This post may contain hotel affiliate links. This means that if you book a hotel through this site I may earn a (dreadfully small but much appreciated) commission at no extra cost to you.
Want to learn how to make an award winning travel video? Read on.
The travelcuts FilmFest
I’m inspired. Positively inspired. I’ve just been at the Second Annual travelcuts FilmFest (no, that’s not how I would have capitalized it either) and saw the award-winning travel video, plus videos from the two other finalists as well as some new travel videos from last year’s winners. Actually I’ve been watching a lot of travel videos lately and I’ve learned a lot. By dissecting them carefully, I’ve learned a few essential ingredients that go into making an award-winning travel video, which I’m going to put into practice immediately. (Just as soon as I get my stupid iMovie working again.)
But first I’m going to pass on the secrets of making top-rated travel videos to you.
Before we start, take a look at the award-winning travel video by the 2015 travelcuts FilmFest winner, Mark Harrison, to get you into the travel-video-making mood.
Secrets of making an award-winning travel video – Buy a drone
I was just telling another travel writer at the FilmFest that I thought drones were a fad, that once all those cool arial shots had been taken all around the world, and we’ve become saturated with stunning arial footage, then what? Drones will be done. Then I watched the finalists’ videos. Wow. Just wow. All I can say now is … if you want to make an award-winning video buy a drone.
Tip 2 – Learn how to work the drone
This tip is a bit of a drag. I think I’d be pretty good at buying a drone. Using it is another matter entirely. Plus there is the problem of packing it. Right now I can’t even travel with a tripod, because that would take up valuable shoe space in my luggage.
And the winner of the 2016 travelcuts FilmFest is …
Benoit LaLande! Whoot! Now let’s take a look at the award-winning travel video of the Second Annual travelcuts FilmFest. It’s Sama Sama by Burlington local, Benoit LaLande. Congratulations, Benoit, and may you enjoy the $5,000-worth-of-travel first prize. We can’t wait to see what travel videos you’ll come up with that.
Travel video tip 3 – Go underwater
What? It’s not enough to get drone shots from the air, now I need to go underwater, too? Bloody hell. I’ll have to add a GoPro to the mix – and you know what this means, at this point I’ll be down to one pair of thin-soled shoes.
A key element to making travel videos – Learn to leap
Leaping is a valuable tool for making a high-quality travel video. To make a video that resonates with travellers you should cultivate a love for leaping into jade pools off the top of a waterfalls (or at the very least, learn to stand pensively in front of one). You should also consider jumping off cliffs into aquamarine seas or, at a minimum, leap off a boat, preferably holding hands with a group of new friends who share your innermost wanderlust soul.
Shoe shots rock
I quite like this one because it means you can sit down. If you’re too scared to leap off a cliff you can sit on the edge with your feet hanging into the abyss to get some quality footage (that’s a foot joke by the way).
One of the three finalists in the travelcuts FilmFest is Tyler Cave from Victoria, BC. To stay in the spirit of things, let’s pause to watch his fab travel video Indonesia.
Tip 6 – Smile
If you aren’t having the time of your life and grinning with the biggest most widest smile in the whole wide world in every shot, how do you expect to inspire others to travel through your videos?
Tip 7 – Pensiveness
There are some exceptions to smiling. If you’re standing in front of a waterfall (as I mentioned before) or sitting on a rooftop patio overlooking a beautiful city such as Florence with the starry night sky twinkling overhead, an expression of profound thoughtfulness is acceptable. Perhaps you could even shed one dew-like tear. Because travelling is deep.
Last year’s finalist Elise Chan rocks the pensive-while-being-happy genre of travel videos. Let’s watch. Is she not just too likeable for words?
Travel video tip 8 – Look good in a bikini and/or short shorts
If you want to learn how to make an award winning travel video, remember this: Beach shots are always fun, and it helps if you have good legs. I’m currently researching some work arounds for this, however, and am looking into whether or not a pair of knee-to-stomach unicorn tattoos would disguise ungainly thighs while also projecting an aura of independence and carefree rebellion.
Another option is, obviously, to film someone else who looks good in a bikini. This especially works if you’re a man.
Now let’s take a look at a beautifully-shot teaser video from last year’s finalist Valentyn Syenin.
The final option for a bikini avoidance strategy is to only film in cold places, a key bit of brilliance I dreamed up after watching the captivating travel video, Popsicle Sagas, submitted by Dominic Faucher, one of the 2016 finalists.
Video tip 9 – Dance
An extension of looking good in shorts or a bikini is dancing in shorts or a bikini. Dancing is a pure way of expressing the joys of being a nomad, and is an excellent form of nonverbal communication, which brings me to my next point.
Shut the eff up
Music, my friends. It’s all about music rather than words. At the travelcuts FilmFest (no, I don’t feel any better about the capitalization than I did before) I interviewed two of last year’s top video makers, Valentyn and Elise (who are both adorable by the way, not to mention uber talented). They told me that YouTube offers free music as does SoundCloud – a valuable travel video tip I’m now passing on to you (and one you probably knew anyways, but I’m trying my best to help).
