Photo: Divine Harvester

NEVER FEAR, every rucksack travel vlogger has been guilty of these video crimes at some point.

The overall elements of suckage fall under several categories, including:

Redundancies

Don’t show us anything that is already known implicitly if it doesn’t add anything new to the story or to you as a character. Kudos for taking the time and effort to document your adventure, now fight the urge to make a cookie cutter travel video.

Time Wastage

Cut to the chase & mind our fickle attention spans. The average time spent on most web pages is mere moments, make good use of your nanosecond of my waning concentration.

Snore Induction

Your experience traveling is unique, intrigue us with the peculiarities of travel by offering us only the best, most intriguing aspects of your journey. Your new video editing mantra ~ “All Killer, no Friggin Filler!”

Lameness

Shitty “windswept” audio, awkward narration, cliches, cultural insensitivity, shots of people who clearly don’t want to be filmed, bad transitions…the catalog of lameness is long and lame.

5 WAYS TO SUCK

Within these general categories, here are some specific ways people mess up their travel videos:

NO PACKING!

We all know that you have packed your bags and you have brought extra underwear and Imodium… let’s not beat a dead horse.

NO AIRPORTS!

Yes, it is your first video in your “series.” Yes, you are catching a place to [wherever] and you are uber excited. But spare us the airport, airplane, baggage carousel and get to the meat.

NO CAMERA OUT THE WINDOW DRIVING SHOTS!

You are in a car/bus/tuk tuk and are stoked for the rolling hills/jungle/plains rushing past, but trust me, this shot is not going to turn out. It will be skewed, shaky and probably focused on the smear of mosquito on the window and not the gorgeous dusk parallax.

Pull over and get a shot.

NO HOMERIC EPICS!

Short and sweet, that is what your travel vids should be. Keep them hovering around 5 minutes at the most and if you can get them down to 2 minutes you are a champ.

We want snacks; short & easily digestible travel vids that don’t take all day to load and watch.

Less is more. I had someone forward me their travel video that clocked in at 48 minutes last week. My god, if your name is Sir David Attenborough, then OK. If your name is Joe Blow, spare me!

NO AWKWARD MOMENTS!

Remember your mom swinging the over-sized camcorder in clumsy arches, telling everybody to “Say hi” and asking awkward, camera shy siblings “Where are we?”

It wasn’t cool then, and it certainly isn’t cool now.

EVEN MORE WAYS TO SUCK

NO MUSIC: Tunes that add to the flow and feeling of your vid are a must. Go one further and use only artists you have permission from or Creative Commons beats.

NO CREDITS: If you are using music or have had help filming / producing / editing your video, credit those that have contributed either at the end of the video or in your description.

PHOTOS: Going from video to a montage of still photos is a video killer. If I want to peep your photos I will follow the links to your Matador gallery.

COMPRESSION: You have a dope video but didn’t compress it in high quality… why??
Say it with me; 1280 X 720HD

You don’t have to suffer from sucky travel videos. Reclaim your travel vid and treat the symptoms of suckage with attentive practice and an unwavering eye for awesome.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

FIRST he walked from LA to San Diego, capturing the journey for his video series The Walkstars.

Then in Scootstars Peter putted across America on scooters that max out at 29mph documenting the interactive journey in 31 episodes.

His latest travel video adventure, inTransit ,takes him from his native lands of LA to Panama, only utilizing the slow travel of public transportation.

inTransit episode 12

This week I caught up with Peter to talk travel video and the creative process.

How would you define your travel style?
I usually have a loose outline of where I’m going and take it from there. I’m alright with deviation. I don’t like to make reservations or plans, it stresses me out. But sometimes I have to.

Where were you when you realized that you loved to make travel videos?
I realized I enjoyed making travel videos when I noticed there was a potential audience to watch my videos. Thanks to YouTube and other outlets I was able to reach a larger audience. Otherwise, the videos I made were just for my friends and me.

An actual place would have to be midway through my attempt at walking around the island of Oahu. I was in my tent on the North Shore looking back at the footage I shot that day and thought “this is pretty cool, I think I might be onto something.”

