This is a short video of Primrose Hill, one of the best places in London for a view of the city.

One of the things we’ve loved the most about living in London is exploring all the places that may not always be on the tourist path and Primrose Hill is definitely one of those places. We shot this earlier this year as winter turned to Spring and the crowds had still not returned to most of the city due to the pandemic.

From the top of Primrose Hill you get a wonderful view of how modern London skyscrapers collide with the surrounding landscape and Victorian-era buildings. It really is a sight to behold.

Gear used

• Camera - Fuji X-T4

• Lens - SLR Magic MicrPrime Cine 50mm T1.2 Filter - SLR Magic Variable ND

• All handheld with a Tilta cage and Smallrig side handle.

• Shot in FLog and edited and graded in Adobe PremierePro, with 8mm grain added.

I've talked of my love for train travel before and there may be no more epic of a trip then on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The Beijing to Moscow portion stretches almost 5,000 miles. Starting off in northern China, through Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, you then pass into the Siberian wilderness of Russia. 

Filmmaker Dennis Schmelz really takes care to show the vastness and the many differing cultures you will encounter along the fabled route in his short film Transsiberian Dream.

The Trans-Siberian Railway, another dream come true! The world's longest railway line starts from Moscow and runs 9,288 kilometers through seven time zones to Vladivostok. In May 2017 I was able to document this unique 16-day trip aboard the legendary Zarengold train together with my colleague Christopher Schmid. We traveled the route in the opposite direction and deviated a little from the original route (Trans-Mongolian Railway). Our journey took us along 7,923 km (nearly 5,000 miles) of rail from Beijing via Erlian, through the Gobi desert to Ulaanbaatar, on to Ulan-Ude, along Lake Baikal to Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Kazan and finally to Moscow. From the rickshaw ride through Beijing, a night in a Mongolian yurt, a bath in the five degrees Celsius cold Lake Baikal and the legendary vodka tasting aboard the Zarengold train - I sum up the highlights in my new short “TRANSSIBERIAN DREAM”. All aboard! Camera: Dennis Schmelz & Christopher Schmid Edit: Jan Philip Roza, Leander Brandstädt & Dennis Schmelz Sound Design: Florian Gramelsberger & Leander Brandstädt Writer/Speaker: Claudina Hoff ter Heide Audio Mix: Florian Gramelsberger VFX: Jan Philip Roza & Christian Fleischer Title Design: Patrick Richter Grading: Dennis Schmelz Blog: http://dennisschmelz.de/blog/119-transsiberiandream.html Thanks to Lernidee Erlebnisreisen (https://www.lernidee.de / https://www.trains-and-cruises.com) Music: Discover The Stars by Mark Petrie (ASCAP) Video Gear: Phantom 4 Pro Drone: http://amzn.to/2yWCYTF Sony a7sII Camera: http://amzn.to/2DQpEEi Sony a6500 Camera: http://amzn.to/2zIR604 Zhiyun Crane Gimbal: http://amzn.to/2zcaB50 Sony Lenses: Sony 10-18 mm f/4: http://amzn.to/2yVcGkW Sony 35 mm f/1.8: http://amzn.to/2zRCLPL Canon Lenses: Converter: http://amzn.to/2CkudW3 Canon EF 16-35mm 1:2,8L II: http://amzn.to/2k4oQ2N Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II: http://amzn.to/2C62NAw Canon EF 70-200 mm f/2,8 L IS II: http://amzn.to/2BC3BMx Sigma 35 mm f/1.4 DG HSM: http://amzn.to/2sZUYLw Filter: Gobe NDX Vario ND 49mm: http://amzn.to/2j25JbU B+W ND Vario 62mm: http://amzn.to/2zl3mqS Post Production: Premiere CC Keyboard: http://amzn.to/2CJrfYb Lacie Thunderbolt HDD: http://amzn.to/2AZfPlK For licensing / usage please fill out the contact form: http://www.dennisschmelz.de/contact © Dennis Schmelz | 2018 http://www.dennisschmelz.de http://www.instagram.com/dennisschmelz http://www.facebook.com/dennisschmelzfilm http://www.vimeo.com/dschmelz http://www.youtube.com/dennisschmelz

Film by Dennis Schmelz
Gear Used:
A Camera
B Camera
Gimbal
Drone

You can find out more about the Trans-Siberian Railway here.