On the plus side, less speech and more music means less historical research and fact checking. Yay! On the downside, it means you really do need to hone your filming and editing skills. And that’s on top of learning how to use a drone.
And finally, edit edit edit
These award-winning travel videos might look all spontaneous and hey-we’re-just-having-so-much-fun, not one of them happened by accident. A tremendous amount of work clearly went into editing, cutting, splicing and dicing. (I got those last two terms from a cooking show.) So congratulations to all the top contenders, who managed to do it all.
If you like it, pin it!
About the travelcuts FilmFest
2015 was the first travelcuts FilmFest and I’m sure there will be more to come. To learn more about it and to find out how you can plot and plan – with the help of my invaluable ‘how to make an award winning travel video’ tips – to be one of next year’s finalists check out the travelcuts FilmFest page. And I’ll see you at the FilmFest next year! I’ll be the one with the unicorn tattoos.
About Travelcuts
Travelcuts is an online Canadian travel company that’s been around for practically forever. They specialize in searching out the best deals in flights, hotels, all-inclusive vacations and tours, and, evidently, in hosting a crowd-sourced film festival that we’re all going to be finalists in next year. Happy filming.
Haha, Rebecca. I never thought of checking for bears with a drone on a hike.
Really good post Carol …funny, well written and really interesting! I didn’t know you could take videos with drones. They would be great for checking for bears and mountain lions while hiking….if you could see the video while it was filming. Can one do that? Of course, then you would never look at the path.
It looks like scuba gear and underwater cameras are also de rigeur.
Fippin hilarious – loved it!
S
Oh, thanks, Christopher. You’ve inspired me to get out there and … carry more gear.
This is the best post I read today. Your too funny. Must be a Canadian thing. As a professional Videographer, Editor and Photographer, if you wanna have great looking videos you will have to give up shoe space in your suitcase. Lol. I travel with a DSLR (two lenses), tri-pod, GoPro and a Drone. Plus my iPhone. The gear matters but I think having a solid story in mind or an idea or script helps. Music is extremely important for setting the mood. Editing is an art form so take some online courses and study other people’s videos. I am instant inspired by the videos in your post. At the end of the day having a videos on your site are important in helping you get discover in google searches.
Great post!!!!!!!
I’d fall off the cliff, Laura.
This is so funny, and so true. Pensive shots overlooking the mountains or standing on a cliff seem to really resonate. I see drones all the time now and wish I had one, but I’d probably just wreck it into a cliff somewhere and lose all the footage anyway. :)
Loved your tips and making notes on them! I have an upcoming FAM trip and need to take some travel videos. But I don’t have a budget to buy a drone yet, but I do have a Gopro so I think I will be just sticking to dancing vids wearing my bikini and smiling a lot! wish me luck hahaha
It’s so hard to do it all, isn’t it, Leah?
Sounds like you have a good writing coach, Jenn.
I fully agree with your last point about editing. My writing coach said that when you write a book there is a 3/1 ration of what goes onto paper and never actually into the final cut. That doesn’t include story arcs and character backgrounds. I have seen too many travel videos lately where there is little planning and even less editing.
I’ve been saying that I’d add video to my wheelhouse, but it hasn’t happened yet. I really want a drone, but I’m sure I’d crash it immediately. Love tip #8. ;-)
I know if I bought a drone it would end up in the sea! I DO love the videos they produce but I don’t see myself doing it ever!
Everybody seems pretty enthused about making videos with a drone, Indrani. You and me included.
Drones definitely will make killer videos. And I like the idea of shedding a drop of tear or two for a good video effect. :)
Excellent advice, Carol. Two thumbs for the drone. I don’t have one…yet. But when I I get serious about video I will buy one. And follow your excellent advice – love that SoundCloud offers free music! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Nadine. Good luck with your video creation!
Oh dear, if I wasn’t already afraid shooting video, I can now add a few more reasons to my list: I’m scared of heights, I’m not sure anyone wants to see me in a bikini, and dancing isn’t my forte!
Seriously though, great post – not only have you inspired me to dip my toes into the world of video, I was giggling the whole way through :-)
Thanks, Jackie! They are fantastic videos, aren’t they? Too bad about your sun allergy.
I’m so tempted to buy a drone, J. Seriously, those winning travel videos were inspiring.
We bought a drone, but ended up selling it after only being able to fly it a few times over the course of several months. The weather just never seemed to cooperate. But I really do love the shots people get with drones!
I always smile when I open up one of your posts, Carol. I know I’m about to read something that will make me smile and lol! Such fantastic videos! I was waiting for tip #8, though, which is a deal-breaker for me. :( No, it’s not poor body image, but rather a sun intolerance/allergy. No beach lounging or sailboat bikini shots for me. Wah Wah! The drone shots are so amazing, though. It’s tempting and I’m always a sucker for learning something new.