03/01/2026
I’ve noticed that a few people who watched the 2025 GoPro & Drone Reel, which dropped on New Year’s Eve (Wednesday night), absolutely loved these particular time-lapse shots and have been asking how I pulled it off — so here’s a little behind-the-scenes breakdown.
This time-lapse segment of me driving was actually filmed across two completely separate journeys, both on classic Friday night kebab runs with my dad. The first shot — the one focused on the wing mirror — was filmed on the way to the kebab shop. The second shot, which shows the view looking forward from the back seat, was filmed on the way home. Two different drives, but edited together to feel like one seamless sequence.
For both shots, I was using my GoPro Hero 13 Black set to Time Lapse mode with the “Vehicle Lights” preset, which is perfect for capturing those smooth light trails and motion at night. The camera was mounted using a glass sucker mount, which made positioning flexible but also introduced one key challenge…
The trickiest part was the wing-mirror shot. I mounted the GoPro on the front passenger window, angled towards the mirror — but I had to be very careful not to block my view while driving. To solve this, I positioned the camera slightly further back on the window so I still had full visibility of the mirror while keeping the composition just right.
The second shot was much simpler by comparison. I attached the GoPro directly to the rear window using the same glass sucker mount, pointed forward from the back seat. Easy, clean, and incredibly effective once the time-lapse kicked in.
Once it came to editing, it was then just a matter of playing around with keyframes — subtly adjusting framing, timing, and motion to help the two shots flow together smoothly and keep the sense of momentum going.
All in all, the two shots came together beautifully and created one of my favourite segments in the entire reel. The movement, the lights, and the late-night vibe just worked, and I just had to include it in the showreel!
Really glad lots of you enjoyed it!
If you’ve got any more questions about how a shot was done, feel free to ask!
