Six Lessons Learned Filming Overseas
It doesn't matter how many times I've gone overseas to film stories, every time I've learned something new and I'm reminded of some truths. So today I want to share a couple of those things with you.
As you may or may not know, I recently returned from a trip to Brazil, where I was telling some stories with an organization called World Renewal. While I was there, I captured two different levels of footage. I've mentioned in the past that I'm a full-time filmmaker, and I use higher-end gear for some shoots, including videos for my channel. In addition to capturing footage on that gear, I was also capturing footage on my smartphone. Part of the reason I was there was to teach people how to tell stories using their smartphones, so naturally, I captured quite a bit of footage that will be showing up on the channel in the future. While doing this, I was reminded of a couple of truths and learned a few new lessons that I wanted to share with you.
The first thing is you have to be flexible. This is something I’ve mentioned in some of my previous videos. When you go on trips, you plan to tell certain stories and capture specific footage, but things don’t always go as planned. One of the things I was planning to capture while I was there was the installation of a new roof on an old community center. However, due to conditions surrounding the different teams involved, this had to be done a couple of days before my arrival. It’s hard to capture something when you’re not there. Similarly, you might plan to interview someone during an event, but that person could end up being too busy, or the lighting might not be ideal for the b-roll you wanted to capture. You have to pivot and find other stories to tell or other ways to tell the main story. Flexibility is key.
Number two ties directly into number one: be open to telling new stories. With an extra day open, I decided to revisit a village with a group I had previously tagged along with. There, I reconnected with a girl who had attended one of my classes and had been telling stories long before I arrived. I was able to hear more about her journey as a storyteller and capture footage of her progress. This wasn’t a planned story, but it turned out to be a highlight.
Number three is the importance of knowing your tools. The more you shoot with your gear, including your smartphone, the better you’ll understand how to optimize it and get the best quality image. This is best done when you’re not under pressure to deliver a finished story. I’ve learned a lot through making mistakes, and so do many others. For instance, I was testing out the Freewell variable ND filters, particularly the six-to-nine-stop filter, which I hadn’t tested thoroughly before the trip. Some of the shots I got weren’t as good as they could have been if I had tested it more beforehand. Similarly, I was using the Cinema P3 app more extensively than ever before, discovering settings and tweaks that could have saved me headaches in the field. Knowing your tools well before you need to rely on them is crucial.
Number four is don’t skimp on pre-production. Pre-production is where you figure out the stories you want to tell and what you want to capture. My biggest regret was not having a few more conversations before the trip to clarify some details. I ended up filming all my storytelling content on the last day, which wasn’t ideal. Capturing some of the storytelling during the event itself would have been more impactful, as the environment helps tell the story. For example, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of World Renewal being in the country. Filming an interview during the event would have provided a richer context than the interview I filmed afterward.
Number five is don’t overpack. Before the trip, I made a video showing the gear I planned to take, but I also took extra pieces because I worried about not having something I might need. I packed my smartphone, Blackmagic 6K Pro, and my Canon R6, even though photography wasn’t a primary focus of the trip. I could have done without the still camera. It’s better to pack the necessities with some redundancy and leave the “nice to haves” behind.
Finally, number six is to put the camera down and be in the moment. This can be difficult for filmmakers and storytellers who feel the need to continually get footage. However, it’s important to experience the moments happening around you. For example, during a visit to the first church World Renew planted, I initially intended to capture footage but decided it was more important to experience the moment and make connections. If you don’t put the camera down occasionally, you might walk away with everything being a blur and feel disconnected from the story and people involved.
I know this video has been a bit different from what you’ve come to expect from the channel, but I wanted to share these thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind. If you’re interested in storytelling and filmmaking, especially using a smartphone, make sure to like and subscribe. In the next few weeks, I plan to do a deep dive into Cinema P3 and highlight the variable ND system I used in Brazil, among other things. Remember, it’s not all about the gear; it’s about the story.