When we observe the landscapes of Scotland, it is like attending the realization of a sumptuous symphony. The whisper of the wind sweeping the tall grass, the roar of a waterfall, the wave shattering against the cliff ... All these notes resonate to form a harmonious whole. For our first trip to Scotland with my wife and my 2 young children, we discovered an incredible country, a dazzling nature. From Edinburgh to the north of Lewis, I wished to show you some of these beauties. Filmed & Edited by Gilles Havet Locations in order : 00:02 - Bunessan, Isle of Mull 00:13 - Neist Point, Isle of Skye 00:17 - Chia Aig Falls 00:30 - Elgol, Isle of Skye 00:34 - Glencoe 00:40 - Road to Glen Etive 00:45 - Quiraing, Isle of Skye 00:47 - Corrieshalloch Gorge 00:49 - Inversnaid, Loch Lomond 00:53 - Plodda Falls, Loch Ness area 00:56 - Staffa Isle 01:01 - Highland cow, Isle of Mull 01:03 - Chanonry Point, Black Isle 01:08 - Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris 01:11 - Uig Beach, Isle of Lewis 01:14 - Bunessan, Isle of Mull 01:19 - Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris 01:22 - Circular Scenic Route, Isle of Lewis 01:24 - Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye 01:27 - Quiraing, Isle of Skye 01:30 - Isle of Mull 01:33 - Golden Road, Isle of Harris 01:35 - Inversnaid, Loch Lomond 01:44 - Inversnaid, Loch Lomond 01:46 - Kilchurn Castle 01:48 - Forth Rail Bridge 01:51 - Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye 01:57 - Ben Nevis area 02:01 - Trossachs National Park 02:04 - Bracklinn Falls, Trossachs 02:06 - Chia Aig Falls 02:09 - Ben A'an, Trossachs 02:17 - Ben A'an & Loch Katrine, Trossachs 02:19 - Kilt Rock, Isle of Skye 02:22 - Circular Scenic Route, Isle of Lewis 02:23 - Isle of Mull 02:25 - Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye 02:26 - Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye 02:28 - Ben Nevis 02:29 - Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye 02:33 - Isle of Mull 02:37 - Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis 02:43 - Callanish standing stone, Isle of Lewis 02:48 - Loch Coruisk, Cuillins, Isle of Skye 02:51 - Bunessan, Isle of Mull 02:53 - Nevis Gorge 02:55 - Elgol, Isle of Skye 02:57 - Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris 03:01 - Fort William 03:03 - Tobermory, Isle of Mull 03:04 - Point of Ness, Isle of Skye 03:06 - Falls of Meassach 03:07 - Kilt Rock, Isle of Skye 03:10 - Circular Scenic Route, Isle of Lewis 03:13 - Ben More, Isle of Mull 03:17 - Ben Nevis area 03:19 - Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye Shoot with PANASONIC GH5, SONY A6300 LENS : Pana 12-35mm f/2,8 Pana-Leica 25mm f/1,4 Pana-Leica Nocticron 42,5mm f/1,2 Sony 90mm f/2.8 macro Sony 70-400 mm f/4-5.6 SLIDERS : Edelkrone SliderOne & Konova K3 GIMBAL : Came Single DRONE : DJI Phantom 4 Pro Edited with FCPX Color grading : Color Finale Licensed Music by Tony Anderson "Darkest Night"

My family heritage is mostly Scottish and yet for some reason I've never set foot in the land north of England. This short travel video by Gilles Havet makes me want to book a ticket right away. Highlighting the natural beauty and landscape, Havet moves from Edinburgh to Lewis in the north with a few stops on the Isle of Skye. 

Shot on a Panasonic GH5 and Sony a6300, the rugged beauty of Scotland's coastlines comes to life. The heavy drone work is handled by a DJI Phantom 4 Pro but unlike many travel films, the aerial footage works beautifully in tandem with the mirrorless cameras on the ground. The result is a stunning and complete view of Scotland's natural wonders. You can really feel the GH5's 180 frames per second capability with the crisp slo-mo shots. 

For a complete list of locations Havet visited in Scotland, click through here. 

  The How To Make A Travel Video series looks at the different aspects of capturing travel memories on film. You'll see great examples to inspire and learn about the gear and techniques that help make great travel videos better. You can find the rest of the series here.

I recently traveled to Amsterdam by myself. It was my first bit of solo travel in a while and with my camera in hand, I didn't really know what to point it at. I had a Nikon D750 with a small Joby tripod that fit inside my backpack. The houses were there, people were everywhere and yet I had no inspiration. Every time I pointed the camera at something, I would get shy and not sure if that's what I wanted to shoot. In short, I had no focus. My regular travel companion had just flown to Pittsburgh from Paris and I was definitely short of inspiration.

