Creating a video on the Camino Frances - yes or no?

[Julia Mumford]

Me and my best friend are walking our first Camino in May 2016. I have spent hours watching YouTube videos of people who have recorded their experience. I run a social media company therefore it is in my nature to want to capture everything, but the other half of me is thinking "I would rather see things with my own eyes, then through the lens of a camera". I am there to enjoy the moment and the journey.

I was thinking about just doing a quick video blog at the end of the day and taking photos throughout the day instead.

Your thoughts? For those that have walked before, is everybody video recording everything?

 

[Kiwi-family]

If that's your job, you might appreciate taking a break from it. How about keeping a written journal or sketching a picture of one memory at the end of each day instead?

 

[Ahhhs]

You may enjoy your Camino more without the pressure to produce a video.

There is so much to see and do.

 

[jmcarp]

Since you say it will be your "first Camino," it looks like you plan to do it at least once more. With that thought in mind, I'd say enjoy the moment of the first time, and if you do come back, you'll have a better idea of what to include in a video. Of course there's nothing to prevent you from shooting some stills and clips on the first time, but at least that won't be your main focus.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

In the end it's a personal choice but seems like you enjoy the idea of making a video and it will likely be one the videos someone else just like you were watches to help them decide to do the Camino one day too. It's your Camino and if you'd like that memory, go for it!

 

[Older Guy]

I got a Hero Go Pro 4 Silver for Christmas with an extra long battery pack (4 to 6 hours). I am thinking of doing a stop action video of my Camino, or at least parts of it. For stop action on a Go Pro, it normally plays back at 30 frames a second. On the Go Pro you have 1 second, 2 second, 5 second sequences.

I figure that my 450 mile (Pamplona to Santiago) trip will take about 45 hours of bike time. At a frame shot every 2 seconds and played back at 30 frames a second that would be a 45 minute video. At a frame every 5 seconds it would be about an 18 minute video. I sort of feel that 45 minutes might require a longer attention span than most folks have. At 18 minutes, I could put in some still photos of special places or special views and have it a reasonable length.

I will be doing some long training rides in the coming week to try out my GoPro stop action idea. If it doesn't go well, I can always leave the camera and batteries at home.

Anyone else done this and if so their thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I got a Hero Go Pro 4 Silver for Christmas with an extra long battery pack (4 to 6 hours). I am thinking of doing a stop action video of my Camino, or at least parts of it. For stop action on a Go Pro, it normally plays back at 30 frames a second. On the Go Pro you have 1 second, 2 second, 5 second sequences.

I figure that my 450 mile (Pamplona to Santiago) trip will take about 45 hours of bike time. At a frame shot every 2 seconds and played back at 30 frames a second that would be a 45 minute video. At a frame every 5 seconds it would be about an 18 minute video. I sort of feel that 45 minutes might require a longer attention span than most folks have. At 18 minutes, I could put in some still photos of special places or special views and have it a reasonable length.

I will be doing some long training rides in the coming week to try out my GoPro stop action idea. If it doesn't go well, I can always leave the camera and batteries at home.

Anyone else done this and if so their thoughts?

I enjoy making timelapse videos with my GoPro but have always done so from a stationary position so hope you will post the results of your testing this week. As an option for your frame every 2 seconds idea, I'm pretty sure you can speed up your video to condense the overall time. If you're using GoPro Studio the option exists in Step 1 and Step 2 depending on your workflow. I speed things up (or slow them down for dramatic effect) in Step 2 so I can do a quick render and see the results before exporting in Step 3. Good luck!!

 

[Older Guy]

Using GoPro Studio was harder than I thought in some respects. Can't quite figure out how to splice several segments together and reduce some of the shaking, but will have time to play with this. I used the every 2 second and the lowest resolution and medium field of view, on my weekend 54 mile bike ride.

I don't know if this will work or not, but here goes a possible link

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10206134843117471

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Using GoPro Studio was harder than I thought in some respects. Can't quite figure out how to splice several segments together and reduce some of the shaking, but will have time to play with this. I used the every 2 second and the lowest resolution and medium field of view, on my weekend 54 mile bike ride.

I don't know if this will work or not, but here goes a possible link

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10206134843117471

I was looking forward to seeing your video but unfortunately says 'not available any longer'. I agree that GoPro studio isn't the best editor but I found generally the easiest for time lapse projects. I don't think any editor however will fix shake because the nature of a time lapse means that they individual frames do not line up so the software cannot counter the transition from one frame to the next as it is entirely different, unlike straight running video. The good news though is that on a bike much of your video will likely be stable anyway! If you have any other challenges with the GoPro studio let me know and I'll do my best to help out if I can.

I did think of one other 'gizmo' you can consider although you might want to sit down before they tell you the price...! It's a gimbal from a company called Feiyu-Tech and can be body mounted. It keeps the camera perfectly level regardless of what angle your body make shift to. I have a handheld one for my Camino in April and really looking forward to some quality video. You can see the amazing results here in this video my brother shot in Italy.

Good luck and have fun figuring it all out!

 

[Older Guy]

Thanks for the feedback! Mostly, I want to capture some of my Camino on film, because of the memories it will evoke later on when I reflect back on the trip. I also have been looking at lots of folks Camino video's for clues about trail conditions and about weather. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

From what I have read there are some software packages that do a form of image stabilization post filming. Not sure how much is actual and how much is hype, but, I will play with GoPro Studio and once I have my Camino film, it can always be another project to properly edit it.

Good luck on your April Camino and when you do it, make sure you post your film!

 

[Julia Mumford]

I

Wow! Just Wow! That video is amazing!

 

[Older Guy]

Thank you. Actually, it is a bit crude and involved just about no effort outside of turning the camera on. No editing, yet, just raw stills

You can see when I drop my head and the helmet Cam catches a photo of my hands on the handlebars. Having said that, like training my body, I will be training my thoughts on doing a time lapse video of my Camino. Have seen some on YouTube that impressed me. Music is a major part of the ones I have seen. In my Camino, I am going to be looking for music in churches, Vespers, Chants, etc. that might fit with a potential video.

I figure that my 450 mile Pamplona to Santiago bicycle Camino will require about 45 hours of "on-bike" time at my normal mountain bike pace, which includes lunch and rest breaks. At a frame every 2 seconds that gets compressed to about 45 minutes (less if I cut out the rest breaks and lunches). The video I just shot was at one frame every 2 seconds. I think that a frame every 5 seconds is probably too extreme, but will try it as it would result in a much more reasonable attention-span-length video.

I would like to create something that is about 1/2 hr long, that I can

1. relive my memories;
2. share with friends; or
   
3. maybe some of the local travel shops that do free travel seminars and some of the bike clubs I belong to. (I have been to 3 walking the Camino travel seminars, but none on bicycling)

45 minutes might also work, if I edit it really well. I have two family friends who are into video editing. One professionally produces videos for a local seminar forum. The other has a degree in Communications and has make movies, but now works in the software design industry. So, I do have some resources I can either beg, borrow and pay for, if I can't figure things out.

At least that is my plan at the moment.