The view from the window seat

Ten seconds through the window of a train, mountains passing beyond the town as the curtains move in the air from the vents. Theo filmed it on the morning train and almost did not publish it.

Chapters

• 0:00 Leaving the town
• 0:05 The mountains appear

The frame inside the frame

What makes this film work is the window itself. The rounded corners, the curtains and the dark edges frame the view, so it feels like looking at a small screen. You know immediately where you are: on a seat, travelling, watching the world go by.

Holding still

Filming from a moving train is harder than it looks. The train shakes, and every bump shakes the camera. Theo rested the camera on a folded jacket on the window ledge, held it lightly and let the jacket absorb the small movements. A firm grip makes the shaking worse.

Hold the camera like a cup of tea on a train: loosely, and ready to move with it.

Theo Brandt

Reflections

Train windows reflect the inside of the carriage, and the person filming. Theo moved the lens close to the glass, wore a dark jacket and chose a moment when the carriage was in shadow, so the reflections disappeared.

Why we published it

This film is short and simple, and for a long time we thought it was too simple. Then we noticed that people who saw it in our drafts always asked where the train was going. A film that makes people want to travel has done its job.

Filming on trains

Before you film on a train, look at the window. Many train windows are scratched or tinted, which makes the view green or blurry. Older trains often have cleaner glass than new ones. Sit away from the doors, where people pass and bump into you, and away from the heaters, which make the air shimmer. The best seat is usually in the middle of the carriage, on the side facing the view.

Where it was going

Inland, through the valley, to a small town where we filmed something else entirely. That film did not work. This one, made on the way, did.