RunNotes: increments with the format and process

I thought it was worth writing up some of my current process thinking. I have been able to complete three RunNotes films just recently and each time I have another go at these things I inevitably change the way I operate because it’s always so difficult to put them together.

Let’s start at the ending(s) shall we?

In late December I visited Nottingham for a work trip. I decided to run from Bramcote to the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. As it was due for decommissioning in September 2024, I felt even more compelled to go there. The route I planned (using the brilliant footpath application) took a twisty journey along the Trent river and Attenborough nature reserve.

Here’s the film I ended up with:

Then on Christmas Eve, no less, I decided to give Bognor Pier to Worthing Pier a go - picking my way along the coast line.

This is it:

And finally - in mid January - inspired by the idea of travelling from Pier to Pier I decided to go from Worthing to Brighton.

This was a lot shorter than the Bognor route (and more boring). So I wondered whether I might try something more adventurous. I came up with a Devil’s Dyke detour taking in some of the Three Forts route before concluding with a downhill approach into Brighton.

This was a terrific experience with plenty of memorable moments - not least the cows and gliders. Here is the final piece:

Process changes - in brief

Please excuse me if this is brief.

1: Filming: GoPro and iPhone

The principle is here about capturing things without any friction or interruption. I carry a GoPro in my running short pockets - no longer using any handles or added gizmos (just a spare battery in my backpack). If I see something I will film it quickly and easily without needing to stop. For more complex shots I might pause and get my iPhone out - for the clips above I used the superior lenses for key moments. Having both on me makes a difference.

2: Animating: Apple Motion and Affinity Designer

After that previous blog post about maps I now do the following:

• plan the original route in footpath, exporting to WorkOutdoors for a guide during the actual run

• bring the completed run GPX data from WorkOutdoors back to Footpath to use for reference

• produced my own large-scale blank canvas using the screenshotted images like so:

This is a screenshot in Motion. I actually used a grid to export tiles from Affinity Designer to make is easier when compositing as the pixel count is quite large…

• NOTE: the 1080p window is the small highlighted area in the bottom right corner

• I use PixelMator Pro to send SVG files into Motion (such a useful workaround)

• from here it was a mainly a matter of using the WriteOn function and animating the camera

• the route uses a duplicate vector underneath to achieve the thick black edge

• I export two versions - one in standard H264 and one with the 4444 codec to allow for occasionally superimposing the route above footage

The main change is to keep things moving in the edit. No one really cares about stopping and starting so I constructed a continuous moving line rather than having it slow down and pause at different destinations. It makes for a much quicker feel in the edit.

3: Editing: humanity behind those buttons

I am regularly amazed at how strenuous it becomes making these little films. I have tried to streamline the process (and to a certain extent I’ve made some progress) but it’s still true that editing is never simply a matter of pressing some AI button and trusting the result! There is human artistry in feeling the flow of imagery which cannot be handed over to a soulless workflow.

Where the process has improved for me - is having a sense of how to prepare the different assets so I can flexibly arrange them in the timeline. I love the idea of being aware of this now when I am running so I know what will translate well as I’m filming it. In the end, editing insights eventually influence the earlier production stages.

• arrange the material into usable compressed chunks on one timeline (this has tended to be up to about 12 minutes in length)

• create a much tighter highlights edit (30 secs up to a minute)

• final combo timeline combining everything (aiming for around 3-6 minutes ideally)

Other thoughts

These three films combine some incremental changes that I think make for a more entertaining watch:

• an overview map title at the start and end

• a super-fast highlights intro reel to whet the appetite without (I hope) killing curiosity

• a shorter running time of 4-6 minutes long (which seems really different compared to the Isle of Wight piece)

Finally - the big idea with these is to avoid the endemic YouTuber Army narcissism by focussing on the route experience rather than the runner. No one really needs to see more of me but we could all do with getting out more and exploring those sights, smells and general feels.

What’s next?

Now I have a good sense of what these pieces look like I have two projects on the horizon:

• next week I am heading to the so-called Jurassic Coast

• at the start of May I am reuniting with my old mate Gary Luigi to run from Eastbourne Pier to Brighton… a mere 27 miles…

Thanks for reading - hopefully some of this is useful - get in touch to let me know if you were helped in anyway.

Faster workflow for bespoke animated maps

I have been really enjoying developing storytelling with the use of animated maps over the last couple of years. One of my favourite pieces was the one created for the Prague walkabout:

The problem was that this was a huge effort that doesn’t feel particularly sustainable (these pieces are usually created in my spare time) so I need to find a method that works a bit better. I found myself stumbling across the SnazzyMaps site which enables you to customise google map data.

Here is my process:

1: Data capture

Using the WeWorkOutDoors app on my watch (I’m certain there are other ways of capturing .GPX file data but this is what I find most useful for now) I record the route. I love this data input method - it’s so direct and unselfconscious. Perhaps one day I shall use it for more than an outline route but for now this is golden.

Here’s one I recorded for a St. Malo run in the summer:

2: GPX export into Footpath

Footpath is an app I happily subscribe to. I use it a lot to create journey plans and to get a sense of what is possible if I am visiting a new place. For me the killer feature¹ is that you can import and export GPX data. Usually the route I might take is planned here before being exported out to the WeWorkOutdoors app, but in this case I am going the opposite way.

Here is the path I took along the Birmingham Canal in the Summer:

3: Planning the useful sections for animation

From here I can do a bit more detail planning. I might do a crude screen capture of the Footpath route and drop that into my video edit - or I might take a bit of time using it as a basis for designing and drawing a more bespoke map. It is here that SnazzyMaps becomes really useful.

Last Easter I found myself visiting North Wales for 24 hours and had some time to do a run around the Llandudno peninsula - it was a fun little adventure where I saw some gorgeous stuff (and seals!):

The main issue for me at the time was that I didn’t want to spend ages recreating a map in the way that I had with Prague so I used SnazzyMaps to create some blank areas that I then tweaked in a fraction of the time.

Here is a section of the Wales coastline that I exported from SnazzyMaps. I was delighted that you could remove all the usual map labels.

Then I manipulated the texture before adding in the key details.

This took a fraction of the time.

POST SCRIPT

If only design were as concise as this blog post makes out. In reality the SnazzyMaps approach had limited value this time round. Although it works really well in providing accurate faceless imagery for tweaking - you still have to do the tweaking! For my latest series of overdue RunNotes videos (Birmingham, St Nic, Angers and St Malo) I spent a while playing with the original method before ditching it for the following:

• create a panorama of routeless screenshots from Footpath

• hand drawn a vector route using my original footpath data as a reference guide

• use a combination of layers in Motion - the pixel panorama, svg-exported vector route

In the end editing is largely a smoke-and-mirrors kind of situation - loads of what happens is effectively an illusion that falls apart when you look closely. It’s important to return to the idea of what the audience needs to see and finding the most economical way of hitting that perception.

---

¹ there is another killer feature which makes this an essential app for me - I create a route and it maintains that route without the ‘intelligent’ rerouting that you get with Apple Maps. This means that it functions a bit like an old-school paper map. I can wander wherever without constantly being guided or cajoled. I love this sense of planning/freedom. The added fact that you can use GPS with your phone in airplane mode is good. Better battery and just simply being able to wander as you will.