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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Dubai Vids Online - The Center of Now





I am starting to find a series of these videos promoting downtown Dubai. What caught my eye is not only that it is filmed in a very romantic and luxurious travel-music-video-esque style but it is marketed that way. I found this particular video on one of Vimeo's travel groups.

Overall it is shot very well and certainly sends out the right feelings of intrigue.

Here is another:








Here are some stills from the videos:





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Monday, February 14, 2011
Shag Score
There is a new site in town that uses a "romantic algorithm" to calculate your "shag-ability" based on what you have planned for your date. It is pretty neat because it is purely based on search technology used on travel sites. The site is called shagscore.com....check it out:


Discover Your Shagscore from Uptake Vlogger on Vimeo.

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Saturday, February 05, 2011
Chase the Dream
This is an amazing piece by Astray Films that really drives home the value of pursuing your passion. Be it travel, photography, film, writing...whatever. Get out there and chase the dream. At the very least you will be happy.



Here are some screen shots. You can see the original video here.



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Friday, January 21, 2011
Timescapes: Rapture by Tom Lowe
Oh my, it has been wayyy to long since I've posted anything and I do apologize for that. The truth is that I've been working on set for a feature film and it has been consuming my life for a while. The great news is that I'm back and it's time to get more travel vids up!

This particular piece is called Timescapes: Rapture by Tom Lowe. It is a great piece on the American southwest.





Filmmaker's notes:

This is production footage I shot over the summer for my debut film, "TimeScapes," a modern portrait of the American Southwest. I used Canon and Red MX cameras.

Follow the production of the film at: twitter.com/​timescapes

Also here: timescapes.org and here timescapes.org/​blog

A huge thank you to my assistants/Associate Producers who helped me film this, Dustin Kukuk (twitter.com/​drkanab), Nilo Recalde (twitter.com/​nilomr) and Chris M (twitter.com/​visceralway). And, as always, my most sincere and humble respect goes to Ron Fricke, Mark Magidson, Terrence Malick and Godfrey Reggio.

Thank you to my sponsors: Canon USA, Kessler Crane, camBLOCK, Vinten & KATA. Also to Cinevate.

Music is by the film's composer Nigel "John" Stanford: johnstanfordmusic.com Make sure to turn the volume and bass way up!

View the original video here.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Human Castles in Spain
I found this great video by Vimeo user Mike Randolph. It is a brief view of a gathering of castellers to see who can create the tallest human castle. This event happens every two years in Tarragona, Spain.



Description of the video: In the city of Tarragona, Spain, castellers gather every two years to see who can build the highest, most intricate human castles. This uniquely Catalan tradition requires astonishing strength, finesse, and balance. Not to mention courage. 

view the original video here.





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Friday, November 05, 2010
Taal Volcano, Luzon, Philippines


In January 2010 I was fortunate enough to boat across Taal Lake over to Taal Volcano. From there we hiked to the crater and took a moment to enjoy the view...and have a little coconut drink as well.

Produced by: Sebastien Tobler
Special Thanks to: Rosano Pasahol and Bart Padilla
Camera Assistant: Ace Baquiran
Music By: The Soft Pack



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Monday, October 18, 2010
Plastics in the Ocean



I had originally posted this on UpTake.com's beach blog but I feel that the content and message is important and needs to be shared with everyone. 


Read the original post here.

The video is by Rafa Herrero and is called Octubre.

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Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Overflow at Jefferson Pools


The Jefferson Pools in Hot Springs, VA is around 200 years old and yes, it is named after Thomas Jefferson who frequented the hot springs. Unlike most natural hot springs, the Jefferson Pools does not smell like rotten eggs (like many other hot springs do) because of the minerals and occasional sulphur.

The highlight for me was the Overflow which is basically a small one person natural hot tub with a huge jet. The water is funneled through a small opening which is controlled by an attendant above. You just sit back and relax. The high pressure of the overflow is like a natural back massage.



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Wednesday, September 08, 2010
UpTake's Travel Gems!


Introducing UpTake's Travel Gem program!! If you are a travel blogger and you want more exposure for your travel blog, here is one way get it. UpTake gets a ton of traffic to their sites and by having them feature YOUR POST, you get a piece of the action. Check it out:
UpTake Travel Gems - An easy way to improve SEO and awareness for your blog

It is easy to get your blog posts included in Travel Gems, UpTake’s blog content program. Watch this one minute video to learn how to get your blog posts showcased on UpTake. We’ll feature a bit of your content and link to your blog as the source. This helps you gain exposure to a wider audience (think, traffic) and increase awareness of your blog. Oh yes, it also helps you show up higher in blog search results (think, SEO)! Just a link in your post to UpTake and you’re done. It is that simple.

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Tuesday, August 03, 2010
SCOUT
 

Scout
A new mural by street artist Kelly Towles in his hometown of Washington DC. The mural and short film explore a DC neighborhood with a child like sense of exploration. A quick take on what most people should do in their own area of the city. Enjoy!

kellytowles.com

Artist Kelly Towles
Film by Sebastien Tobler
Music "Elephant Gun" - Beirut
Starring Isabella O'Brien & Kelly Towles
Crew Tara Kocourek, Virginia Arisueno and Gladys O'Brien

Special thank you to
The DC Commission of the Arts & Humanities
Adrian Cabrera
Leslie McGraw
Gary Lindensmith and John Nash

Filmmaker's notes
Filming this piece with Kelly and Isabella was nothing short of an amazing experience. Isabella's innate sense of exploration came through so well on the camera and Kelly's message of exploration seemed to manifest itself in her every expression.

