A seasoned camera op and I went out one day this November to shoot for a cable show focused on tidal movement recently. We went out with my jib, an ex3 and a 5d. It was the first good snow of the year and we were interviewing specialists about the subject of tidal movement. I was a little more experienced in working with the inner workings of the ex camera where as our other camera op is a seasoned jib operator( one of the best we have here in alaska). We did a floating camera angle on the jib and an entry on the interview flying down from above. The other camera did a loose head feel (figure 8 dynamic framing). We interviewed two specialists and got out of there just as we started to loose the light. All day, throughout the interviews we had golden hour as Alaskas sun hamgs low on the horizon all winter long.
Slider- we had a cheep slider on set with a few c-stands. It was really nice for pickup shots and for some pretty shots of the bay. We also ran the 5d on the slider for the duration of the interview(alternate angle). Got some great stuff there.
Batteries are a real issue out there in the cold but that was nothing for us Alaskans. We work in that stuff all winter long.
Keep your batteries close- keep them inside your jackets. I have a fishing vest that I use to keep pouches of batteries under my jackets. When a battery gets cold, you can loose more than 50% of its charge. The best way to use a camera in the cold is to keep the battery warm as long as possible but keep the camera cold. When mobilizing, we often keep a window open or bag the cameras. A cold camera in a warm moist room will attract the moisture and cause condemnation on the cold camera. To counter this, put the camera in a bag and allow the bag to act as a vapor barrier for the duration of the acclimatizing period. Allowing the bag to have an atmosphere allows the camera to acclimatize slowly. Sucking the air out allows for a rapid change in temperature( less air insulation). This is mandatory for all acclimatizing.
We used production’s cards so there would be a clean split at the end of the day.
Cold weather day-playing for tidal show
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