Your videos have an intriguing aspect that sets the context for the travel, such as taking public transportation or a slow-ass scooter. Why is it important for you to have this framework?
It’s important because it helps me respect distance and time. You don’t know how far you’ve been or how far you’re going unless you’ve experienced it along the way. The challenge gives me the ability to focus on my surroundings. By taking it slow, you truly appreciate the good times whether it’s the cold beer at the end of the day, a warm shower, or the simple fact that you’re alive and doing something exciting.

Travel is a metaphor to life. You have your ups and downs, literally and figuratively, your peaks and valleys. Ok enough of the philosophical stuff, I guess I had to get it out. Sorry about that, I guess that’s what travel could do to you.

Do you travel to make videos or make videos while traveling?
Well, not sure how to answer that. If I’m visiting a place, chances are I won’t film. If I’m “traveling,” chances are I will. I like to put emphasis on the act of traveling, the action of getting from one point to the other. Otherwise I don’t believe I’m traveling, I’m just temporarily relocating. I think that’s the distinction I’m trying to create from other “travel shows.” Keyword here is “trying.” So if I’m going to film, there’ll be some thought / planning on the production side.

How did you get started creating media? What is the most important thing you have learned while making travel vids?
Growing up, my brother Dan was the director and I was the actor in our backyard film projects. He was into stop motion, editing, sound mixing, etc. I learned a lot through all of this. We always made videos for school projects, easy A’s.

Fast forward to 5 years ago, I got a video camera of my own as a gift and just kept filming stuff. I joined YouTube a few months after it came out and released some music videos/skits. Some got featured, which back in the day would give me a couple thousand views. I was amped on that and kept trying to find my niche.

I was addicted to those views. I created a series called “The WalkStars,” where a group of us walked from LA to San Diego. I’d film during the course of the day and then release an episode that night, creating a semi-realitime experience. As my audience grew, I was hooked on creating content.

The most important thing(s) I learned from making travel videos is that you could never shoot enough footage. Also, that when things get awkward you need to make it more awkward by whipping out the camera. That’s something I keep reminding myself to do. It’s easier said than done.

What aspect of creating your vids do you enjoy most?
The anticipation of traveling and then the release of a video. I love picking out production equipment and then trying to pack it all for the road.

What was your inspiration for inTransit?
Not sure. There are a lot of things that inspired inTransit. I think it was my senior year in high school. I would get out of class early and didn’t want to wait for the bus. So sometimes I would walk home which was about 6 miles away. Funny thing is, by the time I got near my house the bus was either trailing behind me or a friend would offer a ride. That got me into walking.

Growing up, our family used to travel a lot. Oftentimes we would take long road trips. We drove around Europe for 3 months in a camper van, down to Mexico from Chicago and all over the United States. So I guess it was in our blood to take part in these long distance journeys. I have to thank my parents for forcing us out of the house and onto the road.

Before inTransit, my brothers rode their bicycles across the United States. I didn’t go, so that also had something to do with it. I remember making a video/photo montage of their trip when they finished. I think I was secretly jealous, but still very proud.

What kind of crew did you have along with you?
Just myself and a camera guy I met off craigslist who is now a very good friend. My girlfriend joined us in Mexico City. She was our field producer. It was great that she was able to experience this type of travel. She was great at it! I like to keep the crew light. Mo’ people mo’ problems, no people no problems. You know what I’m saying?

What was your biggest challenge filming In Transit?
Probably being both a director and actor. You can’t run away from yourself, so it was hard to be motivated on different levels. That and not wanting to film a scenario, but forcing it. Like I said before, the awkward moments where you make it even more awkward.

So what is your next travel media scheme?
Not sure. I have a few ideas. I don’t want to commit to anything just yet. I hate saying I’m going to do a particular trip and then not pull it off. I’ll keep it in my head and then when the time comes, I’ll do it. There are so many possibilities out there. I’m also open to see what my audience is interested in.

THE STATS

Favorite Book: Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemmingway

Last song Peter listened to: “Can you Discover?” – Discovery

Favorite Destination: My parents house in Illinois. They’re super cool, and I have a great time with them.

