Swiss filmmaker and photographer Antoine Janssens has spent the last couple of years traveling the world and sharing the beauty he finds through his videos and social media channels.
With his Incredible India video, Janssens partnered with India & You, a travel agency specializing in personalized tours of the subcontinent, to create a stunning video capturing everything from the lush natural landscapes of India, to buzzing intensity of the country’s cities, to the holy sanctity of its landmarks.
Janssens spoke with the Travel Video Awards to discuss how he partnered with India & You, his creative process, and how he crashed a drone in Thailand.
How did you become a travel filmmaker?
Antoine Janssens: I have always loved adventure, go off the beaten track. Discover new places, new countries, new cultures. Creating visual content was a good way for me to share my experiences with people around me.Today I am constantly looking for different content from what we can see. It pushes me to go always further.
What is your favorite aspect of an area to film?
AJ: What I prefer is to be on the field with my camera. It allows me to discover new things, new people, new countries.
How did you work with India & You to balance a video that captured both your personal aesthetic as well as theirs?
AJ: The CEO of the agency India & You (Claire Martignier) discovered my work on Youtube with a travel movie that I realized in Costa Rica with my girlfriend. She really liked the “style” of the movie and we met. Then we decided to go to India together to create content for her travel agency.
You have such grand sweeping shots throughout this video and many of your others, can you explain how you plan out a great shot and what gear you use?
AJ: Thank you for this comment! One person on site was responsible for organizing the itinerary and the different activities. He really made a good job because everywhere we went we were alone in beautiful places to shoot. It was fantastic! My friend Robin Vaneberg created a lot of drone content (with a DJI Mavic Pro) and I used a Canon 1dxmII with different lens like Canon 16-35mm 2.8f / 100mm Macro 2.8f / 70-200mm 2.8f.
What location have you been to that you suggest everyone travel to and see for themselves?
AJ: In India is not easy to choose because everything is different. The North of the country and the South are really different. It’s like two different countries. But, of course, the Taj Mahal is very impressive. Probably the most awesome monument I’ve ever seen.
