German videographer, Joerg Daiber is no ordinary tourist, in fact he is the traveler to hold responsible for the gorgeous tilt-shift video series – Little Big World (currently nominated for a Vimeo Award). Watch Little Laos the most recent video in the series, then read the interview below – Joerg Daiber shares insight into his creative process and makes some click-worthy tilt-shift film recommendations.

Shot with Lumix GH2, Gorillapod, 14-140mm and 7-14mm Lumix Lenses. Edited with Final Cut Pro. Postproduction with After Effects – by SpoonFilm.

What was your first introduction to tilt-shift? I think on of the first tilt-shift films I came across, was “The Sandpit”, a beautiful film set in New York by Sam O’Hare. I was so intrigued by the look and beauty, so I decided to try this myself. My first tilt-shift film shot was in Thailand. Since I received so much encouraging response from the web community, I decided to take this project one step further and turn it into a little series …

Can you tell us a few tilt-shift tricks or tips you have up your sleeve? The whole process is described very well here. Basically elevated shooting positions and wide angle lenses help a lot. I apply the tilt-shift effect later in post production, since I feel it give me much greater freedom and flexibility. You can mask certain objects and make the miniature effect more convincing as it would be possible with a tilt-shift lens.

What are the next cities we can expect to see documented for your Little Big World series? I am currently in Andalucia, Spain and on my way to Gibraltar. If I can spare enough time to shoot decent footage, there should be two new episodes up in a little while.

As a filmmaker– what do you find inspirational about your hometown? I would say Berlin is one of the most inspirational cities in the world in terms of almost everything. Come here and find out yourself.

Who/what was your biggest artistic influence growing up? Hard to say. Charles Chaplin & Salvatore Dali among many others, when I was a kid.

What is a recent piece of digital media you have been impressed by? There is so much incredible stuff out there, so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but this is one that I found to be such a great idea and well executed – “Rear Window” made by Jeff Desom. Also I remember I had a blast watching “Benny Benassi Presents the Biz (Fan Video) Planet of the Apes Party Fun Time” video.

If you were to be stranded on a deserted island with any artist, (dead or alive), who would you want it to be with and why? Umm, maybe Stanley Kubrick if we had a camera there to play around with. If there is only sand beaches, sun and palm trees on the island, I would probably prefer Penelope Cruz

What/who is on your radar right now? Tilt shift wise I like the work of Keith Loutit, whose most recent film “City of Samba” was again incredible. In commercial fiction I like Jason Reitman and of course most of the work from Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry.

What is an inspirational quote to you? “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” -Roosevelt-

To follow Joerg Daiber’s travels, subscribe to his Little Big World YouTube channel. Fans of Little Laos should also watch Bonsai Burma (Mini Myanmar).