This piece was shot on a Canon 7D with f/1.4 50mm prime and f/3.5-5.6 18-135mm lenses.

loquastofilms.com

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Thursday, July 22, 2010
I Want to Travel, But How? Where?


I get this question all the time: "I really want to Travel like you do, but I just don't know how or even where to start." There was a time where I would kind of snicker and think to myself "That is just a ridiculous problem! This guy can't be serious." So, inevitably, I would say: "Just GO!"

Admittedly, that was a younger, less rational and brash version of me. I've simmered down a little and have concluded that this truly is an issue. In fact, it may even be an epidemic of sorts. I started this blog hoping to inspire people to travel and not as a tourist but as a traveler: def - a person looking to completely immerse themselves in another culture other than their own (this is my definition by the way). Naturally, everyone is different and gets inspired by a variety of things. I like staying off the tourist roads and digging a little bit deeper, be it from just the side of the main sites or maybe way off that path entirely. I am inspired by people, different people who have so much to share and inevitably open my mind to more about this world which of course leads to a paradigm shift and my life is changed ever so much. Phew. Long sentence.

If you find yourself uninspired to travel, there may be a solution for you, it is called "Meet, Plan, Go." Check it out:


“Meet, Plan, Go!”
A Nationwide Event to Help People Realize Their Travel Dreams

On September 14, 2010, Briefcase to Backpack and Three Month Visa will be hosting Meet, Plan, Go! a free, nationwide event to inspire people to fulfill their career break and long-term travel dreams. The event will offer participants the opportunity to MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers; get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime; and start taking concrete steps forward to GO on that global adventure.

“In countries like Australia and the UK, career breaks, life sabbaticals, ‘gap years’ and other forms of extended travel are commonplace, but Americans have shied away from claiming a similar birthright. We are on a mission to change that,” says Michaela Potter, co-founder of Briefcase to Backpack, a site that offers travel inspiration and advice for Americans planning a career break or sabbatical.
For years, books like Vagabonding by Rolf Potts and Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman have inspired countless readers across the country to break out of their daily routine and travel the world. Then, in 2006, Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love exploded onto the literary scene, becoming a runaway hit and opening up a wider conversation about Americans and long-term travel experiences.

“Many people found themselves asking, ‘Wait a minute…why haven’t I ever taken time off? Where is MY gap year?!’” says Tara Russell, a Life Sabbatical & Long-term Travel Coach through Three Month Visa. “Now, with the Eat, Pray, Love movie starring Julia Roberts coming out in August, the dialogue is sure to reignite. We want to connect people with useful resources and contacts that will make planning the trip of a lifetime that much easier.”

Every event will feature individuals who have either fulfilled their own world travel dreams or are currently in the planning stages. Such real-life stories have a built-in understanding of the unique challenges that all long-term travelers must overcome in order to make things happen, including the re-entry process and returning to work.

Sherry Ott, a Meet, Plan, Go! collaborator, left her corporate job in 2006 and hasn’t looked back. “During my original 16-month career break, I traveled to 23 countries, primarily solo, armed with my camera.” The travel experience of her life led her to co-found Briefcase to Backpack with Potter. “When I returned to the States, I realized that the corporate world wasn’t for me. So, I spent the last year living and working in Vietnam, experiencing the ups and downs of being a solo expat in a very foreign culture.” Ott has been blogging about her travels on OttsWorld: Travel and Life Experiences of a Corporate America Runaway.

Ott is just one of the many life-changing stories that Meet, Plan, Go! will showcase. For a complete listing of Meet, Plan, Go! bios and participants, visit www.meetplango.com. Current event locations include Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Chicago | Dallas | Minneapolis | New York City | Orlando | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington DC | Toronto, Canada. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win a trip to Peru from GAP Adventures as well as a volunteer trip to France & Cambodia from GeoVisions.

If you have ever dreamed of escaping your cubicle to strike out and discover the world on your own terms, then don’t miss out on this event. And if you have, join Meet, Plan, Go! to help inspire others.

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Monday, July 19, 2010
Sean Stiegemeier's Time-lapse: Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull
 

When Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted it caused mass havoc in global transportation, especially in Europe. The images we saw on TV/print/online were primarily aerial and did not allow for a real, "on-the-ground" perspective of the natural phenomenon. Sean Stiegemeier manages to give us just that with this amazing time-lapse video. Here are some stills:







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Thursday, July 15, 2010
Berlin: Reclaiming the Streets


As thousands of tourists battle lines and each other to get to traditional tourist sites in Berlin, I decided to hit up what was of true interest to me: The impressive and world renown collection of ever changing street art that Berlin displays on her streets.

There are a lot of works featured in this video by artists such as Blu, Ash, Emess and Banksy. It was a great experience finding these pieces and in some cases, breathtaking given the size of some of the murals.

I am not a street artist by any means, but I am a big fan and in this video I am taking that exact approach.

I hope you enjoy.

Filmed & Edited by Sebastien Tobler

Music by Sebastien Tobler

Production assistant: Simon Tobler

German Fixer: Felix Manig

Ash




Blu

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Flavela on Blast
 

Starting today until July 16th ONLY, world famous DJ, Diplo and filmmaker Leandro HBL’s documentary Favela on Blast is available to view for free online. This amazing documentary highlights Funk Carioca. Brazil is a country that moves to a very recognizable beat, and this new hybrid of sounds sets the mood of the aggressive environment from which it is born; Rio's Favelas.

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