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Movie-Making In Snow Time: Some Experience

Everything is White this morning! What a great time to make a production! Winter does present some interesting issues for videos. First thing is, it’s cold! That implies keeping not just yourself, but your apparatus warm as well. There’s some rumpus surrounding whether batteries lose their charge faster in low temperatures, maybe the blokes at Mythbusters can answer that one; personally, I say they definitely do. I can also say with some certainty that cold weather is affecting equipment as well; I've a digicam that takes great pictures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but below that it starts out as if crammed with molasses and finally just stops working. It could be the lubricant, or close tolerations in the parts, nevertheless it can’t take the cold. So prior to making a massive project out of your winter flicks, let’s run 1 or 2 tests. Confirm it’s below freezing outside first.

Find a place outside that’s a secure place to leave your gear, a back porch, rear yard, etc, that's got some light available, if it is after dark. Set up your camera with a freshly charged battery pack, select a setting, and start filming. Place a spare battery outside on a dry surface. Go back within and make some hot cocoa! No sense you freezing, leave that task to the gear. Wait 10 or 15 minutes and check to determine if anything is still working. If the camera’s stopped, try the spare battery to work out if it works. Keep checking at 10-minute intervals until the media fills up or the camera stops working. Now you have some notion of how long you'll have to make your video.

Now for the second test: on a sunny, cold day, take some shots that include total sunlight, partial shade, and deep shadows. Shoot the same pictures on one or two different settings: if your camera has a snow/beach setting, try that, also the full automatic, and any other settings that you believe might work. You might find that the snow/sand setting is insufficient for deep shadow shots while in bright sun. Review your test a shot, make one or two notes and it’s on to the last test.

The final test is you: what do you have for personal heat gear? Remember the small stomach in A Xmas Story that looked like an overstuffed Toy bear? You don't want that look. You would like flexible, warm layers; you want gloves or mittens that have removable finger covers, and warm, snug footwear. Leave the shades off when you film so that you can better gage the lighting. You also wish to have some variety of equipment cases, to hedge a little against the sour cold you'll encounter. I keep my batteries inside my outer clothing, to add a little time to their life.

When you are good to go, make a mental note of what kind of video you need, think about where you want the camera, and whether you are going to be able to re-take any shots or merely depend on one take for everything. If you're off to the slopes to shoot some awesome snowboarding moves or some exciting mogul moves, remember to protect your camera from spraying snow. Keep the equipment off until you're prepared to shoot, and turn it off when you're through, and put it away, even back the still-warm car. If it's ice-skating or cross-country skiing, or just having a good time in the snow, shoot until you run right out of battery power; then head back to the modifying studio.

The ultimate step is the revising, including any sound revising you would like to do. I like to use Audio4fun.com’s Voice Changing Software Diamond 5.0 for audio revising, as it has some dynamic features that allow for real time revising, and many filters and effects for adding depth and quality to your productions, and the ability to morph your own voice into almost anybody else’s voice. This would be nice if you want to create a funny video clip with this Voice Changer. Once you’ve got your end product, burn 2 CD’s or DVD’s, invite the kin over, and don't forget the popcorn and hot cocoa!

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