Twitter: @peterbragiel

Keep up to date with Peter’s latest travel video antics as the inTransit saga continues at www.intransit.tv

New York

Istanbul

The Alps

Seattle

Canary Islands

Spain

Tibet/China

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Photo: R’eyes

NINJAS NEVER REST while there is footage to be shot or a fresh video to upload.

They roam the land, camera in hand, searching for their next target, moving fast and filming with impunity.

At MatadorTV we honor these creative opportunists with the title Travel Video Ninja.

This week’s ninja is Nick Vivion. Nick is a YouTube partner who has also created videos for Lonely Planet and Current TV, and has 100+ videos on YouTube. He’s traveled and filmed all over the world.

Browse Nick’s videos and learn from one of MatadorTV’s most ferocious Ninjas!

THIS PAST MONTH’S NINJAS

Lindsay Clark ~ One of the newest members of the Matador team, Lindsay was MatadorTV’s first TVN. She has a killer blog, a beefy YouTube channel chock full of travel goodness and was an STA traveler intern for 2009. Lindsay is also works as a producer for ProjectExplorer.org, a non-profit creates educational programming for classrooms.

Graham Styles ~ The fact that Graham shot and edited his travel videos on the road while traveling South America by motorcycle alone grants him Ninja status. His wit and willingness to vlog from abandoned, windswept roads keep me watching his Brainrotting travel video series.

Mark Shea ~ Mark Shea a.k.a .”The Overlander ” is a YouTube powerhouse with over 7,000 subscribers and a ton of well-crafted, informative travel vids. His specialty is video guides that allow you to “experience” a destination with a local.”

Mr. E ~ Sometimes one killer video can make you a Ninja. While Mr. E has several dozen videos on YouTube, his harrowing coverage of a Nepalese village fighting a fire is a travel video I will never forget. Mr. E shows us that shooting first and asking questions later can make for very compelling videos.

NOMINATE A TRAVEL VIDEO NINJA

Are you a Travel Video Ninja? Is there a TVN in your midst? ( FYI if you can’t see them they are probably hiding in a shadow waiting to strike!)

Shoot me an email at josh at matadornetwork.com to nominate a ninja of the week.

Colemen Wilson Photography

WITH A POCKET full of notes and a fully charged battery I stepped out to shoot a segment for the upcoming MatadorTV vlog.

Three blocks from the rally I heard the garbled, triumphant chants banging from building to building and the beating of drums.

My morning video plans did not involve a massive immigration reformation rally that has drawn thousands downtown to demand equality and justice for Washington’s sizable immigrant population.

But as I rounded the corner to see the crowd cheering I knew that my plans had to change.

Being a creative opportunist means being light on your feet and ready to react to the unfolding situation at the drop of a hat. Abandoning my intention of interviewing travelers at Pike Place Market I wade into the crowd to begin covering the rally.

Being prepared can only go so far. A willingness to respond critically and creatively to circumstances sets the casual travel vlogger apart from the creative opportunist.

Here is my challenge to you

Grab your camera / laptop / notebook and step out into the world with the intention to discover what it is you are suppose to interact with and be inspired by.

Look and listen, ready for anything.

Photo : Frederic Poirot

MATADOR is looking for an intern who is crazy-passionate about travel and is ready to contribute their creative vision and energy.

You’ll be working directly with Matador Video editor Joshywashington, and helping with such tasks as:

*formatting and publishing video posts

*practicing the art social media promotion with the Matador editorial team

*helping build content at MatadorTV

*engaging the travel video community

*helping produce content about travel video at The Traveler’s Notebook

Are you ready to join the most read independent online travel publishing network?

Email us : josh [at] matadornetwork.com

Image: Gumster1

BE CONCISE

Brevity is indeed the soul of wit, especially when you are hosting your travel video.

Your online viewers have short attention spans so be concise.

Fight the compulsion to ramble on. Honestly, nobody finds you as interesting as you do. Remember that and you will do well. When filming your intro keep it at two short sentences or less.

Or if you want, cut away from the shot of you and use your speech as voice over, giving your audience something fresh to look at.

