Ambient Films: The New Mindfulness?

Belmond has always championed a slower approach to life – whether that’s lingering for longer over a Ligurian feast with loved ones or whiling away the hours on a train journey through the high Andes, gazing out across the undulating landscape – it's all about a deep appreciation of time as well as place. That magic feeling of connecting to a new destination is impossible to bottle up (you truly ‘had to be there’) but at Belmond we’re committed to bringing a taster of that experience to our global audience with our books, films, exhibitions and other cultural commissions. This is why we launched ‘Long Shots’, the first slow TV series from a major hospitality brand, and a taster of the incomparable experiences that we curate around the world.

What the doctor ordered?

So called ‘slow TV’ has boomed in recent years for it – perfect for zoning out, going into deep focus mode, or drifting off to sleep. These ambient films can transport us to a cosy Parisian café, where rain patters against a window, within the world of a nostalgic video game from childhood, into our favourite film franchises (Elvish songs in Rivendell, anyone?) and to pristine sand beaches lapped by turquoise waves. Famously, they allow us to play a crackling log fire on our TV screens while relaxing on a winter evening. But why is it that this type of content is having such a moment?

More people now have YouTube connected to their TVs than ever before – the social media giant said that this type of viewing has risen by more than 400% in 2024 – and the shift to remote working has played its part too. More meaningfully, though, is how devotees say that these types of video boost focus and concentration. Reliably low-distraction and with balanced auditory design, research from the Frontiers in Psychology journal and the British Psychological Society has found that they can help facilitate ‘deep work’ – the types of cognitively demanding tasks that require perfect focus and distraction-free productivity.

Back in 2021, The New York Times described them as “soothing digital rooms” that can help us feel immersed in specific spaces – their rise in popularity during the pandemic, while we were siloed away from public places and our passports, was no accident. They spoke to researcher Helle Breth Klausen, who suggests that ambient videos can be a useful form of “self-medicating media” that give us a break from the “hypermediacy” of the internet, not dissimilar to meditation apps, offering a free and accessible way to find a sense of calm and even relieve anxiety.

The soundscapes of these videos in particular – which make us ‘tingle’ and feel at ease – can be attributed to ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), described by the meditation app Calm as a relaxing reaction to certain audio and visual stimuli which can contribute to reduced stress, deeper sleep and improved mood.

Hitting the road

A key subset of the ambient video trend focuses on travel, whether that be cities, landscapes or the journey itself. The magic began in Norway back in 2009, when the world was introduced to “slow TV ” through a calming, seven-hour broadcast by the state-run Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation that followed a train’s POV journey from Bergen to Oslo. Since then, videos over ten hours in length have only grown in popularity, with these epic films capturing everything from real-time flights soaring through the skies to leisurely boat cruises and scenic road trips. The escapism and wanderlust are clear draws, scratching the travel itch without having to dig deep, all the while feeding our curiosity and exploration before planning a trip of our own.

Enter Belmond’s film series Long Shots – designed for passive viewing and active dreaming. Featuring 60-minute videos of dreamy destinations such as Portofino, Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu Falls, Scotland and Sardinia, these films are designed to be a first-class ticket to serenity – capturing sights and sounds in incredible high-quality detail. Embark on a voyage through the Scottish Highlands from the Royal Scotsman train, where visuals of misty mountains, shimmering lochs and dense forests are paired with the audio of gently rumbling tracks – complete with POV shots, aerial views and cosy carriage interior moments. Or if you’re tired of the dark and cold of winter, take a digital voyage to the vibrant coast of Rio de Janeiro, filmed in and around the environs of Copacabana Palace and soundtracked to birdsong, waves and convivial chatter.

Whichever you choose to tune into, you can be sure of one thing: that life’s best journeys happen at a slower pace.