Thread: 7 years around Africa in my Defender - travel with me on YT

That Land Rover graveyard is a little sad. A few folk here would love to spend some time there!

I'm enjoying the videos, it's interesting to see the slower side of adventuring, and the minutiae of African outdoors. It's good to see you develop your own style of editing, and yes editing is always the hardest and most time consuming part of making videos.

I like the videos mate. It is a very nice change to a lot of the 'high end' stuff on YouTube. Keep up the great work. Cheers

Originally Posted by LandyNomad

@prelude - Yes, I've been dabbling for quite a well, I made a Morocco DVD back in 2005, contributed to the first edition of Overlanders Handbook, over 1,000 posts on horizonsunlimited.com before the likes of social media arrived etc - but like most people travel has to take a back seat to earning money to stay alive :-)

I have 25 Terrabytes of 4K footage filmed - all filmed with an interesting location, journey or story in mind, so I can easily make 100 episodes from it, for example I lived in Etosha National Park alone for 4 months during lockdown, just me and the animals and a few park staff. I think people would find that quite interesting. I'll make a video about everything I have filmed soon to give people a heads up... I have a huge number of hard drives :-)

However editing takes 20 times longer than filming does, I started off, then life got in the way, and now have some free time again - free as in I'm choosing not to work to try and get things off the ground on the channel. However I seem(?) to have peeved the YT algorithm as I ran some google ads at the start, but when I changed the charging currency on my account, they banned me for life for being fraudulent!
Then they banned the first two episodes as it went against their covid policy, people might find them upsetting was my best guess as to why from their bs policy(!?), reinstated on appeal, but I worry that my account is on some kind of 'deamplify' or shadow banned kind of setting... its not for the majority of people for sure, but I'm trying to make it good quality and interesting... or maybe my content is rubbish and I should take take ladies in bikinis with me next time and produce light hearted junk....?

FYI - so far this is a bit of an 'Intro' series to me, my travels, the Landy (owned her for 23 years), how I ended up locked down for a year in Namibia etc. Soon it's more pure travel and wildlife adventures

You have had quite a long trip then btw I sent you a PM for some questions since I did not want to derail this thread...

I think you are doing quite well but the information hungry side of me would like to see you post a bit more detail here and there. I am sure you have thought of a release schedule and are working on how to get your product online but for me, personally, the very few very short clips (mostly of pictures) with a single line about your past are a nice tease but just a tad bit short

With your generally slow paced content (not a complaint!) I should think that a photograph or clip from the past should have a slightly longer exposure ie be on screen a tad bit longer since for me it feels rushed. When I see an old picture I want to take in the details without having to pause my video every time.

Regarding youtube, I understand why people do it since it is kinda the defacto standard but if I were to ever take that route I would certainly upload on more than just YT, there are more services like it out there and although you get the bulk of the exposure through YT it is nice to have a platform that is not gone crazy.

Lastly, your first line says it all "before social media came along". Not sure if it is suitable for your video series but perhaps some background on the changing overland scene and how that has maybe influenced you travels would also be nice to weave in there?

Cheers!
-P

PS good luck editing, I tried that once (for some time) in FCP and seriously. It is sooooo hard.

Good stuff, Darren.

Keep it coming!

John

We spent 3 weeks in Namibia in a couple of hired Defenders in 2015.
Magic place.
It was part of a 9 week loop starting in Johannesburg, up through Botswana, Namibia, down to Cape Town then back across the garden route to Joberg.

Would love to do another trip but in my own vehicle.

Looking forward to watching all your videos.

Steve

Thanks everybody, apologies for the lack of replies - it's been head down editing the next episode...


@rar110 - So far so good for me, my engine has done about 300k. I have a full sized AlliSport intercooler which helps a lot on the asphalt - I fly up hills even though I'm permanently loaded. I can do many of them in 5th gear if I like. I hope your rebuild goes well mate - looking forward to seeing some pictures!


@Tins - yes, quite a common sight there unfortunately. Later on in the year I spend two weeks on a farm that was the main Landy Workshop for Southern Namibia for 50 odd years. Huge number of old Ladies lying around in amazing desert scenery. 14 Series bonnets stacked on top of each other all beautifully faded and kept apart by rocks, Forward Controls propped up by rocks, a huge wall of axles stacked next to each other, a dark crowded spares room with Series parts in their original boxes. And a spitting Cobra living amongst it all.
I stayed on for a week to film it all, more as 'art' if that makes sense - the area has beautiful light and all of the rusted metal and faded paint was beautiful - but also so many interesting stories
attached to each item.


@econti - thanks mate, I'm now over learning most of the technical aspects of the editing, so looking forward to the process becoming a bit easier... and quicker!


@prelude - stay tuned, a few things to your liking coming up ;-)


@Johnno1969 - Thanks mate!


@steveG - Hopefully you do get back, and as you say it is nicer in your own vehicle. Good that you had a decent length of time as well, some people would try to do all of that in 2 weeks ;-)

This was the last release - hope you enjoy it! And who knows, you might get another this weekend!?!? ;-)

#6: Desert Life in Namibia - showing day to day mini adventures when living in this beautiful area:

Here is my latest film - hope you enjoy it! :-)