SPEAK UP

Square your shoulders, take a breathe and speak up. Deliver your lines with clarity and confidence. Even the most amateur, humble travel video host can command due attention by speaking like a seasoned pro.

ADD TO YOUR VISUAL EVIDENCE

As a host your job is to not only interact with the camera and the subject of your video but to explain the context of the visual evidence you are presenting. What don’t we see that is important or interesting? Enlighten us.

As the host we expect you to be the authority on the subject of your video. We can’t be there so we rely on you to supplement the visual evidence with your commentary.

LOOK GOOD

Frame yourself with an interesting background, but not distracting. If possible, your background should relate to the subject of your video. If you are shooting your host elements after the fact, resist the urge to film in your living room with your half folded laundry in the back ground.

Light yourself well. You probably aren’t packing lighting with you so search out a location that has great natural light. Too bright and you will be washed out, too dark and we loose you to shadows. Too dark / light screams “amateur” and is easily prevented, so double check your lighting.

Part of looking good is sounding good. Be sensitive to wind, music and crowd noise, these cacophonous distractions can ruin your on-camera presence. If you can, use a mic (starting at $20, they are cheap). If you suspect sound pollution, review your footage before you move on. Taking a few moments to watch what you just filmed marks the difference between a host who is invested in the final result and a n00b with shitty sound.

KNOW YOUR VIDEO

Knowing your video means you not only know what you want to say and capture on film, you know the story structure of your vid and where you need to add your two cents as a host.

Shooting your hosting elements during the action of your story may make sense but often you will have already shot the rest of your footage before you go to film your shots as a host. If you have already filmed, review your footage and create a rough outline for your video, penciling in shots of you hosting that add to the story and our enjoyment of your travel video.

Don’t just blindly turn on the camera and start blathering, no matter how interesting your environment is you can hardly sustain your audience without a little pre planning.

BE INTERESTING

This is a tough one. You don’t have to be stunningly gorgeous or have a massive facial scar to be interesting. The key to being interesting is being interested. Even if you are interested, if you don’t present with palpable, interested energy, your enthusiasm may not shine through. So bring your energy up two levels, slap a smile on your face and speak like you are compelled if not thrilled. Also, engage in interesting behaviors that takes you out of your comfort zone and lets the audience live vicariously through you.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What do you think makes a good travel video host? Good looks? A sense of adventure? Willingness to try anything? Who is your favorite travel host? Describe your perfect travel host in the comments.

The ladies at GoGalavanting.com are fine examples of what a indie travel video producer should be; engaging, intelligent, adventurous and consistent. For me consistency is the hallmark for a good travel vlogger, it takes a lot of hard work to churn out quality video and these gals make it look easy.

GoGalavanting’s production value is high with a focus on storytelling and getting behind the scenes to engage the environment and culture they are visiting. Here’s lookin at you ladies!

Here is a sample of GoGalavanting’s video portfolio.

Galavanting Guide to Rome, Italy

Galavanting in Taos, New Mexico

Waterfall Rappelling in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Head to MatadorTV for the more of the best online travel videos.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

(davide)

NOT ONLY DOES Tripfilms shell out $25 for your travel videos, they want to help you become a travel video celeb. Check the job board for opportunities to be a travel vlogger in Vegas, India, Spain and Boston, to name a few.

But you don’t have to be traveling to get paid to make travel videos for TF. From the comfort of your hometown you can make an informative video scooping the best bars, parks, walking tours…and upload it to Tripfilms for $$. Just hit Kelley up with your Hometown video idea and start shooting.

Upload enough videos, grab a few assignments and soon you may find yourself among the elite of the Tripfilms celebrities. The travel video world will be your oyster! Pass the Dom Pérignon!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

ANNOTATIONS allow you to display messages, thought bubbles and most importantly, add links to other YouTube videos. Adding links lets you guide your visitors to other videos and create interactive games, improving your viewer experience and getting you more views.

Anyone with videos on YouTube can add annotations to their vids. Annotations come in three flavors; Notes, Speech Bubbles, and Spotlights. Spotlights can be used as links that allow viewers to go directly to the video you link to. Annotations can be layered and placed anywhere in the viewer with multiple annotations appearing on the screen at once.