So where do you find focus?  Lets take a look at a few different types of travel videos and then see what sets them apart.

Berlin and People

Every time I go to Berlin I love the city more than before because of one thing, it drags you into a vortex of different people, feelings, religions, places, food and new things, and this made me think that Berlin truly is the city of everyone. BERLIN 35 is a film of my '35' series, which is made up of videos entirely shot with 35mm lens. This is the first film of the series. I shot it during my 5 day stay in Berlin in august 2016. While wandering around the city, I wanted to capture the faces and all the places that make Berlin such a cool, friendly and creative place. A big thanks goes to my girlfriend Chiara for her precious help. Shot completely handheld with the Sony a7sII in 4K and the samyang 35mm T1.5 lens. Graded in DaVinci and exported in 1080p. David

In this video by David Drills you get an up close and personal look at Berlin. By personal, I mean most frames are filled with a person. It's less a look at the city structurally than a gaze at its inhabitants. There's a personal feeling to the video that really captures the essence of Berlin more than other types of travel video. Drills focus was on the interactions and microcosm of Berliners. You still see shots of the city's transportation, skyline and even some street art, but they are a vehicle to break up the look at different people. If your focus is on new experiences, this a perfect type of video to create them. Why not try filming some local people on your next trip and see what adventures come out of it.

I also love that he shot the whole thing through a single 35mm lens. The wider angle caused him to have to get up close and personal with his subjects. What a great way to meet new people in a foreign city. With his focus on the people, Drills creates a stunning look at the modern city of Berlin.

Memories of Italy

Italy - I have to come back again and again. It has this unique combination of friendly people, ancient cities, fantastic landscapes and the mediteranean sea. Here is a collection of my recent visits to Venice, Ventimiglia and Florence. Have a look yourself and let me know how you like it in the comments! Follow me on twitter: twitter.com/gunmac Music licenced from RoyaltyFreeHeaven, W. Mozart "Duettino sull Aria" Shot on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, and the Sony A7sII

If Drills looked at people, Gunther Machu went the other direction and focused completely on the beauty and aesthetic of Italy. Here you see stunning landscapes, timeless architecture and lots of sumptuous lens flare. There's no competing with the grandiose scenes of Venice and Florence. The focus is clearly on conveying beauty and the few people that show up are simply taking that beauty in. For people who are sightseers, this is a super effective way of capturing the heart and soul of the subjects history. The different sites draw you into the tourist's path and invite you to come along. These are the kind of videos that people search for before they go on a trip.

Now lets take a look at a totally different, and much more involved type of travel video.

Travel Where You Live

What if we live the same way we travel? Travel where you Live - A film by www.Sebastian-Linda.de - on.fb.me/1xVxHAX
 - http://instagram.com/seblinda/ Supported by www.So-Geht-Saechsisch.de - www.simply-saxony.com/ DJI Ronin by Globe Flight www.globe-flight.de/ Behind the Scenes: http://sebastian-linda.de/?p=1469 Assistance, Color Grading, Second Camera Steffen Krones Sounddesign by www.Bony-Stoev.de Making of Sound - http://bit.ly/15LBGbH Music by Tony Anderson - Dwell https://soundcloud.com/23violins/dwell Still Photography by www.Erik-Gross.net - http://on.fb.me/1D30l6M Skateboarding by Tom Kleinschmidt, Erik Gross & Christian Döbrich Freerunning by Frab Parkour & Freerunning Filmed in Dresden, Leipzig, Machern, Steina, Sächsische Schweiz, Saurierpark Bautzen and many other places of Saxony. Filmed with 5d Mark III Raw
 Lumix Gh4 Samyang 14mm 2,8 
 Canon 24mm 1,4 L 
Canon 50mm 
 Canon 100mm 2,8 Macro Voigtländer 0,95 25mm 12mm DSLR Magic. Edited in Premiere CC 2014 Graded in Davinci Resolve LIte

In this video, which was sponsored, concepted and probably scripted, we see Sebastian Linda create a compelling argument for traveling where you live. This is a much higher concept piece than the last two, but is easily repeatable with a little bit of time and brainstorming. The focus here, like with Berlin 35, is on people but the difference lies with what those people are doing. Not only is a narrator talking about a particular subject, the people in the shot are interacting with their surroundings. It's a marriage of the first two video concepts built around a specific purpose.

