How to Film and Edit an Adventure Vlog with GoPro and CapCut

 Here's How I Filmed My Zhangjiajie Adventure Vlog with Just a GoPro and My Phone.

A lot of people saw my recent Zhangjiajie vlog and asked about the camera setup I used. They were surprised when I told them the entire thing was filmed on just my GoPro HERO7 Black and edited on my phone with CapCut.

It’s proof of a philosophy I’ve embraced since moving from professional videography to full-time content creation: your creativity matters more than your camera bag. You don’t need heavy, expensive gear to make a great video.

Today, I’m breaking down my exact workflow for that video, from clinging to the side of a mountain to hitting "publish."

(Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend gear I trust and use myself.)

The Gear: The Right Tool for the Job

For an adventure like this, my smartphone wasn't the best primary camera. I needed something small, durable, and incredibly stable. The GoPro HERO7 Black was the perfect choice.

• Why the GoPro? It's built for action. I knew it could handle the bumps of the glass slide and the heights of the zipline without me worrying about damaging it.
• The Killer Feature: Stabilization. The HERO7's HyperSmooth stabilization was the real MVP. The glass slide was incredibly shaky, but the footage came out surprisingly smooth. Without that feature, those shots would have been unwatchable.
• The Mounts: I kept it simple. For the zipline, I used a GoPro Hand Strap to get that immersive, first-person view. On the slide, I just held it on a small floating hand grip for more control.

That was it. A GoPro and a hand strap.

The Filming Process: Capturing a Story, Not Just Clips

My process on location is all about thinking like an editor. I’m not just randomly recording; I’m gathering the pieces I'll need to build a story later.

1. The Zipline: For this part, I hit record and mostly let it run. The goal was to capture the feeling of soaring over the valley. The GoPro's wide-angle lens is perfect for this, as it captures the grand scale of the scenery.
2. The Glass Slide: This was all about capturing the chaos. I knew from the start it was going to be funny and a little intense. I made sure to get shots of the slide ahead of me, my own reactions (by turning the camera around), and the other people on the slide. The near-collision and the moment my phone got hit were unexpected, but I kept the camera rolling because that's where the real story was.
3. The VR & Glass Floor: I made sure to get quick shots of these other attractions. Even if they're just short clips, they help set the scene and show the entire experience of being there.

The Edit: Bringing the Story to Life in CapCut

Once I was done filming, I didn't even need a laptop. I transferred the footage directly to my phone using the GoPro Quik app and jumped straight into CapCut.

Here’s a look at my mobile editing workflow:

1. Build the Foundation: I first laid out the recorded footage in chronological order on the timeline. I watched everything and kept only the best parts—the zipline launch, the sweeping views, and all the funny, chaotic moments from the slide.
2. Emphasize the Action: I did minimal editing, mainly trimming clip ends and deleting unwanted parts. This is where editing truly makes a difference.
3. Add a Soundtrack and Captions: I found an upbeat, adventurous track in CapCut’s music library to place underneath the intro. Finally, I added the intro and outro text, which is essential for making your video feel complete.

Putting it all together on a phone might sound difficult, but it's surprisingly fast once you have a process. If you want to master this workflow, I teach all these techniques and more in my Smartphone Videography and Video Editing Course. I break down exactly how I edit my videos from start to finish.

You can watch the final Zhangjiajie vlog here to see how all these pieces came together.

https://youtu.be/E6N0MR0PKDc?si=7Ig438A0h1_vdkVx

Hopefully, this gives you a good look at how a simple setup can produce incredible results. It's all about the process.

~ Adrian Lee @adrianvideoimage