion. The passage of clouds, rising of tides, migration of pedestrians and the transit of vehicles take on an elemental quality when viewed through the god-like lens of time in fast forward.
Time lapse can capture the essence of a place, giving the viewer the freedom to experience a hour in ten seconds.
Creating time lapse is simple.
1. Choose a location that will undergo dynamic movement and a perspective that will capture the motion effectively, artistically.
2. Set up your camera on a tripod. Before you start filming make sure you will not have to move the camera or adjust the settings.
3. Let the camera roll. Ten, twenty, forty five minutes…how long you record will depend on how much motion and time you want to represent.
Another way to achieve time lapse is to take a photo at a set increment. This will allow you to capture more time using less memory and resources, but you need to be able to program your camera to do so.
4. Import the footage into your editing software and speed up the clip.
That’s it.
Do you have time lapse footage you are interested in sharing with MatadorTV? Leave a comment or shoot me an email: Josh(at)Matadornetwork.com
LAST WEEK ANDY HAYES POSTED MY POLL QUESTION ON THE MATADOR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
“WHO IS YOUR DREAM TRAVEL COMPANION?”
Here are your answers ~
Erick Pound ~ The most interesting man in the world.
Warren Talbot ~ Without a doubt, I have to say my wife. While it is not a deeply insightful answer, I know that there is not another person I would rather go around the world with. She just gets me.
Alaina O’Brien ~ I would love to travel the world with my dog, but that’s a bit more hassle than it’s worth.
Richard Callaby ~ Evangeline Lilly.
Sam Kod ~ Someone who wants to do everything I do, eat everything I eat, and see everything I wanna see :-)
Alva Tse ~ Agree with Sam! i don’t have a specific name in mind but gotta be someone who fits the same traveler type profile.
Cornelia Sproat ~ Truman Capote or Paul Lynde.
Erin Domue ~ I’m lucky I have my dream companion…my husband who I moved half a world away to be and travel with (even featured in Candice’s photo essay on ditching the cube to follow your dreams). In the last 1 1/2 years, we’ve traveled to over 20 countries together & are doing well as Expats, despite only ever dating long distance before getting married. We… See More compliment each other very well and have a wonderful time traveling together.
But….if I did not have him to travel with, it would be a toss up between Anthony Bourdain or Guy Fieri. :-D
Bonita Moroz-Hellberg ~ My first choice doesn’t count…but my second choice would be someone who is on the same “page” as I am… :)
Elizabeth Tittle ~ First choice: Liam Neeson. Second choice: my best friend and constant travel companion. Third choice: Liam Neeson.
Aye GotPassport ~ To be perfectly honest, I don’t have to dream about this. I travel with them already and that’s a dream come true. My husband (for the last 10 yrs) and my daughter (for the past 7).
Jon Tompkins ~ Tony Bourdain. done and done.
Michele Lougheed ~ Along the same lines as Alaina… my cat! But I don’t think that would work out too well!
Daniel Murdock ~ Tony Bourdain is a great one. Mine would be Eva Holland she seems so cool.
Logan Simmons ~ It would be a tie between The Vampire Lestat, Ghandi, and Socrates.
Susan Siddiqui ~ One that when you look at them they smile and you know they are enjoying the adventure with you…
Michelle Conrad ~ My best friend since 7th grade – she’s the only person I could never get frustrated with because she would laugh ourselves out of any situation.
Expatin India ~ My kayak – it would mean I’m on my dream trip around the world. Can you tell I work indoors? (sigh!)
THANK YOU EVERYBODY WHO TOOK A MOMENT TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS!!
What no vlog?!?
Nope, not this time around. Anybody who creates video content knows how time consuming and labor intensive it is. Even the most humble vlog can take several hours to film, 3-6 more to scrub and edit. Then there is the task of exporting, uploading ( & tagging and descriptions ) and finally, formatting for the site and publishing.
This week has seen Joshywashington catching up on some private video projects that must come to completion before I can move on.
Thanks for hanging out on MatadorTV…happy trails and keep those cameras ROLLING!