Hi there fellow film makers!
I am an amateur aspiring documentary film maker, with an emphasis on the shooting in outdoor/extreme locales (i.e. jungle, desert, mountains etc)
I am planning on a going to shoot in the Amazon in a month and I wanted to get some suggestions on equipment. First and foremost, I need a camera. Every one I have asked has suggested the Panasonic HVX-200. Some of the documentary film makers I have spoken with have insisted that if I am going into the jungle, I must record to mini-dv because P2 will be too hard to upload onto a computer if I am in the bush.
So my questions are:
A.) What camera do you recommend for an aspiring documentary film maker? I would like a camera that is of professional quality. Something that if the opportunity arose, would be produce worthy quality to show in theaters. Also, I would like something relatively small and lightweight (no bigger than the size of the HVX-200.
B.) What format should I record to? Mini Dv or P2 or both?
C.) What kind of mic should I get for it? Sennheiser?
D.) What other accessories would you recommend to a "one man band" (i.e. I will be guerilla film making solo)
E.) I know I need sound equipment to record my subjects. What kind of package should I get? Lav mics?
F.) If I were to be shooting on P2 cards, what would be the best way to upload the footage if I was in the jungle? Have a small laptop? Have an external hard drive? If a hard drive, what kind and what capabilities must it have?
G.) What do I need as far as cases, camera protectors (porta brace?). Someone told me the jungle is not the place for cameras and its eco system eats away at them and causes mold etc. How do I prevent this?
H.) What type of tripod should I get?
I.) Are there any laptops in particular that would be a good supplement to the camera out in the wild (i.e. the Panasonic toughbook?). And what is the process of uploading my footage to the laptop?
J.) Is there a crucial lighting package (super portable and easy to carry in backpack) in case I need to light subjects?
k.) What about shooting in low light? How do I optimize my shooting to capture during low or no light situations? Is there night vision upgrades for the camera? If so, can you please explain and recommend the equipment?
*I appreciate any and all feedback to my questions. I thank you so much for taking the time to help a novice out. Good karma will be coming your way 🙂
Warm Regards!
If you have spoken to others with experience, you probably won't need to come here. And, if you're a novice, you should hire an expert to be your consultant. Good advice often doesn't come cheap.
I disagree with the mogul. Asking questions here is just fine. I see
no real need to hire an expert consultant. Though that couldn't hurt.
A) Check out the JVC GY-HM100U. small, lightweight, an excellent
lens and almost broadcast quality.
B) If you can afford enough P2 cards thats a fine capture method.
But I think the other filmmakers youve spoken to are correct -
shooting to tape is better for your situation. Though if you go
with the HN100 yull record to SDHC memory cards.
C) You cant go wrong with Sennheiser.
D) An AC belt, tape, a bunch of C47s, tape, mic cables, several
adaptors, tape, extra batteries and tape.
E) As a one man band I see no need to use a separate audio
recorder. A set of lavs would be great.
F) You will need a powerful laptop and several large hard drives.
G) Whoever told you the jungle is not the place for cameras is
correct. You will need to constantly clean and maintain your
equipment.
H) Try Bogen.
I) Any laptop will be a good supplement to any camera. I use Macs
so that would be my recommendation. The process of uploading
footage to your laptop is you plug in the cable, open your NLE
and go.
J) I dont really know of any lighting package that can be carried
in a backpack. Look at the Lowell lights and see if there is
anything you think will work.
K) I dont know about night vision upgrades. Shooting in low light
is always a problem, you just gotta do the best you can with what
you have.
So youre really going out into the jungle all alone with a
camera, mic, tripod, laptop and lights?
Yikes!
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
If I were heading out for a guerilla shoot in the Amazon, the first thing I would try to do is figure out a way to avoid needing a computer. It's just one more piece of equipment that you have to carry around and will probably break at some point. The same goes for hard drives. You'll want plenty of storage space to deal with your footage eventually, but hard drives are fragile under the best conditions. Lugging them through the jungle is just asking for trouble. Shooting SD cards sounds like a good option. They're not as robust a storage medium as P2, but they're cheap enough that you can buy a whole bunch of them, shoot them, and wait to transfer them until you're back in a more reasonable locale. The HVX is a rather bulky and outdated camera. I haven't seen the HM100, but another camera that shoots to SD media is the Panasonic HMC-150. It's also a lot smaller and lighter than the HVX.
Whatever format you shoot, get a watertight lock box to store all the tapes/cards you've shot. Store all your equipment in Pelican cases. Always dry it out before you pack it away. Keep a bunch of silica desiccant in the cases to help absorb moisture. Remember to get a UV filter for your camera so that the lens doesn't get scratched.
Lav mics sound great, but they can be a bit finicky and can slow you down considerably if you aren't working with a sound recordist. For a true one-man band setup, a supercardioid shotgun mic in a pistol grip shock mount is quite a versatile option. It lets you record interviews, but it's also a good way to get clean environmental sound.
Lugging a lighting kit of any size through the jungle sounds really unpleasant. A better option might be to bring along a folding reflector. That will give you some control over the light but it's also lightweight and incredibly portable.
Most cameras now include some sort of "night shot" mode that relies on infrared light. It'll look ugly and grainy and colorless, but you'll usually be able to get some kind of picture at night (at close range). If you're doing a lot of night shooting, it might be a good idea to bring along a big, high-powered flashlight.
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Andrew Gingerich
Exploding Goldfish Films
Check out my blog at http://www.exgfilms.com
and my reel at http://portfolio.exgfilms.com
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Andrew Gingerich
Exploding Goldfish Films
Check out my blog at http://www.exgfilms.com
and my reel at http://portfolio.exgfilms.com