The narrative structure puts the experience in focus, with the people and the destination acting together. Berlin 35 shows the people. Memories of Italy shows the place. Travel Where You Live shows the people experiencing the place. The difference in focus is small but the resulting footage is vastly different.

Finding Your Focus

All three of these videos work. They have many similarities in style, execution and subject but it's their focus that sets them apart. When you're filming your travel, remember that the memories are what's important. If you're a people person, Berlin 35 probably speaks to you more than Memories of Italy. If you want to remember the stunning beauty of the destination, Memories of Italy will definitely be the type of focus you look for. If you want to show others the experiences they can have, the Travel Where You Live model makes the most sense for you. The important thing is to keep your focus in mind when you start. Don't close yourself off to a narrative structure change, but just be aware of what you want to capture. It'll make the experience more enjoyable and probably result in more professional footage.

What other types of narrative focus do you like to use in travel videos?

The How To Make A Travel Video series looks at the different aspects of capturing travel memories on film. You’ll see great examples to inspire and learn about the gear and techniques that help make great travel videos better. You can find the rest of the series here. With powerful camera technology packed into our phones and cameras, creating beautiful videos is now as easy for the amateur as it is for the professional. Just pull out your camera, capture some moments and weave it together to show the world the amazing adventure you just had. Now that everyone can make these videos, if you want yours to stand out online, it has to be a really compelling story or something that is technically well done. My favorite way for travel videos to stand out from the crowd is by using mood.

Carpathians by Boroda Cinema

Авторське відео від студії Boroda Cinema Деталі за телефоном 099-056-55-36 vk - vk.com/boroda_cinema Facebook - /facebook.com/pages/Boroda-Cinema/1102373436444655 Інформаційний партнер karpaty.ua Sony A7S II + Rokinon 50 1.4 + Samyang 24 1.4 Edited in Adobe Premiere (filmconvert, magic bullet looks) Everything shooted handheld

In this travel video by Boroda Cinema we see a group of people hiking the Carpathians in Eastern Europe. It's pretty straightforward story wise, just friends enjoying a holiday, but what makes it stand out is its use of color, light (or the lack of light) and sound to create a coherent mood throughout. The lush greens of the mountains are obscured by fog and rain creating an immediate tension in frame. the grayness of the opening shots, juxtaposed with the green fauna immediately sets a calm, almost still vibe. Even though the light changes and we see more bright colors, this imagery can be felt all the way through the video.

Sound As Setting

From the opening shot we hear rain and wind, adding to the grayness and seamlessly intertwining with the opening notes of "Stay Alive" by José Gonzalez. Not only does the song match the gray and green tones in its somber composition, it helps push the frames forward. The one thing that stands out the most about the sound in this video is the use of natural sounds in certain moments to help layer and give a human quality to the film. After all, these are people on an adventure and the intermittent laughing, the sound of cars and boots slogging through mud really reminds us of that.

Using natural sound in video helps draw the viewer in and make them a part of the setting.

Intentional Framing

The rule of thirds is undoubtedly something that should be followed in film and photography, but when shooting handheld travel video, don't be afraid to mix up the framing for interesting shots. In Carpathinas you'll see a mix of people walking center frame, leading the camera forward and then quick cuts to people middle-left or middle-right, this intentional mix of framing keeps the viewers eyes on the screen because the action is not clearly focused in one spot. A balance of shots in the center, middle-left and middle-right can make even the most mundane video easy on the eyes.

Oh That Glorious Light

What I love about travel photography and video is that you normally don't have a light setup with you and you're at the mercy of the sun. It's a humbling place to be if you're used to studio work and can really create some beautiful images. As I touched on before, the opening shots of Carpathians use the lack of direct light to create a calming mood. When you're traveling, don't be afraid to play around with under or over-exposing your images, as long as you can weave together a balanced  mood throughout. Even though we have a mix of gray and bright images in the video above, the filmmakers helped bridge the two light sources by gradually bringing in the light. There's no jarring black to white jumps, but a casual stroll into the light. Use different light sources to your advantage to create a journey.

Creating a travel video is about capturing memories and helping draw others in your adventure. Using light, sound, framing and color you can really pull viewers into the world you just experienced, possibly sparking their interest in visiting the same place. Regardless of the quality of your equipment, Boroda Cinema used a Sony A7s II, these simple storytelling techniques can make your travel video stand out from all the rest.