Budgets
Field notes · 6 minute read
Shooting in the creeks: what we pack for a boat day
By the Ember producers. Example article for this demo.
Every water day starts the night before, with a weather call and a list. Here is the list we use on our documentary unit, and why each thing is on it.
The boat, the pilot and the rule
We never take a boat without a licensed marine pilot who knows that stretch of water. The rule is simple: no filming on water after 4pm, because the afternoon wind can turn a calm creek into a hard ride home.
Dry bags for everything
Cameras travel in hard cases inside dry bags. Drives travel in a separate bag, in a separate boat if we have two. If one bag goes in the river, we lose kit, not footage.
Power you can carry
A small inverter generator, two battery banks and a charging plan. Remote villages may have no grid power, and we never ask a community to give us theirs.
People first
Life jackets for everyone, including contributors who swim better than we do. Water, food and shade. A first aider in the crew. A list of the nearest clinics on the route.
Respect and permission
We visit community leaders before filming, explain what we are making, and agree what is off limits. That conversation is the most important piece of kit we own.
In short
The four things to remember
Weather call at 5am
If the forecast turns, we turn.
Two boats when we can
Kit in one, drives in the other.
Inverter generator
Quiet, light and enough for batteries.
Clinic list
Every route, every time.
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