Great Escape Publishing

Posted April 14th, 2015 by Tom Reissmann & filed under Travel Videography.

Being on the road as a travel videographer is exciting and fulfilling.

Really, it’s just like being a tourist — the only difference is that I’m getting paid for my experiences.

Naturally that also comes with some responsibility. If I’m visiting a city with a good number of attractions, then I try to visit all of them. And if I’m filming a museum or event, then I may have to organize a filming permit in advance.

Once I‘ve done my homework, the fun part starts. I often travel with my luxury mobile home for a sense of comfort and familiarity. I prefer this to waking up in a different hotel room every night, and I truly enjoy having nature around me.

I usually get up around 9:30 a.m. and have a relaxed breakfast and a shower in the mobile home. I often park the van in a way that I get to enjoy a nice view in the morning and have my breakfast outside. I travel with my girlfriend (and filming partner) who is also experienced in using a camera.

We’re usually ready to work by 10:30. If it’s a beautiful day, we prefer to do outdoor filming. When it’s rainy, it makes more sense to film inside locations like museums. (I’ve found over the years that video buyers all seem to want the same things in their videos — sunny days and iconic shots.)

We tend to both film the same attractions – but from different angles. If we’re pressed for time, we split up. I might climb the tower in the town center to get the best view across the old city center while my girlfriend captures the market square on the ground. But, most of the time, we prefer to work together because four eyes see more than two.

We both love the creativity of finding the most beautiful perspectives, and we often sit over lunch and review our work. In the summer, when the days are long and the most beautiful light is the evening light, we might still be filming up to 8 p.m.

But by 9 p.m., we often find a nice spot to have a drink in town, or we take the van and find a beautiful location to wind down with a nice wine and a good meal while enjoying a great view over the countryside.

I feel very lucky to have found my passion and to be able to share it with someone I love who is just as passionate about it.

The money isn’t bad either. I typically make $4,000 (each) shooting these kinds of videos and have found that the best clips have these three things in common:

I ALWAYS use a tripod.
I ALWAYS add music.
I always try to capture the essence of an experience with authentic emotions and real people. I work hard not to stage scenes that are stuffy and fake.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you how to find the best places to stand to capture iconic shots.

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