So how are they doing it?

Baldbiker

L Plate Member
Some of the big vloggers that I watch are travelling all over the world, into the most remote, dangerous and desolate places on the planet, and yet they are able to upload 20 minute high rez files from their location all the time. "on the fly".
In contrast, I live in a rural area of Southern Ontario, and get very poor throughput, as I've mentioned (whined about) before.
When I try to upload a 10 minute HD video it takes up to 2 days to complete the upload.
So, my question is, how are they doing it from much more remote and desolate areas than I can?
Many of them mentioned they pick up access cards at local stores, but these don't provide a connection, only access, they have to use some hotel's wifi? Or are they uploading directly via the nearest cellphone tower, like we do with our phones when uploading a photo. I'm just curious as these vloggers are getting these vids up overnight and back on the road in the morning.
I call this a newbie question so I figure this is the best place to post it :)
 
I would bet it is hotel/coffee shop wifi. You might be able to do via cell, but buying data to for all those uploads adds up. You might be surprised where you can get really good internet these days.
 
I think a lot of them use high speed mobile data, you can get some really fast upload speeds from some networks. When the larger channels can earn so much from their content, it is more viable for them to spend on the technology to allow them to do so. Some travel vlogs are often posted after the trips too rather than during, although Itchy Boots seems to upload as she goes :-)
 
Also worth a note. How do you know, if the videos are not a week or two behind?
If they schedule videos and upload 5-6 videos with schedules, every time when they end up in a hotel, with a connection, that could easily create the illusion.
 
Ive been to hotels and tried the wifi. You can barely open the youtube page, much less upload a 7 gig file overnight. Coffee shops are even worse. When I go to Tim Horton's I don't even bother with their "free wifi" and I'll use data. No I don't think they are uploading at a hotel or coffee shop while on the road. And a lot of them are uploading as they go. Bald and Bankrupt (no affiliation) also uploads on the road as he goes. He stays in cheap Ukranian hotels which many don't even have wifi. This has to be mobile data, using cell towers. I could ask in a few channels, but I doubt I will get an answer lol. The secret is safe with them!
 
They upload videos via their mobile internet data, they have high-speed mobile data, you can get some really fast upload speeds from some networks. They also have good social networking skills, so any nearby wifi would help them too.
 
Some of the big vloggers that I watch are travelling all over the world, into the most remote, dangerous and desolate places on the planet, and yet they are able to upload 20 minute high rez files from their location all the time. "on the fly".
In contrast, I live in a rural area of Southern Ontario, and get very poor throughput, as I've mentioned (whined about) before.
When I try to upload a 10 minute HD video it takes up to 2 days to complete the upload.
So, my question is, how are they doing it from much more remote and desolate areas than I can?
Many of them mentioned they pick up access cards at local stores, but these don't provide a connection, only access, they have to use some hotel's wifi? Or are they uploading directly via the nearest cellphone tower, like we do with our phones when uploading a photo. I'm just curious as these vloggers are getting these vids up overnight and back on the road in the morning.
I call this a newbie question so I figure this is the best place to post it :)


My speculation is to call BS on some of the traveling channels claiming they are uploading on the fly.

First, as you pointed out there is the file size and data transfer speed issue. Next, there is a time management issue. As any of us that ride several hundred miles in a day know - there is little time to edit, prep the bike, plan the next day, get food, and rest properly.

So, I suspect the channel as a support person or persons behind the scene that is doing the edit and upload. Perhaps the camera person sends the memory chip overnight or all the editing is done after the trip is over and then released to appear as if it was being done in real time. The whole time fingers are crossed that something memorable does not happen at any of the filming locations in the meantime that would let everyone know it was prerecorded.
 
My speculation is to call BS on some of the traveling channels claiming they are uploading on the fly.

First, as you pointed out there is the file size and data transfer speed issue. Next, there is a time management issue. As any of us that ride several hundred miles in a day know - there is little time to edit, prep the bike, plan the next day, get food, and rest properly.

So, I suspect the channel as a support person or persons behind the scene that is doing the edit and upload. Perhaps the camera person sends the memory chip overnight or all the editing is done after the trip is over and then released to appear as if it was being done in real time. The whole time fingers are crossed that something memorable does not happen at any of the filming locations in the meantime that would let everyone know it was prerecorded.

NO. FREAKIN. KIDDIN.

My edit time alone for a several hundred mile ride, if I were to follow my current workflow of recording the entire ride and culling through it later ... well that would add many hours to my day.

I bet the big travel vlogs are carrying a laptop or iPad or something they can download all their footage to each night, maybe using high-speed mobile to upload it to a server, and editing it when they get home.

Or, like you say, they've got a support person they're sending the files to for editing.

-John
 
NO. FREAKIN. KIDDIN.

My edit time alone for a several hundred mile ride, if I were to follow my current workflow of recording the entire ride and culling through it later ... well that would add many hours to my day.

I bet the big travel vlogs are carrying a laptop or iPad or something they can download all their footage to each night, maybe using high-speed mobile to upload it to a server, and editing it when they get home.

Or, like you say, they've got a support person they're sending the files to for editing.

-John

I did the laptop thing on a cross country journey. Even with that, there is not enough time for a one man show to handle that work and keep moving and looking at stuff.

Like the US Army used to say - you can't shoot, move, and communicate all on your own.
 
