How to Film Video Postcards

So, you’ve figured out the best filmmaking settings for your camera, learnt some tips and tricks for making cinematic travel videos, and even purchased a gimbal so that you can film epic, stable footage while you run around moving your camera in different directions. And then you pop onto Instagram and see something unexpected. Your favourite travel influencer just posted what looks like a landscape photo - except the people in the frame are moving. Their caption reads, “Postcards from wherever they’re at.” Mesmerized, you start to wonder, are these “postcards” videos, photos or both?

Well, in essence, a video postcard is a video. However, the scene is meant to be static like a photo, creating a surreal experience for the viewer. What’s great about video postcards in the travel world is that they essentially bring landscape photography to life.

Now, while the concept may seem simple, there are a few tricks for filming epic video postcards. Ready to give it a try? Here are four ways you can start filming engaging travel video postcards today:

Utilize a Tripod

I’ll get this tip out of the way right up front. When filming video postcards, you need to use a tripod. Why? Because, to create the effect of a moving picture, you need your frame to stay stable.

Sure, you could always prop your camera up on a boulder or log, but those makeshift tripods may not give you the right height your looking for in your scene. And, depending on the shape of the makeshift tripod, your footage may also end being crooked.

As I’ll get into in the next section, the framing of your video postcard is critical. The only way to have complete control over your framing while keeping the camera completely still is to use a tripod.

Now, I know tripods can be big and I always recommend travelling with a compact camera setup, but there are actually quite a few compact camera tripods available now specifically for travel. Most travel camera tripod are also fairly light, so they won’t break your back as you’re lugging your luggage around the airport. You can check out my go-to travel camera tripod here.

Frame Your Postcards

When creating a cinematic travel video, you generally film a number of different clips to effectively capture the place, its details and what your subjects are doing in that space. With a video postcard, however, you need to try and capture all of this in one static shot.

As mentioned earlier, a video postcard is kind of like a dynamic photograph that you film. With this in mind, it can be helpful to frame your video postcards in the same way you would frame a landscape photo. Now, before you start taking video postcards of mountains in the distance with nothing but a plain field in front of them (which could actually be cool if done properly), you’ll want to consider your background, middle ground and foreground, as all of these elements will work together to bring your static video postcard to life.

Using the mountain scene example, you could frame your shot with mountains in the background, a lake in the middle ground, and some trees and long grasses in the foreground. This foreground elements will not only help frame the middle ground and background elements (the lake and the mountains), but also start to add some dynamics to your scene. How? Well, because you’re filming a video postcard and not taking a photo, the foreground elements, in this case the trees and grass, will move slightly in your shot as the breeze flows through, bringing a bit of life to your static, photo-inspired framing.

Capture Moving Subjects and Details

As alluded to above, the key to shifting your video postcard from essentially a landscape photo to a more dynamic scene is movement. Again, your camera will be positioned on a tripod, so the frame won’t be moving. But what you’ll want to do is incorporate some movement within the frame to bring your scene to life.

Now, you don’t need to go overboard with the movement. In the example above, I mentioned simply incorporating a bit of the moving grasses and leaves in the frame as they blow in the wind. For a simple video postcard, this is all of the movement you need. If you are trying to tell a bit more of a story with your video postcard, however, you can also include a subject within your frame, such as a person or a car driving by. When you incorporate a person walking through a stable, vast scene, such as a mountainous landscape, it can not only transport your audience to that place, but also help showcase the sheer scale of the place you’re depicting in your video postcard.

Looking to add a bit more movement into your video postcard without moving the camera? Add a slow zoom in effect in Premiere Pro. This will still keep your scene stable and still, while also subtly bringing the viewer further into the scene.

Film and Post Your Postcards Horizontally - Not Vertically

I know that social media has put an emphasis on vertical photos and videos, but do yourself a favour and film your video postcards horizontally. Think about the postcards you’ve received in the mail or even sent to your friends and family when you were on an epic trip. Chances are the images on the postcards were horizontal - especially if the scene was depicting a landscape.

While landscape photography is a subject for another article, landscapes are typically photographed horizontally (or in landscape format) because the wide perspective allows travel photographers to capture more of the scene. Vertical (or portrait) perspectives don’t capture as much of a landscape. Instead, they capture more of the sky or one specific element of the scene.

With video postcards, again the idea is to capture a vivid, dynamic scene without moving the frame. To help create that dynamic scene, film your videos horizontally so that you capture more of the details, vastness and splendour of the scene you’re filming. This framing choice will not only help you tell your story, but also give your video more of a real postcard vibe.

Conclusion

In a world where short form videos have overtaken epic landscape photos on social media, video postcards have found a way to blend the two. To capture dynamic travel video postcards, ensure you set up your camera on a tripod so that your footage is stable and still, framing the scene like you would a landscape photo. Next, incorporate a bit of movement into your footage, such as a person walking through the scene or even just a bit of grass blowing in the breeze. Finally, ensure that your video postcards are filmed horizontally to capture all of the details and vastness of your scene. Then, edit your epic scene and send (digitally) your postcards to your followers.