I sometimes watch train videos on YouTube. They seem simple: strap a camera in front of a train and shoot the train running its route. For example:

There are tons of these "cab view" videos on YouTube. I quite like them because I like trains (choo-choo!) and I also like to see places from around the world. There are also walking videos and driving videos if those are more your thing.

Having seen a few of these, I noticed I kind of disliked some of them. Even when the concept is so simple (train + camera + time), there are still ways to make them "good" or "bad."

This got me thinking about how many creative decisions you can and need to make, even in a seemingly simple project like a "train video."

So just for fun, I started to enumerate these decisions. This might not be a very useful thing to do, but I need to stop thinking about this :)

What's the purpose of the video?

Many of the following creative decisions come down to the purpose of the video. Who is the video for, and what does it try to achieve? The purpose could be one of:

  1. You want to showcase your beautiful country and the vistas along the route. The train is the 'camera' that films these incredible places.

  2. Same but different; maybe you want to show what it would be like to travel on this route as a passenger. Take the viewer on a journey they wouldn't otherwise be able to take.

  3. You want to show how exciting (or dull) it's like to drive a train along a certain route, for example, a busy local line in Tokyo. Maybe the driver is visible on screen.

  4. ...or you have a train and a camera and just want to document the track without thinking the viewer too much.

Before filming

  • What route do you choose? The most beautiful, interesting, or longest? Or the one you happen to have access to? Are you slowly documenting every piece of track that exists?

  • What happens if it's raining? Do you try again later or go with it? There are some Finnish videos where rain makes the video worse because you are either looking at water droplets on the window or a windshield wiper swishing around.

  • Do you shoot introductory footage of the actual train beforehand? It can be nice to know what kind of train we are riding. Especially if it's some special attraction train.

Black Ship Train, Japan's 'most luxurious local train'.
'Black Ship Train', Japan's "most luxurious local train." From Driver's View of IZUKYU Resort21, from Izukyu Shimoda to Izukogen.

Picture

  • Where do you put the camera? Do you have access to the engine and can place the camera on the windshield? Or are you filming through a transparent wall behind the driver? You'll see the driver, but don't see the track as well.

    • Do you attach the camera outside? Do you also record sound outside? That can be of low quality.

    • How do you attach the camera? Can you dampen shaking from the train or do this in post? (I don't know if that's possible or not.)

  • What is visible on screen? The driver? Parts of the engine? If you are showcasing a beautiful route, then probably nothing else should be on the screen.

    Screenshot from a Swiss train video. The image is framed so that the train is not visible. The view is beautiful with the railroad tracks laid in the banks of a lake.
    Example 1: The focus is in the view. Screenshot from St-Triphon - Lausanne - Basel cab ride
    Screenshot from a Japanese train video. Parts of the engine or cabin are visible framing the tracks, and a windshield wiper is resting on the window. The track goes through a snowy Japanese city with two-storey houses and what looks like a mountain ridge in the horizon.
    Example 2: parts of the engine are visible. Screenshot from Takayama Line Wide View Express Train "Hida" No.3 Nagoya to Toyama, Japan
    Screenshot from a Japanese train video. The train driver in a round hat is visible in the left part of the image and parts of the train's controls in front of him. The train is going through a big Japanese city with at least five tracks going side by side.
    Example 3: The train's driver is doing their job. Screenshot from Let's Ride The Yamanote Line In Tokyo

  • Of course all the normal decisions for capturing images apply here too: a sensible exposure, and you'll probably want a deep depth of field.

    • Frame rate? 60 fps is probably good for smooth motion.

Sound

  • Are you allowed or able to record sound in the engine? The signal sounds can be meaningful if you want to depict the driver's role.
  • If you are filming a passenger train, do you want ambient sound from the passenger side as well? The conductor's announcements are one key part from a passenger's point of view.
  • Do you add music to your video? (Don't.)

Editing

Alright, you have all the footage in the can, but we are not done!

  • Maybe the video should have an introduction of the route or the train? These can be valuable to place the viewer.
  • During the trip, the train stops at a station. Do you include the whole time the train is standing still, cut it away, or fast-forward? Sure, it's very boring to just wait there for a few minutes, but it's also not "realistic" to skip it. You could also add a countdown timer telling when the train is about to depart and let the viewer skip the wait if they choose so.
    • A very long tunnel appears. Cameras have trouble adapting to darkness, and the following two minutes are just darkness? Do you cut that?
    • The train has to make an unscheduled stop in the middle of nowhere. Do you fast-forward or cut that?
  • What labels do you add to the video? Names of stations probably should be there, but what about other noteworthy places?
    • Should you label the tunnels or bridges and their lengths? Could be interesting, or at least set the expectation how long the tunnel will take.
      Screenshot from train video showing a tunnel. A label on screen says 'Fürten II Tunnel, 609 m (1913)'
      Basel - Kandersteg - Brig Re 6/6 cab ride
    • Are you educating the viewer about things the driver needs to observe? Speed limits, signals, etc. You could label all these, but it's a ton of work.

Some sort of conclusion

The list of decisions here is not an exhaustive list, but what came to mind watching these videos. A more free-form video would have a ton more decisions to make, including editing multiple shots together, pacing, and sound design.

I guess the point I'm making here is that any creative endeavor that tries to be good comes with tons of creative decisions to make. Thinking about them is easier if you have some sort of idea of the purpose of the work, or in this case who is the viewer and how to serve them. I've seen too many time-lapse and drone videos that suffer from not having an idea and just dumping all footage they have on hand. Be a bit more mindful!

Categories: youtube, trains, videos