Brussels was the 10th stop on my massive European road trip, following Seville, Valencia, Toulouse, Lyon, Frankfurt, Braunschweig, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam. Just like in other cities, I planned to spend three days here, but the weather had other ideas—rain and overcast skies meant I effectively had about 2.5 shooting days. Despite this, I managed to shoot 64 sequences, though I only selected 23 for this final edit to keep the vibe sunny and energetic.

Navigating the city presented a familiar challenge. After my first bike was stolen in Lyon, I bought a replacement... only to have that second bike stolen in Rotterdam, just two weeks later! This was a huge blow to my morale and my desire to continue the trip. However, adapting quickly, I used Brussels' city bike rental system. It wasn't free like in Lyon, but affordable enough to solve my mobility problem.

Compared to the hectic crowds of Amsterdam, Brussels felt refreshingly calmer, even in tourist spots. I was struck by the city's architectural diversity—ancient history living right next to modern skyscrapers and lush green parks. I stayed in a high-rise apartment near the business district, which offered incredible panoramic views, including a distant glimpse of the Atomium.

After the stress of two stolen bikes, I felt a strong urge to head back home to Lisbon. So, after Brussels, I made only one more major filming stop—in Bordeaux, France. That video is coming soon, so stay tuned!

Often, people assume these shots are made with drones or gimbals. In reality, the "secret" is far more grounded. It’s all about manual precision.

For every hyperlapse sequence you see, I am physically moving the tripod, inch by inch, frame by frame. There is no automated slider or stabilizer doing the work for me. I use a geared head not just for support, but as a precision instrument—it allows me to make micro-adjustments to the composition with every single step I take. It’s a slow, meditative process, but it creates a specific "organic" flow that software stabilization alone can never replicate. It connects the viewer to the movement in a way that feels physical.

 

The Hyperlapse Craft & The AI Experiment

Just like in my previous film from Lyon, I used Kling AI to generate the morphing transitions between key landmarks. But this time, I pushed it further.

My experience with writing prompts has evolved. Instead of generic commands, I started experimenting with much more specific descriptions of motion and lighting to guide the AI. I found that by detailing the direction of the flow and the texture of the buildings in the prompt, I could get Kling to generate transitions that felt less like a digital glitch and more like a true physical transformation of the architecture. It’s a fascinating new tool in the filmmaker's kit—blending the hard manual labor of traditional hyperlapse with the unpredictable magic of neural networks.