I'll give two examples of "big time" vloggers that I believe upload on the fly. Itchy boots, and Benjamin Rich (Bald and Bankrupt). If you have watched Noraly's series you can see she certainly claims to upload as she goes, and doesn't have anyone travelling with her. She does mention in her vids quite often that she takes an entire day off at whatever location she is staying to do editing. She has also uploaded a few lengthy videos describing a lot of what is involved with "behind the scenes" logistics. She just hasn't covered how she gets all that uploaded. Im suspecting mobile data with her laptop though. The smaller accommodations she often chooses will often have wifi, and since they are small locations, not as many people sharing it, allowing for a better data rate. Now, Benjamin Rich, that one is still a bit of a puzzle. He lives in shoddy hotels, travels alone, does all his own filming and editing as far as I can tell. I'm wondering if he also takes a full day off in his hotel room to upload edited videos. I would assume he has a decent laptop to do his editing. Both of these people don't have a "home" to go to. They live on the road. So their work has to be done in some hotel or hostel somewhere.
 
I'll give two examples of "big time" vloggers that I believe upload on the fly. Itchy boots, and Benjamin Rich (Bald and Bankrupt). If you have watched Noraly's series you can see she certainly claims to upload as she goes, and doesn't have anyone travelling with her. She does mention in her vids quite often that she takes an entire day off at whatever location she is staying to do editing. She has also uploaded a few lengthy videos describing a lot of what is involved with "behind the scenes" logistics. She just hasn't covered how she gets all that uploaded. Im suspecting mobile data with her laptop though. The smaller accommodations she often chooses will often have wifi, and since they are small locations, not as many people sharing it, allowing for a better data rate. Now, Benjamin Rich, that one is still a bit of a puzzle. He lives in shoddy hotels, travels alone, does all his own filming and editing as far as I can tell. I'm wondering if he also takes a full day off in his hotel room to upload edited videos. I would assume he has a decent laptop to do his editing. Both of these people don't have a "home" to go to. They live on the road. So their work has to be done in some hotel or hostel somewhere.

Taking a full day off for every day of shooting would be cost prohibitive on a trip. Even one day off for three just sitting around editing seems to be counter to hitting the open road and riding free as the wind.

Imagine riding across country with some iron butt rider and during talking you say, "Sorry, I got to interrupt this momentum of the trip and tie into the web after I edit for a while."

I would be kickstand up and one state away by the time that mess got halfway done. :rolleyes:
 
All part of the job! It's not all "riding free in the wind" when you are a professional travelling vlogger. Im sure an experienced editor can whip up several episodes in a single day.
 
All part of the job! It's not all "riding free in the wind" when you are a professional travelling vlogger. Im sure an experienced editor can whip up several episodes in a single day.
I learned long ago from a professional bike builder in the height of the early 2000s custom bike craze not to believe half the "stuff" people produce for fame and the camera.

So a "professional travelling" anything really is not that impressive if they really are not living the true life but rather just pretending for the camera and clicks.

Just my take on it...
 
I think it has to be all about the camera to be able to continuously produce good content. It's like porn compared to having real actual sex. Not the same thing. One is all about the camera, it's work, not sex. and the other is all about your own personal experience, where it's all about the fun, but no money.
 
I dunno, I've been compared to a porn star in the sack. I was a lot younger then :D

Back on topic... if you carry a ton of SD cards for you and number them, you can just swap SD cards each day and keep rolling. Add another set of SD cards for each camera. At 1080p/60fps, you can record 8-10 hours on a GoPro, depending on the model of camera.

If you are in a spot where you can get satellite or cell signal, you could literally have some tech uploading your video files while you ride, thus minimizing stops.

I literally do not know how people edit videos so fast. If I record 3 hours of footage, you can almost guarantee that I am gonna spend that same amount of time just getting things to a rough cut, and then I sweat the details - maybe others don't? Or I'm just not good at it. I also use Resolve, so my workflow is probably more complicated than others using other editing software.

Then again, I have a day job and small kids and family/house stuff to do each day, in addition to the times I get to actually film, so it can be a while before I get around to editing all the footage I collect.

-John
 
@Drakhen99 maybe that's the thing - you record too much? Record enough to give a glimpse.

Oh, I don't disagree. I just find it difficult to sync up cameras if I turn them on and start recording while on the go. A couple of times I've ridden to where I wanted to start filming and then turned the cameras on, and turned them off when I was done and riding home, but then stuff like last week happens:

I was riding along, minding my own business, when there was a kerfuffle up ahead with debris all over the place. I rode through it, swerving my best to avoid the majority of it, and my reaction was PRICELESS [and NSFW until I bleeped out the expletives]. THAT footage for SURE is going into a video [I did the rough cut last night, I think it's pretty entertaining AND gives the whole video a hook].

Part of my issue - and I'm quickly working on it - is stringing together intelligent-sounding sentences with fewer and fewer ums, ahs, buts, and ands. My latest footage is much easier to edit since I am ridding myself of these filler words. Not that anyone asked, but it makes it much easier to just cut out the blank space. I still end up with 2-3 hours of footage, but it's easier to cut out the blank bits.

-John
 
@Drakhen99 maybe that's the thing - you record too much? Record enough to give a glimpse.

I've done this when I was filming on a few long trips, I simply recorded at scenic/eventful moments rather than most of the time. I haven't done a long enough motovlog trip yet where my 256GB SD cards in the cameras weren't large enough, but I could see how that might happen on a week long or greater trip.
 
I've done this when I was filming on a few long trips, I simply recorded at scenic/eventful moments rather than most of the time. I haven't done a long enough motovlog trip yet where my 256GB SD cards in the cameras weren't large enough, but I could see how that might happen on a week long or greater trip.

Did you stop riding, start the cameras, and then start riding again to keep them synced up and recording just the scenic stuff?

-John
 

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