Taking Video Production Across Borders

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Taking Video Production Across Borders

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• Before I take off from my video production
  company HQ here in Toronto, I remind myself that
  any good producer, director or DP evaluates their
  mental check-list on all of the necessary pieces
  of equipment you need to bring on set.
• Obviously, if a major component of your job is
  supplying videography services you are going to
  need a camera, tripod, microphones, etc, to be
  able to capture the best audio-visual moments of
  your day on set.
• But what about when you arent shooting in your
  hometown or even your home country? What then?
  Back in 2010 my film production company was given
  an amazing opportunity to travel to Uganda, East
  Africa, to create a video series for a local
  Toronto based charity, Guluwalk.
• Then again, in 2012, I was asked to depart for
  the neighbouring country of Kenya to help create
  a separate video series on establishing hospitals
  and libraries in the rural areas of the country.

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Bring Only What You Need

• Sounds simple, doesnt it? Cinematographers and
  directors are notorious for bringing along all
  sorts of video production gear that doesnt ever
  get used. Thats not a criticism its common on
  any set to have an equipment van where all of the
  crew can house their expensive lenses, sliders,
  rigs that create those amazing shots that are
  expected of a  high-end commercial production
  company.
• However, when you are traveling by yourself you
  simply need to limit the gear youre muling
  around as a matter of biology, physics and budget
  so make sure youre maximizing carrying capacity
  in a realistic way. I decided to only take what I
  could visibly manage. When it came time to pack
  my gear, I grabbed my go-to ultra-portable 5D
  Mark III DSLR, Macbook and SD cards, basic lens
  package, tripod and made sure I kept it to
  essentials.

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Research, Research, Research

• Before you set out on your adventure, make sure
  you take time and research a little bit of the
  country you are going to. If you are going to a
  developing country, you will want to go to find
  some more information on the current climate,
  health warnings, political issues and general
  laws. In the past I always used the Canadian
  Consulate for travel advisories before taking any
  contract abroad.
• You can find more information here on their
  website travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories. You
  will also want to speak to a doctor and make sure
  that your immunizations are also in order. Dont
  delay on this either, some vaccines will take up
  to 30 days to take effect and make sure you bring
  the written record with you as you pass through
  customs.

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Start Shooting Your Video Production

• Now that you have landed in the country it is
  time to start production. In the case of my
  shoots in East Africa, we were shooting outside
  in the rural outback of the country so you are
  going to be dealing with a lot of sunlight.
  Shooting with any compact DSLRs have challenges
  because they are very striped down versions of
  larger ENG broadcast cameras. There are a lot of
  components that videographers use that are absent
  on these smaller HD cameras, such as global
  shutters and ND filters.
• The ND (Neutral Density) filter is typically
  built into the larger units but on DSLRs you
  fasten them directly on your lens. The filter
  cuts light down so that when you are in brighter
  areas the videographer can still shoot at a low
  aperture like f2.8 f5.6. Personally, I prefer
  to go with a graded variable ND filter, so that
  the videographer can get varying degrees of
  exposure. Another option is to bring a portable
  bounce card or reflector so that when you have
  the hot sun beaming down on you, the reflector
  can bounce the light in ways that make your
  subject much more flattering.

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Unobtrusiveness and Focal Length

• The number one thing I learned when I was
  overseas was learning to be be unseen.
  Obviously, anyone with a big camera running
  around is going to be noticed. The most important
  piece of gear I brought with me was my 70-200mm
  lens. The long focal length allowed me the
  ability to get unique expressions but staying
  back at an anonymous distance.
• Getting too close ruins any chance for meaningful
  exchange of body language. I personally always
  prefer being on a long lens and observing what
  your subject will do. Ultimately, it is a matter
  of time. You need to spend time with your
  subjects in order gain trust and confidence but
  during this time make sure to take advantage of
  the right focal length, for the right kind of
  footage for your video.