Beatrice Vu

What made you participate in the contest?

Alex and I just finished our version of the W trek in Torres Del Paine and sat down for two days to watch our footage. We quickly realized we might need a reshoot because we were missing captures of people we met. Then we saw a video from Sam Newton and a contest with ColorPro. We thought this was it. We might not be able to create the documentary yet, but instead, we can give a glimpse of the experience of conscious traveling with the content we already have. 

A few days later, our partner Jess, who joined us at the beginning of the trip, messaged us to create a trailer for our short film. Everyone seemed to have the same idea. Then, Sylvain joined as well. 

How did you feel when you heard you won, and what do you think made your video a winning video?

I was not expecting this at all. The start of Patagonia was so mentally hectic that this project became something that was draining me: pressure from people, pressure to create something I’m proud of, and not just another travel video. Winning made me realize that it was a good decision to delay everything, sit down and take the time to create something with intention.

I believe we won because we combined the right skills to make that initial vision a reality. In this regard, my first shoutout goes to Alex. She was by my side from the beginning. She was the one that helped me capture the concepts that I had in mind and gave me the best advice and feedback.

Another shoutout to Jess. She joined us in Patagonia for the first phase of filming. She also helped me give words to the video and concise the final script for the short video. 

My last shoutout goes to Sylvain. He joined us after the expedition for editing, coloring, and finalizing my first edit. He also made the visuals and tone a reality. We quickly became friends with our late calls working together and talking about random subjects.

How did you move from an idea in your mind to work out the final result? What steps help you to move forward in materializing the vision you have? 

As someone that shaped the “slowmad” lifestyle for the past seven years, I had the vision to showcase another way of traveling and living. The challenging part was that I had never traveled with a crew that documents those genuine encounters and tells long-format stories. So based on experience, I crafted a storyline of what the adventure could look like mainly to help the brands visualize the idea. I then created a music data sheet to find the ambiance and tone for the short film. 

What helps you decide which image/video transitions will fit well together?

Alex and I took the time to select which footage had the most potential to make it to the final documentary. Then I drafted a storyline in premiere pro with ideas to help me visualize which clips to choose. But first, the choice of the music and the finale script was the priority before editing and making a final choice of the images. These were the key elements for photo and video selection. 

What methodology was helpful between you and your team to create the final result? How did you work together as a team?

We had an internal team issue that affected the dynamic of the crew. This issue turned into a snowball effect, but in the end, we managed to create something meaningful, and worth sharing. We made mistakes, but they were all valuable lessons that taught us a lot. 

Besides this incident, I believe the trust and faith we had in each other and the shared passion for conscious travels were the keys to our success. Each had a role during the creation of the short video and nailed it with the short period we had.

How did you go about the storyline/the text? And did you match the storyline with the video or the other way around?

I wanted the storyline and text to be as authentic as possible with the experience I got living in Antarctica and Patagonia, which is why I was intentional about what was going to be part of the video. I first draft the emotions I felt and the entire experience, then concise a shorter version that can fit in a minute version. Then, knowing my teammate Jess is better than me in English and words, we combined our ideas and skill to create the winning script.

How did you evaluate the result before submitting it?

We were in a big rush when submitting because we ran into internet issues (the perks of being a slow nomad and exploring remote areas sometimes), which led me to leave Patagonia and cross the borders to Chile for a better connection to transfer the footage to Sylvain. The following was the workflow:

1) I created the first version on Premiere Pro with some color grading, added the music and tempo I liked, and put the best clips together. 

2) I sent the review to the girls for feedback.

3) I sent the video to Sylvain for the final touch and magic sauce. He was the most skilled to put everything together.

4) I and Sylvain went back and forth on calls until we were happy and then the girls gave us their final feedback.