Travelling with Technology

Travelling with Technology - Walt Gilmore

I have been traveling some 45 years with film and video.

In the Army I trekked with a crew and cases of equipment; cameras, lenses, cases of film, microphones, tape recorders, cables and lead batteries. It seemed that half of my life was inventorying equipment and counting cases at airports. So when I began to tour and film on my own I attempted to carry a complete studio with me; well at least as much as I could stuff into a large camera case and my suitcase.

What I have learned over the years is that you can't take everything you might need and you won't use most of what you do take.

I find the same is true of the new technology…

You can't buy everything and you will rarely use all of it

My favorite camcorder is my Canon GL2; reliable, extremely good quality, capable of many tricks and effects as well as being large enough to operate easily without accidentally ruining your video by hitting a wrong button. But after lugging the GL2 half way around the world a couple of times (and having it barred from many tourist attractions because it was "too professional") I have moved up/down to a Canon HD-30 HD widescreen miniDV camcorder.

I chose a camcorder that records on tape rather than hard drive (HD) or memory cards (SD) because:

I have only had one bad tape in 15 years.
I can replace or add a tape easily anywhere in the world.
I can record uncompressed (standard definition) video on tape.

So why change to this camera?

Both have the same Canon interface so the transition between using the two cameras is easy. The new camera is small (3" x 3" x 5" compared to 5" x 10" x 6") and light for travel.

The HD-30 does a great job in automatic mode which I use for at least 90% of my travel shooting . And the picture I get is better than the standard definition 3CCD GL-2 because of the HD CMOS camera system.

The Canon GL2 camera side-by-side with the Canon HD30.

Tricks For Shooting On The Move

Since you cannot generally plan your shooting while vacationing there are several tricks you can use to compensate for the shooting problems you may encounter.

Use your shutter to reduce movement. When shooting from a bus, train or car, I use a polarizing filter to reduce glare from the window. I also increase the shutter speed from the normal 1/60th of a second (normal at 30 fps) to 1/500th or 1/1000th of a second to reduce blur from the vehicle movement. This will allow you to successfully make usable freeze frames and/or to slow down the speed of the video (Slow Motion effect or Velocity Envelope Change) to make usable moving shots on the move.

Rarely is a Zoom effect needed.

I like to think of my camera lens not as a zoom lens but rather a variable focus length lens, or an infinite set of fixed focus lenses. In other words I only zoom to establish the best composition for my shot. My zooms are to reset without losing much of the action and I generally cut out the zooms in the edit. When necessary I try to make the zoom look like a slo-o-o-w dolly shot to establish the relationship of an object or person in a large group or venue.

A tripod is always needed.

While a tripod is great it is not always possible to carry one when on the road; it may be impossible to use in crowded places, on vehicles, and in some public areas. To compensate there are several devices available:

A unipod
A shoulder mount
A stabilizer (like Steadicam by Tiffen Co.)
A stout cord tied to your camcorder with a loop for your foot can be a camera stabilizer when you pull the cord taut.

Sometimes even these devices are unusable or impractical; it is then that you need to rely on your camera stabilizer (hopefully optical rather than electronic version) and your own practiced camera holding positions.

Everyone can develop stable shooting positions which can include:

a solid shooting stance
locking your elbow(s) to your body
bracing against a wall, pole or table
Even walking smoothly - keeping your knees bent slightly and your arms loose to absorb vibration - can allow you to get a good shot sometimes. [Also known as the Groucho Marx walk - Editor]

Telephoto is not your friend.

The long lens and new 70x optical zooms are wonderful but more problematical, as it is difficult to get a steady picture with a great tripod - even one with an extra long pan handle (to help smooth your moves.) Once, when carrying a lightweight tripod, I was defeated by the Alaskan wind which shook my camera when trying to shoot a telephoto shot.

But there are tricks that I have found useful in stabilizing a telephoto shot; for example get the best telephoto shot you can with a fast shutter and then zoom back slowly; if the subject is still you can start with a freeze frame to establish the subject then smooth the zoom using slow motion. If that doesn't work try to get a great still camera shot and use a "Ken Burns" effect or pan and scan to give the pull back zoom effect. (A great wide angle or panorama still can also make an effective pan or dolly shot as well.)

If you want to zoom into a subject, a helpful trick to end with a beautifully centered final shot is to zoom back from the end shot then reverse the video in editing. This works if there are no birds flying or people walking in the shot.

A Video Travel Kit

Here are some basic items I carry when I tour:

Camcorder and a digital camera - a small digital camera which can record video can be a good back up if you have camera problems or cannot use your camcorder
Tripod (light weight), Unipod and or a camera clamp.
Tape (Media)
Lens cleaning kit (lens wipes, a chamois, brush and an air bulb)
Head cleaning tape - "never leave home without it"
LED Screen hood - a necessity outdoors even if you have a viewfinder on the camcorder.
Plastic bags (for rain cover and storage) - I keep as much as possible in zip bags so I can find things fast and don't leave a tiny adapter behind. If it should rain, a plastic bag, bottom side open for your hands, a hole taped to your matt box or lens shade will keep your equipment dry in light rain. If it looks like rain I tape a small plastic bag over my Camcorder Microphone. The sound goes through and the rain won't short out your mic (it happened to me ONCE).
Duct Tape - Some uses are: make a Lens shade, lock off a switch which may accidentally be turned off and hold things together until you can get repairs done.
Small screwdriver - in case a screw comes loose.
Small external mic and cable - a small pouch smaller than your camcorder can save an on-camera interview.
Headset - to monitor audio.
Auxiliary lens (wide and /or Telephoto) - No lens is wide enough for me, especially inside buildings. If you don't have a 70x optical zoom you can extend what you have rather than resorting to those awful "electronic zoom" grain makers but for this you need a tripod!
Sky Filter for lens protection - this is always the first accessory I buy.
Polarizing filter - Reduce reflections and darken skies.
Batteries and charger - Always have at least one spare and make sure your chargers work on 120 and 240 volts.
AA, AAA and any other batteries for remotes, microphones etc.
International electric adapters, octopus and extension cord - With cameras, camcorders, computers, cell phones, etc. you'll never find enough outlets on the road. I took a power strip once then forgot it was 120V... I lost my six outlets and blew out the power in half a floor of the hotel - very embarrassing.
Video/computer cables - RCA AV cable, S-VHS cable, USB and fire wire cables as required by your equipment to transfer video from camcorder to camcorder or to a computer/DVD burner as well as to screen the video on available TV sets.
Notebook and pen - to write down what you forgot to bring.

Auxilliary camera

Hoodman LCD screen shade in place.
Hoodman shade.

A set of battery chargers.
Batteries and chargers.

Cables and connectors.

I hope everyone will find something to think about from this wide-ranging ramble. More importantly I hope someone will use one of my ideas to save the day when they are globetrotting and videotaping their adventures.

- Walt Gilmore