Taking Your Camcorder on the Road

Soft golden sunlight bathing a foggy deserted beach...the hustle and bustle of city traffic and skyscrapers...majestic vistas inhabited by fascinating wildlife...and the romance of gently falling rain. With all of these incredible scenes passing you by, it would take a heart of stone not to want to take your camcorder along when you travel.

Fortunately for videomakers, a trip outdoors requires almost exactly the same steps as shooting indoors, with only a few variations. But beware these minor considerations, because they can make or break your entire outdoor shoot.

At home you can beg, borrow or steal to make up for forgotten or broken equipment. Not always so on the road. Dead batteries alone can leave an outdoor shoot immobilized. And you don't have to worry about rain, blazing sun or snow when you're taping inside.

But if you check weather reports in advance and plan out how you'll deal with the challenges unique to your outdoor location, you'll find that in many ways location shoots are simpler and at the same time more beautiful than the indoor ones.

The Essentials
Planning out what steps you'll be taking and finding out about weather conditions are among the cornerstones of good outdoor videomaking.

A common mistake made by some amateurs and even some professionals is a failure to carefully plan their location shoots in advance. Nothing is more time consuming and frustrating than arriving at a location, unloading your equipment and discovering that you forgot to bring a necessary cable, microphone or even blank videotape.