How I Made a Video of the Most Difficult Drive of My Life

Driving 4,000 miles throughout Europe in an electrical Lotus Eletre was already a mammoth problem that proved to be each exhilarating and terrifying. However to make issues extra sophisticated for me, I additionally wanted to shoot my very own video on the journey whereas on the highway. 

From writing scripts and rigging the automobile with cameras and microphones to presenting items to digital camera whereas driving, I had numerous manufacturing work to do, all whereas attempting to common round seven hours of driving per day and taking pictures all of the nonetheless photos for my written article. And because the solely individual on the journey, all the small print had been my accountability.

Here is how I did it, with tips about how one can shoot your personal documentary-style movies your self. 

Watch this: Driving 4,000 Miles in Lotus’ New EV Was Brutal and I Beloved It

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Planning and scripting

There was solely a lot planning I used to be capable of do on this journey. Whereas I knew my route must take me from Edinburgh to Barcelona and again, I did not know the precise roads I would be taking, or what would occur alongside the way in which. I did not e-book my inns till the day I wanted them, in case there have been sudden delays or I needed to take detours. 

Learn extra: Shoot Higher Video With Any Telephone

Whereas this meant my journey might be versatile, it additionally meant that planning the story of my video or prewriting scripts to observe could be inconceivable as I merely did not know what would occur till I hit the highway. As an alternative, the video needed to be extra off the cuff, following the journey as I drove it and as I realized extra concerning the automobile. I took notes on my cellphone at charging stops and mentioned “Hey Siri, take a notice” to dictate ideas and dialogue factors as they occurred to me whereas driving. I would later flip these into sections that I might current to digital camera. 

It was solely towards the top of the journey that I shot my predominant items to digital camera, as soon as I had sufficient expertise with the automobile to attract my conclusions. This included my outro which summarized my emotions on the automobile and the journey.

My ideas: If you realize what you wish to say in your video, spend the time planning and rehearsing a correct script. When you do not, contemplate scripting just some key sections after which utilizing voiceover which you can document later. 

The gear I used

The Lotus Eletre is a giant automobile and because the solely individual in it, I knew I would have a ton of house left for gear. That meant I did not have to journey mild, so I took a number of cameras, lenses, tripods, sliders, lights, gimbals and rigging gear to permit me to get any shot I would need. 

Here is a listing of what I used:

Canon R5 digital camera: My on a regular basis workhorse digital camera for each my CNET work and my private YouTube channel. I had each a 24-105 f/4 lens and 35mm f/1.8 macro lens to get quite a lot of pictures. I set it to shoot in 4K high quality and at 25 frames per second in Canon’s CLog3 coloration profile to offer extra scope for enhancing later.

Panasonic S5: A terrific, reasonably priced mirrorless digital camera I used for numerous further angles. I had an all-purpose 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens on this. I shot at 4K, 25 frames per second.

GoPro Hero 7: An motion digital camera used for point-of-view angles displaying me driving the automobile in addition to to connect to varied factors on the skin of the automobile to movie it in movement.

Gitzo Legende and Mountaineer tripods: The previous for stills and fast movies, the latter as a sturdier base to make use of with my Edelkrone slider.

DJI mic: Radio microphones to document my items to digital camera. The windshield was nice for out of doors use.

Rigging: Largely Manfrotto suction cups with a tripod’s ball head hooked up to permit me to mount my cameras from numerous angles contained in the automobile. These cups might be fiddly to connect however as soon as in place are extraordinarily safe. 

Extras: A number of OWC CF Categorical playing cards for my Canon R5, totaling round 3TB in capability as I knew I would be taking pictures numerous footage. I additionally took a 4TB Essential X10 Professional SSD drive to again up and offload footage. I had about eight batteries for my Canon R5 and 4 for the Panasonic S5 however simply the one for the GoPro. Nevertheless, I additionally had an EcoFlow River energy financial institution, which I used to juice up my gear whereas on the highway. 

I additionally took PolarPro variable impartial density filters, which allowed me to darken the scene when wanted, whereas nonetheless sustaining a large aperture. I additionally used PolarPro’s round polarizer for a lot of pictures as this helps reduce reflections in addition to present a extra wealthy blue sky. 

When you’re seeking to get into filmmaking and images, be sure that to take a look at my guides one of the best cameras and one of the best equipment for video manufacturing. 

My ideas: When you’re touring mild, take solely what you suppose you want. One digital camera with an all-purpose zoom lens and a light-weight journey tripod could also be sufficient to get the pictures you need. If in case you have a bit extra space for gear, sliders and gimbals will make it easier to get extra inventive pictures, whereas issues like shoulder rigs will can help you get smoother footage for those who’re filming different folks. 

Discovering my angles

I needed my movie to look as skilled as attainable, so I knew I wanted all kinds of b-roll pictures (any pictures the place I am not presenting to digital camera) each inside and outdoors the automobile to chop between. The most important downside right here was that I used to be touring alone, so numerous the pictures you’d count on to see in skilled productions — such because the automobile being filmed from in entrance touring alongside the highway — had been utterly out of the query. This meant I needed to get a bit inventive. 

