One person takes a step towards the camera. The background changes, then changes again: architecture, streets and landscapes arriving in a quick succession of forward movements. The simple idea gives MOVE its wonderfully restless energy.

The 2011 short directed by Rick Mereki has become a familiar piece of travel inspiration. Look past the distance covered, though, and there is an equally interesting story about making a film feel coherent across many different places.

Andrew Lees in a colonnade in a historical still from Rick Mereki’s MOVE
Andrew Lees in a colonnade in a historical still from Rick Mereki’s MOVE. Gallery attribution: Rick Mereki and Tim White / MOVE.

Meet the people behind the movement

The original MOVE page on Vimeo credits Mereki as director, producer, additional camera operator and editor. Tim White handled cinematography, production, primary editing and sound. Andrew Lees is the actor seen moving through the locations.

That distinction matters: the person in the frame is not automatically the person who directed the film. The credits also identify Kelsey James as the composer and performer of its music.

A planned production across 11 countries

The creators describe a shoot involving three people, 44 days and 11 countries. MOVE belonged to a trio of films built around movement, food and learning, commissioned by STA Travel Australia.

Those figures describe a particular production. They make more sense beside its crew and brief than as a claim that an ordinary holiday should cover the same ground.

If you enjoy following the creative choices behind travel videos, compare the repeated step here with Alex Chacón’s rotating-camera journey. One links changing backgrounds through a forward motion; the other turns the traveller into a pivot within the scene.

Why the repeated step works

Our eyes have something familiar to find after every cut. The central figure supplies continuity while the surroundings supply surprise.

Try noticing where your attention goes on a second viewing. You may start with the person, then spot a doorway, a curve in a building or the colour of the ground. A brief image can reward more than one look when its composition is clear.

The pace also compresses a great deal. Transfers, waiting and the work of setting up a camera disappear between the cuts. That is part of the craft of a short film, rather than a complete account of the journey.

Make a small version of the idea

Choose a repeated element for your next trip: a doorway, your shoes beside a path or a travel companion waving from a suitable public spot. Keep the framing fairly consistent and record a few seconds at a time.

Leave room for normal life around the camera. Pick a place where stopping is permitted, keep the route clear and ask anyone featured whether they want to take part.

You can make a satisfying sequence within one town. Our short daily travel-video idea is another way to build a keepsake without turning the entire holiday into a production.

MOVE is a pleasure because a small visual decision holds a much larger journey together. You can borrow that attention to continuity while choosing a pace, distance and budget that suit your own trip.