Cinematography : Ask Me Anything (AMA) Wednesday 4/10 to Thursday 4/11- How to Prep for International Productions by Gareth Taylor

Hope you've been doing great, Gareth Taylor. Thanks for having this AMA. "Connecting with fixers on the ground." What's a fixer?

Hey Gareth Taylor - very cool to see you on here as an AMA host. Congratulations! What would you say was the biggest challenge with working in a foreign country? Have you worked in any with a language barrier? If so, would love to hear those stories. Take care and thanks in advance.

Hey Gareth Taylor ! Thanks for this. How do you suggest people handle traveling with their own kits? Certain kinds of cases? Insurance? Checking v Carry on?

Gareth Taylor Hi Gareth, thanks for doing the AMA. Could you please tell us how you research for local crews in foreign countries? Is there ever a skills gap? Or do you take your own trusted camera crew with you? Thanks again.

Thank you for sharing your time with us, Gareth Taylor! What do you love most about filming projects internationally? Can you share some stories or examples with us of some of your favorite experiences and how they helped make you the DP that you are today?

Hey Gareth! Thanks for taking the time! Awesome to have your expertise! Question: How do you approach exposure preparedness for a travel project? Do you plan on local rental houses and gear. Do you try and compensate for lighting variables through lens and sensor choice or do you try and carry along as much portable equipment as possible? Just wondering? Hypothetically, if someone asked you to jump on a plane tomorrow for a last minute shoot with no prep, how would you prepare with your experience?

Maurice Vaughan Hi! A fixer is a person who is local to the area/city where the shoot is taking place. They can facilitate anything from logistics to connecting people amongst other things. They are a key part of the team when shooting abroad. Several years ago I shot a documentary in the DR Congo. The fixer found a driver, took us to places to eat, advised on security, put us in touch with potential subjects, and made many other valuable contributions.

Are you sure a fixer isn't someone like the Equalizer, Gareth Taylor? Haha Ok, thanks for the answer. Do some DPs make mistakes when prepping for international productions?

Leonardo Ramirez Thanks for joining. I've often had to deal with language barrier. It's always wise to learn a few basic words such as "hello", "thank you", "toilet", etc. A smile also goes a long way.

For efficient communication, you really want to make sure you have someone on set who can help with translating.

Niki H Hi! Great question. First of all look up whether you need an ATA Carnet in the country you are traveling to. It is a log book where you have to list every item you are bringing. If you don't do it, you may be charged import taxes on the gear.

As for lugging the equipment around, hard cases are a must. Pelican, SKB and other manufacturers make great ones which have standard FAA approved sizes.

You must carry-on batteries but keep in mind that anything above 99wh may be refused or confiscated unless you have prior approval from the TSA.

For obvious reasons, try to carry on the most valuable pieces of equipment.

Insurance is a must whether traveling or not.

Thanks Gareth Taylor. Being a Spanish speaker, I knew toilet sounded the same in English, French, Spanish and Italian. But there are a few other languages it sounds the same in.

Here's a list of countries and languages we can ask to go to the bathroom in:

Albanian

Bosnian

Corsican

Danish

Dutch

Germany

Latvia

Luxembourg

Sweden

Happy hunting! ;o)

Geoff Hall Hi. I always prefer working with trusted collaborators. However the budget often dictates otherwise. Sometimes I have to use local crews because of tax incentives requiring productions to hire locals.

My first destination is facebook film or crew forums. I ask friends and colleagues for recommendations. Usually through those channels I am able to recruit solid crews. But not always and that's when I have to ask production to handle it.

Yes there sometimes is a skills gap. Unless you're working in big markets, the pool of experienced crew shrinks considerably.

Ashley Renee Smith Hey Ash! Every experience contributes to shaping a human being. Even if a job on the surface isn't especially inspiring or challenging, it will impact me to some degree. That's why it's important to keep taking jobs, even if some don't pay a lot or aren't "dream projects". Flexing our creative and production muscles is so important. Like it is for athletes.

Now for memorable experiences. So many!

One time I went to Brazil to shoot a rap music video. I was not paid a cent but it was around the new year and we shot a scene on Copacabana during the fireworks show. Wild moments.

In 2012 I shot a piece for a political campaign that underlined the necessity to support the poorest areas of Mexico. We shot in a remote mountain village that took us two hours on dirt roads to reach. Seeing the villagers in their environment and living from the earth was a special experience.

In the DR Congo I was tasked with interviewing a former military officer who had raped a woman. He did not want to be recognized as he feared for his life. I placed him in front of a window and did not turn on any light.

Jordan Smith Thanks for the good questions.

I think of lighting the same way whether traveling or not. It has to complement the tone and visual approach that we decide to craft. The technical choices depend on the locations.

Most of the time it's advisable and cost effective to rent equipment on site. Some places have more options than others. Once I see what is available I will tailor my equipment list accordingly.

If I had to hop on a plane tomorrow, I would grab a camera and a zoom lens to have flexibility. The sun shines all around the world so you have a free light everywhere you go. For night or interior work, I'll use what's there. I find it freeing not having too many options. Then I rely mostly on framing choices. Back to the basics.

Maurice Vaughan 100% haha. A fixer is often a character and jack of all trades.

Like everyone else, DPs make mistakes all the time. That's how we learn. Whether during prep or while in production there is plenty of room for error. You don't know until you know. That's why it's important to try new things all the time.

Leonardo Ramirez Amazing! You can add Japanese and Polish to the list.

Hi Gareth Taylor it’s great to meet you! I’m curious to know the differences between working on a music video to working on a scripted project, do you have a preference?

Great points, Gareth Taylor! Thanks for the answer.

Gareth Taylor Thanks for having this AMA. "Connecting with fixers on the ground."

Hi Gareth Taylor! Thanks for doing this AMA! I would love to know if the process of crewing up is different in different countries, and if so, how? Thanks again!

Sam Rivera Hi! Music videos tend to be more free flowing and experimental. I enjoy them because they're opportunities to be bold and try new things. With that said, some take a strict narrative approach and the only difference with scripted content is that you're not capturing audio.

I personally prefer scripted narrative projects because I love telling stories. My passion for movies is what drew me to a career as a filmmaker.

Emily J Hello! I think it's fairly similar everywhere. Word to mouth and referrals are the best way to find people. I'll use Facebook groups when my direct friends and colleagues don't have any recommendations.

Gareth Taylor thanks for answering my questions Gareth, I appreciate you being here and answering our questions. One last question, if I may?

What is your choice of camera for low-light scenes/situations? Blackmagic any good?

Geoff Hall The Sony FX6 is amazing with its second base ISO of 12800. Blackmagic cameras are okay but it depends on the model. The 12K is terribly noisy beyond 800. The pocket series is decent up to 3200 iso.

Thanks again for having this AMA, Gareth Taylor. Really informative.

Gareth Taylor thank you, Gareth.