Going Awesome Places

Detailed itineraries + travel guides

  • Destinations
  • Itineraries
  • Guides
  • Packing
  • Travel Blog
    • Travel Tips
    • Travel Hacking
    • Travel Gear & Tech
  • Deals
  • Toolbox

Journey To the Terracotta Warriors Extended Cut

Last Updated August 23, 2022 William Tang

You are here: Home » Attractions & Experiences » Journey To the Terracotta Warriors Extended Cut

Share28
Tweet73
Pin1
Email
More
102 Shares
This article may contain affiliate links where we make a small commission for purchases you make from links that you click from this article. For more details, read the disclosure page.

It's been a heck of a lot of fun sharing with you my entire journey through China all the way from Shanghai up to the monks of Shaolin and onwards to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an.  With so much footage I took along the way, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste so I decided to put together an extended cut if you will of my original journey to the terracotta warriors.

Introducing the Extended Cut

 

I may have been influenced by Peter Jackson here.  I essentially took the core of what I had and filled it in with all the other clips that I wish I could've included the first time around but couldn't because I wanted to keep the whole video under 3 minutes.

The now lengthier 4 minutes and 30 seconds paints, I hope, a much fuller video of what my trip was like over the course of 14 days and gives YOU a good reason to travel to China.

The Making Of

Shanghai Airport Squeegee

The Idea

I knew going into my China trip that I needed to have a plan for what I wanted to do with video.  From experience, I knew that just taking random videos with my GoPros (one GoPro Hero 3+ Black and 4 Silver) wasn't going to work.  So literally after going through security at the airport, a lightbulb went off with this idea to take the same concept as Murad Osmann's photos where he took the same photo of his girlfriend holding onto his hand all over the world except extend it into video.

Filming

So there I was on the movator at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, having this incredible epiphany and I turn to my girlfriend and say “okay take the GoPro and I want you to walk behind me and frame me in the middle, half body…and walk with me!”  At first I got the puzzled “Huh? This is crazy!” face but we soon got our first shot done which turned into that opening thumbs up clip.

After that, it was literally me asking to get shots of me walking along in all sorts of places.  I know for a fact people thought I was a weirdo because even our guides asked “Why is she shooting him from behind all the time?”

The good thing was that I knew exactly what kind of shots I wanted and that meant I wasn't shooting random b-roll and other things all the time.

Post-Processing

Post-processing the video after coming back was probably the hardest part.  With so much footage and to select the good ones and then pick out 2 seconds from each one was a big pain in the behind.  I literally had to go down to the lowest zoom level just because of how fast paced the music was and having to time it all perfectly.

Credit

I have to give a huge shout out to my girlfriend for shooting ALL of this footage.  After 14 days, you can imagine that I felt pretty bad every time I had to turn around and say, “I need another GoPro shot of me right now”.  She mastered the art of synchro walking while holding onto the GoPro on a pole to perfection.  She even started doing all these pan shots even when I didn't ask.  I spy a new videographer in the making!  No seriously, thank you.  You're truly the best <3.

So with that, I hope you enjoy the closing post for this amazing trip.  There's so much to explore in China and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

For all the details behind the trip, just head back to the trip page where you'll find each live-blogging episode.
Share28
Tweet73
Pin1
Email
More
102 Shares

Filed Under: Attractions & Experiences Leave a Comment

About William Tang

William is the Chief of Awesome at Going Awesome Places which is focused on off-the-beaten-path, outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring others to travel, writing detailed trip itineraries to help others plan their own trips, and providing helpful tips and tricks to guide readers to travel better. He is based in Toronto, Canada but you'll find him on the road more often than not. Make sure to learn more about William to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

author will tang going awesome places profile photoHey, my name is Will and I'm here to help you travel to some awesome places around the world and my home country of Canada by providing insanely detailed itineraries, travel guides, and packing lists.

More about me

JOIN TO BE AN INSIDER

Get access to the ultimate packing list, bonus itinerary content, exclusive deals, monthly newsletters, weekly flight deals, and more!

POPULAR POSTS

10 Breathtaking Activities to Do In Maui Without a Car10 Breathtaking Activities to Do In Maui Without a Car1K Total Shares
6 Day Smoky Mountains Itinerary – 2 States, One Grand Adventure6 Day Smoky Mountains Itinerary – 2 States, One Grand Adventure549 Total Shares
When Is The Best Time To Go To Iceland?When Is The Best Time To Go To Iceland?313 Total Shares
Must-Read Guide to Visiting Hawaii for the First TimeMust-Read Guide to Visiting Hawaii for the First Time299 Total Shares
7 Essential Apps for Iceland in 20237 Essential Apps for Iceland in 2023229 Total Shares
The Perfect 2 Day Oxford County Cheese Trail ItineraryThe Perfect 2 Day Oxford County Cheese Trail Itinerary219 Total Shares

Everything I use to travel and link to my travel toolbox

Where do you want to go travel to next? Find your destination

The best travel deals with Going Awesome Places

Learn how to start a travel blog

Find us on social media

YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us

Copyright © 2023 · Privacy Policy · Disclosure Policy · Accessibility