Friday, May 9, 2014

Ultralight Filmmaking Hike

Map of the Econlockhatchee River
Since last weekends weather was exceptionally wet,this will be my first weekend to shoot video and stills outdoors with my iPhone.  I'm really looking forward to getting out, even though the temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80's.  I may go toward the Econlockhatchee River which is just a few miles from my home, but I'll make that decision in the morning.
My plan is to hike and document flowers, foliage and wildlife along the way in both video and still photos.  Shooting along water would also be nice.  I won't hike very far, the idea is to spend most of the time capturing the outdoors digitally.
When I return home, I'll begin to edit these video clips and photos into a few short videos on my iPhone (if they are any good) to post on Facebook and this blog.  I'll write a brief word or two on editing with Adobe Videobite once I use it.  It is a free app I downloaded.
Tripod on backpack ready to go
Here is a photo of the new Tiffen Fusion tripod attached to my day pack for a day shooting video outdoors with my iPhone 5c.  It weighs a little over 3 pounds 7 ounces and works very well to shoot smooth pans and tilts.  Mounting the iPhone to hold it steady is critical to getting good videos and photos, and is just as critical as having good lighting.   Since I'm shooting outdoors there should be no issue with the latter.
Tripod mount at 8.8 grams
The iPhone mount I purchased is also lightweight and so far under test has held my camera very securely.
My years of media experience will have me record voice-over audio on site, on camera.  I'll be using my new Audio Technica lavalier microphone for all voiced shots.  Wild and natural sound will be captured from the built-in camera microphone unless there are noise or wind issues.
I may look a bit weird with headphones and a microphone clipped on with the tripod suspended from my pack and my iPhone in a case on my waist, but I have looked much weirder and heavier before when working in the media industry.  This time I will be shooting video for myself.


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