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

Driving 4,000 miles across Europe in an electric 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 digicam whereas driving, I had loads of manufacturing work to do, all whereas making an attempt to common round seven hours of driving per day and capturing all of the nonetheless photos for my written article. And because the solely particular person on the journey, all the main points had been my accountability.

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

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

19:31

Planning and scripting

There was solely a lot planning I used to be in a position to 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 might be taking, or what would occur alongside the best way. I did not ebook my motels till the day I wanted them, in case there have been sudden delays or I wished to take detours. 

Learn extra: Shoot Better Video With Any Phone

Whereas this meant my journey may very well 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 telephone at charging stops and stated “Hey Siri, take a be aware” to dictate ideas and dialogue factors as they occurred to me whereas driving. I might later flip these into sections that I may current to digicam. 

It was solely towards the top of the journey that I shot my primary items to digicam, 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 understand what you need to say in your video, spend the time planning and rehearsing a correct script. If you happen to do not, take into account scripting only a few key sections after which utilizing voiceover you could file later. 

The tools I used

The Lotus Eletre is a giant automobile and because the solely particular person in it, I knew I might have a ton of area left for tools. That meant I did not must journey gentle, so I took a number of cameras, lenses, tripods, sliders, lights, gimbals and rigging tools to permit me to get any shot I’d need. 

Here is a listing of what I used:

Canon R5 digicam: My on a regular basis workhorse digicam 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 a wide range of photographs. I set it to shoot in 4K high quality and at 25 frames per second in Canon’s CLog3 colour profile to offer extra scope for modifying later.

Panasonic S5: An excellent, reasonably priced mirrorless digicam I used for varied extra 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 digicam 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 file my items to digicam. 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 varied angles contained in the automobile. These cups will be fiddly to connect however as soon as in place are extraordinarily safe. 

Extras: A number of OWC CF Specific playing cards for my Canon R5, totaling round 3TB in capability as I knew I might be capturing loads of 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. Nonetheless, I additionally had an EcoFlow River energy financial institution, which I used to juice up my tools 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 photographs as this helps lower reflections in addition to present a extra wealthy blue sky. 

If you happen to’re seeking to get into filmmaking and images, make certain to take a look at my guides the best cameras and the best accessories for video production. 

My ideas: If you happen to’re touring gentle, take solely what you assume you want. One digicam with an all-purpose zoom lens and a light-weight journey tripod could also be sufficient to get the photographs you need. If in case you have a bit more room for gear, sliders and gimbals will allow you to get extra inventive photographs, whereas issues like shoulder rigs will help you get smoother footage when you’re filming different folks. 

Discovering my angles

I wished my movie to look as skilled as doable, so I knew I wanted all kinds of b-roll photographs (any photographs the place I am not presenting to digicam) each inside and out of doors the automobile to chop between. The largest downside right here was that I used to be touring alone, so loads of the photographs 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: Level Up Your Travel Photos With These Pro Tips

I stored my eye out for some quiet spots the place I may park, arrange my digicam on a tripod after which depart 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 digicam may simply be stolen — so I solely tried this when I discovered appropriate rural spots the place I felt comfy. It is why there are not any drive-by photographs of me going via Barcelona. 

I additionally used a few of these areas to movie “hero” photographs 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 another particulars that I felt could also be referred to as out within the script and would subsequently should be seen. 

Whereas stationary, I additionally acquired varied inner photographs of the automobile, getting close-ups on particulars just like the seating, buttons, stitching, audio system and anything that seemed doubtlessly fascinating. I used macro lenses right here for a few of 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 loads of photographs contained in the automobile whereas I used to be driving. This was a bit trickier because it meant discovering an acceptable layby the place I may park after which arrange the digicam contained in the automobile utilizing the Manfrotto suction cup. Some photographs had the digicam mounted to the passenger aspect window, pointing at me for my items to digicam. Different instances I mounted the digicam to the sunroof, with a forward-facing view displaying the highway forward. Virtually all of them required the digicam to be mounted upside-down, with the footage being flipped later in submit. That made it harder to get the proper angle.

I then needed to press file on the digicam and easily drive lengthy sufficient to seize loads of footage and till I discovered a secure place to tug in to cease recording, as working the digicam 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 loads of footage to make use of. 

I used the identical method for my in-car introduced sections, merely hitting file after which driving off. With nobody else within the automobile, and never with the ability to learn my telephone or printed script, I needed to attempt to keep in mind what I wished to say and maintain making an attempt many times till felt I had it proper. 

My ideas: A superb rule of thumb in filmmaking is you could by no means have an excessive amount of b-roll footage. No matter you are filming, ensure you seize a number of extra angles together with close-ups and acceptable motion photographs so you’ve got a number of footage to work with within the edit. If you happen to’re working with an assistant or a second shooter, it is simpler to unfold the workload and create an even bigger catalog of extra fascinating photographs to make use of.

If you happen to’re presenting to digicam, it is all the time price making an attempt 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 modifying 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 introduced sections after which constructing a wider script round these elements. This then gave me a framework to file my voiceover and piece all the things collectively. 

I attempted to maintain issues as snappy and well-paced as doable, retaining b-roll clips to only a few seconds in size, and making an attempt to intersperse them over my introduced items to assist visually break up the scenes. I added soundtracks — fastidiously chosen to assist create temper and stress as crucial — and made positive to edit every lower within the video to the beat of the background music. 

I then moved on to paint modifying (referred to as “grading” in skilled video) which is the place DaVinci Resolve shines. The software program is just about business commonplace throughout business productions and Hollywood movies for its flexibility in colour modifying, 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 with regards to colour grading, however I knew I wished to create a stronger “look” than merely have it appear to be it was straight out of digicam. 

I adjusted the publicity and distinction to assist stability vivid highlights and raise shadows, I used colour 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 precise look I used to be after. 

BlackMagic’s new Micro Coloration Panel was my instrument for the entire colour grading, which has bodily management wheels and dials for nearly the entire primary colour modifying 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, relatively 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 must make sense. Attempting to show a wet, overcast day right into a sundown by merely rising the heat within the white stability is not going to work. As an alternative, attempt to work with what you’ve got and take into consideration how your use of colour may also 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 excellent piece of software program to experiment with with out having to decide to a paid model.