Travel Documentary
Approach
The audience we’re targeting craves well-curated recommendations that spark wanderlust and leave them wanting more. They want exciting content delivered concisely, and they want it delivered by a trusted voice that has a bunch of good stuff to tell/show them (e.g. photos, videos, lists, playlists, articles, notes) before zipping off to discover more.
There are two central (and connected) components to my approach. First, there’s THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL COMPANION/FRIEND whose voice will guide this journey. This is the friend you have or wish you had. The person you trust more than any magazine or guidebook in the world. You know, the one who constantly travels because they can’t live otherwise. The person who makes meticulous notes in their travel diary (e.g., their phone) so that they’re always ready with a suggestion. The person with stories so good—and told with such warmth and intimacy—that you can’t get over them. This person (maybe) has a another job, but sharing hidden gems with their trusted friends feels like their real job—and it’s certainly more enjoyable.
And this brings us to our second component—how our trusted companion shares their travel recommendations. They show us a mesmerizing MIX OF MEDIA—from gorgeous, cinematic shots to peer-to-peer suggestions captured on an iPhone to archival footage to animation and more—and they do it pretty quickly because they’re taking a little time out of their adventure-packed schedule to tell us everything they’ve discovered. As we cut through the different imagery, it feels as if we’re in their head while they recount their favorite can’t-miss places, allowing one recommendation to flow into another as so often happens when someone is excitedly relaying a trip that inspired them.
The heart of this series is the insightful and playful voice that creates emotion, brings continuity, builds trust, and gives us invaluable information through a fun and compelling mix of different media formats that we simply can’t resist. Add to this an immersive sound design that weaves together authentic live sounds, curated music from the country of interest, and a dynamic score that sets the pace for this incredible journey, and we’ve got ourselves a series that is truly special, authentic, memorable, engaging, ownable, and FUN.
