Chasing Winter Light: A Hotel Film for Platinum Luxury Villas Queenstown

I contacted Platinum Luxury Villas before travelling to Queenstown and proposed a video and photography package in exchange for discounted accommodation. It was a way to make the trip work as both a personal experience and a genuine business project, while creating something useful for a property in one of the most visually remarkable locations I have visited.

Adrian Walters, the manager, immediately saw the opportunity. The villas already had strong interior imagery, but they did not have a current collection showing the property during the winter season, with snow across The Remarkables and the Queenstown landscape giving the accommodation its sense of place.

We struck a deal, and the project began.

The final film brings together the villas, their elevated position above Lake Wakatipu and the changing character of the alpine landscape. Interior and exterior sequences are paced as one experience, showing not only the accommodation but what it feels like to stay there.

Because Platinum Luxury Villas already had extensive interior media, the priority was the relationship between the accommodation and its location. The villas sit among forest, lake and mountains, with remarkable views that change with the light and weather.

We still prepared one of the living spaces for view shots through the windows. Those frames give viewers a sense of sitting inside the villa and looking towards The Remarkables, connecting the comfort of the accommodation with the landscape outside.

This was not a production that could be forced into a neat half-day schedule. Across several days, rain, low cloud and strong winds repeatedly changed what was possible. Drone flying required safe conditions, the mountain views appeared and disappeared, and the best light often arrived in short windows.

The solution was patience. I watched the weather, kept the equipment ready and worked when the landscape opened up. That flexibility became part of the production process and gave the final collection a genuine range of moods rather than one repeated postcard view.

The challenge was not simply capturing a beautiful property. It was being ready when Queenstown revealed the view.

I love finding ways to combine travel with meaningful production work. This partnership allowed me to experience Queenstown personally while returning home with a substantial commercial body of work and a story worth sharing.

I am especially grateful to Adrian and Alana Walters for trusting the idea, welcoming me to Platinum Luxury Villas and giving me the freedom to approach the property creatively. Their support turned an initial email into a memorable collaboration.

On 27 August, a small landslide in the creek beside the villas blocked the road. I filmed a short, immediate account of what was happening and shared it on Instagram. It was completely separate from the planned hotel production, but the post travelled much further than expected and became one of my most widely viewed pieces of social content.

It was a reminder that while polished production matters, audiences also respond to timely, authentic moments. Being present with a camera can turn an unexpected event into a story people want to follow.

Platinum Luxury Villas now has a professionally produced hotel film and a new photography collection showing the property in its winter setting. The assets can support the website, accommodation listings, social media and future campaigns while giving prospective guests a clearer sense of the location.

For me, the project brought together the things I enjoy most about this work: travel, changing conditions, property storytelling, drone cinematography and the chance to create something valuable from a proactive idea.

If your hotel, resort or accommodation property needs video and photography that captures both the space and the destination, start a conversation with 2 Gems Media.