While traveling in Italy, videographer OliverKMIA went to get a photo of himself posing in front of the Trevi Fountain, a popular tourist destination in Rome, and found that he couldn’t find a spot to do so due to the throng of people wanting to do the same thing as he. This frustrating situation led to him creating “Instravel“, a fascinating hyperlapse using photos from Instagram to show the crazy amount of selfies taken in front of popular destinations along with the travel process itself. OliverKMIA stated on FStoppers that he wasn’t making any judgement with this film, but rather making his own observations regarding travel and social media.
There is no point or message in this video, I just wanted to create a fun little video and explore a different editing technique. If anything, it reflects the importance of social networks in our life. As I said before, I don’t put myself above the crowd. I’m one of the tourists. I took many cliché images myself and I’m glad these people are happy doing it. Being original or different doesn’t necessarily make you better or smarter. For instance, most wedding pictures look similar but each ceremony is unique and very personal. Eventually, what matters are the good memories you can share with your friends, family, and loved ones. However, during my trip, I felt that many people didn’t really enjoy the moment and were hooked to their smartphones, as if the ultimate goal of travel was to brag about it online and run after the likes and followers.
