Travel Video Contest - Tips

So you want to make a video and win our contest? Take a few minutes to review our short list of tips and tricks and read about some of the resources we list here.

General Tips and Good Ideas

• Be creative! Use titles that are unique to you and your video. Instead of including words like "Dream & Journey" in your title, use something more imaginative and characteristic of your video. This will help you stand out from the crowd and get noticed.
• Produce a high quality video, HD preferred. If you have a great story to tell but we're not able to see what's happening in your video, it won't get the attention it may deserve.
• Record the best quality sound possible. If you can't be heard or understood, we won't know how great your video is! Test the sound before you start filming and periodically throughout.
• Your video should tell a story and be made for this contest (yes, our judges are able to tell when it's not made exclusively for us). From the official rules: If you are currently studying outside of your home country, your video can describe any trip you would like to take. If you are not currently studying outside of your home country, your entry must describe your proposed study abroad.
• Stay honest. Cheating during voting will not be tolerated, this includes submitting votes using the email address of friends without their consent, or email addresses created specifically for this contest. If you want your friends to vote for you make sure you tell them to visit and vote. The best way to share your video details is through email and social media.
• The maximum time of your video is 4 minutes, but that doesn’t mean your video must be 4 minutes long- there is not a minimum length. If you can tell your story in less than 4 minutes, don’t drag it out!

Audio/Music

One of the recurring problems we have with contest entries is the use of copyrighted music. There are several sites that have free music available for your video and you should use something that not only fits your video theme but doesn't have a copyright.

• Free music and sound effects for your video from YouTube: www.youtube.com/audiolibrary
• Legal music for your video (links to many sites): creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos

Make sure that you have permission to use images and music in your video. If Beyonce is your friend, make sure she signs a release allowing you to use her music.

Stock Footage

There are lots of places on the net to find low-cost and free stock footage that you can use to improve your video. If you need images that you're not able to shoot, check these out:

• www.stockfootageforfree.com/
• www.beachfrontbroll.com/

Stock footage can be found that covers almost any location and any genre. Look around and add some cheap (free) production value to your video.

Editing Software

Both Windows and Mac computers have free software to help you edit your video. There are also several other free and really inexpensive apps that you can download to help unleash your creativity.

• Apple iMovie - Apple iMovie
• Windows Live Movie Maker - Windows Live Movie Maker
• Open source and cross-platform video editing software, Lightworks - Lightworks

Where to Start

Totally lost and don't know where to begin? Check out these resources for learning the basics of creating great videos!

• Vimeo's excellent series, Video 101: Video 101
• Videomaker magazine has a great list of resources and lessons for beginners.

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