Annotations are free, easy to use, and well worth the little time they take to implement.

NOTICE MY USE OF ANNOTATIONS IN THIS MATADORTV VLOG.

WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR A TUTORIAL ON ANNOTATIONS

Now that you know how to use annotations, start experimenting on your videos right now. When it comes to using annotated links to create an interactive game, their is virtually no limit to what you may create!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

ON THE FINAL LEG of our road trip through Montana my brother Dustin and I find Glacier National Park under a heavy fog that canvasses Lake MacDonald and obscures the peaks. Fog and drizzle turn to heavy snow as we attempt to hike Gunsight Mountain. Several miles above snowline we turn back as whiteout conditions have set in.

Is this what global warming looks like? It seems so, suggests Ranger Matt Graves as we step from park headquarters to stroll among the evergreens that fringe the long shores of Lake MacDonald.

As we walk, Ranger Graves tells me of the 12 National Parks he has served in and the creeping threat that endangers them all. Climate change, he tells me, looking to the snow swathed peaks, is a slow menace that has already begun to change the biospheres of Glacier as the snowfields recede year after year.

ENJOY THIS ROAD TRIP MONTANA VIDEO : A LOOK AT GLACIER & AN INTERVIEW WITH RANGER GRAVES

Graves says that even though the glaciers will indeed melt we must not lose hope in our ability to face the climate crises. We must give people hope, he tells me. Apathy and hopelessness have no place in times where action and tenacity are necessary. To Ranger Graves the question is not of our ability to face the climate crises, it is of our will to accept the challenge.

More Road Trip Montana Videos:
Montana Road Trip: Heading to Yellowstone
Montana Road Trip: Yellowstone
Notes from the Road: To move under the Big Sky

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you believe we have the will to collectively face the climate crises? What do you believe we must sacrifice to best preserve our Home? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Image: B. Sandman

Creating a photo montage is a wonderful way to creatively use photographs to tell a story. But to create a photomotion video (also called stop motion) you need a little planning to capture successive images to convey movement through static images.

Import and string together the photos in your editing software. Shown quickly and in succession the impression of animated movement is impressive and whimsical. There are many ways you can use this technique to create killer video experience with an everyday camera.

As an example I have created my own photomotion video for you to enjoy. It is the result of snapping over 500 photos over several hours with my wife in downtown Seattle.

MY PHOTO-MOTION VIDEO

STEP 1 : HAVE A PLAN

Brainstorm what your story is and where you want to go. Pick interesting actions and locations to photograph and get creative with what motion you can convey with photos. You may plan movements or shoot the action as it naturally unfolds, it’s up to you. Planning your movements gives you more control over the end video but capturing the natural movement of a place is very interesting as well.

STEP 2 : CAPTURE MOVEMENT

What is special about photomotion videos is the illusion of movement. By snapping several pictures within the span of a second or two you may capture the
movement of your subject. Whether it is soccer players or sidewinders, when the photos are displayed quickly, one after the other, the images come alive.

The easiest way to capture the images you need is to use a sequential photo setting on your camera. These settings allow the shutter open and close quickly by simply holding down the button.

If your camera does not have a sequential photo setting then you are going to need a little more patience and planning. Take pictures of yourself and anything else that moves, and think cinematically.

STEP 3 : TAKE TONS ‘O PICTURES

This type of photo concept takes lots of pictures to pull off so don’t be afraid to shoot like crazy. You always discard the photos you don’t use. The more images you capture the more colorful video you may produce.

STEP 4 : EDIT FOR MAXIMUM COOL

Once you have your photos shot, use your video editing software to present them in a fun and energetic way. The shorter the duration of each photo, the more movement you will be able to convey. I present each photo in my video for .2 seconds.

Play around with different speeds and find something that feels right to you. Craft your video using the most interesting photos and sequences to form some sort of story and utilize music to set the pace and feel of your video.

HERE ARE A FEW MORE KILLER PHOTO-MOTION VIDEOS, YUM!