7 Special Ways to Make Holiday video With Friends and Family

Remember the time your family members would return from a week trip in Mauritius and make you watch the shaky and boring footage of their holiday? Horrible shots of your cousins hiding their faces, covering the lens with their hands, and about 2 hours of boring shots panning across the beaches? While your uncle narrating in the background with a script says like “now we are at the beach (long pause), and this is a palm tree (long pause), and it’s very hot today…” etc.

Thankfully, those days are over. Now it’s possible to cut hours of boring holiday videos with the invention of high-quality cameras and GoPro’s, combined with the GoPro editing services and software like Final Cut Pro and iMovie.

Without sticking to some basic ways and rules, you can’t just make a great holiday video out of your trip. Here are seven ways to make a holiday video with friends and family:

1.Shoot, shoot, and shoot

You should shoot the entire process from the beginning. The packing, getting your passport stamped, finding your seat on the plane, everything should be included in your holiday video. It helps you to tell a story through your video, rather than just putting together some clips of your destination. You ultimately get a built-in narrative if you film the entire journey.

2.Get the scenery in there

Your viewers need to see at least some the scenery too. You should get some shots of the place you’re going to and the people around you. Ask a local to give you a wave in the camera, or take permission from a parent to get a shot of their cute baby. These ways can help you to tell the story of your holiday video. But, always remember to ask the locals before shooting them, you never know if it is or isn’t acceptable in different cultures. It’s also just basic respect.

3.Get interesting angles

It’s easy to get interesting angles if you’ve got a GoPro. You can place it on the floor of a pool and film yourself swimming over it. You can also strap it to your head when you’re hiking, expand your selfie stick and spin 360 degrees. Don’t hesitate to get close-up shots. You can also use a combination of establishing long shots, mid-shots, and close-ups.

4.Keep your camera moving

When you keep your camera moving just slightly when you film, it gets more interesting. Static shots are really nice for wide shots. In fact, it’s much easier to edit that way. Just keep your arm panning slowly as you shoot.

5.Get shots of yourself

The people want to see you as they like you. They can always google the place that you’re visiting but they want to see you in the place. So, capture your activities such as you’re eating, or the rain falling on your shoes. Be a part of your story.

There are a lot of easy ways to get yourself in the shots when you’re travelling alone. Put your camera on the ground and start walking in front of it. Selfie sticks are also very useful when you’re travelling solo. Get some shots in reflective mirrors and windows. Be creative.

6.Edit it down to not more than 2-3 minutes

No one really wants to see more than 2 to 3 minutes of your holiday. This is bad news and I hate to be the bearer of it. Jealousy starts to take over if any more than that. You can keep a longer video for yourself personally. But if you want to share it online, 2:30 minutes is ideal. Just keep your shots short and punchy, it helps enough to give a good overview of your holiday trip.

7.Pick a good track

If you don’t have a good mic on your camera, then just put a song over the whole video which fits with the story. Choose something that synchronizes with the destination and if possible, even a local musician. If you’re looking to go viral, get a track on sites having licensed tracks.

To sum it up, the ways to make a great holiday video are getting interesting shots, keeping it short, and making sure you have a great soundtrack. If you follow these tips above, I hope that you can make a great holiday video from your next trip.