Learn extra: Stage Up Your Journey Images With These Professional Ideas

I saved my eye out for some quiet spots the place I might park, arrange my digital camera on a tripod after which go away it safely whereas I drove previous it, circled and drove again to select it up. Clearly, that is fairly dangerous — if solely as a result of my digital camera might simply be stolen — so I solely tried this when I discovered appropriate rural spots the place I felt comfy. It is why there aren’t any drive-by pictures of me going via Barcelona. 

I additionally used a few of these places to movie “hero” pictures of the stationary automobile in great-looking environment. I captured angles of the entrance three-quarters of the automobile, close-ups on the wheels, the Lotus badge and every other particulars that I felt could also be known as out within the script and would due to this fact should be seen. 

Whereas stationary, I additionally received numerous inside pictures of the automobile, getting close-ups on particulars just like the seating, buttons, stitching, audio system and the rest that seemed doubtlessly attention-grabbing. I used macro lenses right here for among the finer particulars and made use of the Edelkrone slider for a push-in or pull-out movement within the footage so as to add an additional dimension. 

I additionally wanted numerous pictures contained in the automobile whereas I used to be driving. This was a bit trickier because it meant discovering an applicable layby the place I might park after which arrange the digital camera contained in the automobile utilizing the Manfrotto suction cup. Some pictures had the digital camera mounted to the passenger facet window, pointing at me for my items to digital camera. Different instances I mounted the digital camera to the sunroof, with a forward-facing view displaying the highway forward. Nearly all of them required the digital camera to be mounted upside-down, with the footage being flipped later in publish. That made it harder to get the right angle.

I then needed to press document on the digital camera and easily drive lengthy sufficient to seize loads of footage and till I discovered a protected place to drag in to cease recording, as working the digital camera whereas driving could be unlawful and unsafe. It meant I had many 30-minute video clips to sift via within the edit, nevertheless it additionally meant I had numerous footage to make use of. 

I used the identical approach for my in-car offered sections, merely hitting document after which driving off. With nobody else within the automobile, and never having the ability to learn my cellphone or printed script, I needed to attempt to bear in mind what I needed to say and maintain attempting repeatedly till felt I had it proper. 

My ideas: A very good rule of thumb in filmmaking is which you can by no means have an excessive amount of b-roll footage. No matter you are filming, ensure you seize a number of further angles together with close-ups and applicable motion pictures so you will have a number of footage to work with within the edit. When you’re working with an assistant or a second shooter, it is simpler to unfold the workload and create a much bigger catalog of extra attention-grabbing pictures to make use of.

When you’re presenting to digital camera, it is all the time value attempting it a number of instances in case you do not like the primary take otherwise you barely journey over a phrase. 

Modifying

I did all of the enhancing for this movie in BlackMagic’s DaVinci Resolve, which is my favourite software program for video manufacturing. I began by transcribing a few of my offered sections after which constructing a wider script round these components. This then gave me a framework to document my voiceover and piece all the pieces collectively. 

I attempted to maintain issues as snappy and well-paced as attainable, preserving b-roll clips to just some seconds in size, and attempting to intersperse them over my offered items to assist visually break up the scenes. I added soundtracks — rigorously chosen to assist create temper and stress as mandatory — and made positive to edit every reduce within the video to the beat of the background music. 

I then moved on to paint enhancing (known as “grading” in skilled video) which is the place DaVinci Resolve shines. The software program is just about business customary throughout industrial productions and Hollywood movies for its flexibility in coloration enhancing, and I attempted to place a few of those self same instruments to make use of in my movie. I am very a lot a newbie relating to coloration grading, however I knew I needed to create a stronger “look” than merely have it appear like it was straight out of digital camera. 

I adjusted the publicity and distinction to assist stability brilliant highlights and raise shadows, I used coloration wheels so as to add cooler or hotter tones to the shadows and highlights and adjusted the hues of particular person colours in some areas to get the fitting look I used to be after. 

BlackMagic’s new Micro Shade Panel was my software for the entire coloration grading, which has bodily management wheels and dials for nearly the entire predominant coloration enhancing instruments. It not solely allowed me to work faster, however I discovered it was simpler to experiment with completely different kinds by simply taking part in with the buttons, slightly than having to click on via menus utilizing a mouse. 

My ideas: Even if you wish to go fairly wild along with your colours like I did, they nonetheless have to make sense. Attempting to show a wet, overcast day right into a sundown by merely growing the heat within the white stability is not going to work. As an alternative, attempt to work with what you will have and take into consideration how your use of coloration will help add to the tone of the video you make.

DaVinci Resolve is free to strive — together with the superb iPad model — with solely a few of its extra superior options requiring the paid Studio improve, so it is an ideal piece of software program to experiment with with out having to decide to a paid model.