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Shooting corporate program in Europe
I will be traveling to multiple locations in Europe to shoot a corporate video in early September. I have never traveled with equipment beyond the realm of being able to use a van to transport my hardware. I was curious to see if anyone could point me to literature or publications regarding tips on traveling through airports and any other information helpful shooting out of the country.
Thanks in advance,
Mike
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3 Replies
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Mike,
First off, you’ll need to bond your equipment with a carnet to avoid seizure and other delays at foreign airports. See this website for more info:
https://www.uscib.org/index.asp?documentID=718
Second, consider hiring local assistants/technicians to help you in each location. It’s very helpful to have someone who speaks the language, knows the local customs and the good places to eat! Check our this website:
Also check out the electrical specifications in each country, and bring 220v globes for your lights and plug adapters for each country. If you have time upon arrival you can just go to alocal hardware store and buy the connectors to fix to your units.
Bon voyage!
JS
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Once you change your lights to 220v,bulbs etc I would suggest buy some travel plugs for the countries you will go to,then just put them on your lights,and chargers etc(most chargers are multi voltage now)
This saves having to change the plugs.The good news is every where is Euro,s now,so wont have the hassle of changing currency in each place as it used to be!!
There are still many cock ups with carnets by customs staff who are useless,good idea to get your agent to show you what they must stamp,what they tear out,and what you keep.
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DON’T leave for Europe without a Carnet. The funny thing is once you arrive with one you usually have to search out a customs official to sign it. They are usually only interested in the big ticket stuff like your camera. I’ve filmed in maybe twenty countries that accept Carnets, and not one of them wanted all the gear out on the table for a full inventory check. All too hard.
As mentioned make sure you get it signed inbound and outbound of all ports. A missing signature won’t mean squat to a Euro customs official, but you may get the third degree when returning to the States if you don’t have them.
I’m filming in Sumatra and Borneo later this month (which don’t accept Carnets). May have to do a bit of negotiating at the border I imagine. Still weighing up whether to go lightweight with HDV or full metal jacket with DVCPRO50.
Peter Corbett
Powerhouse Productions
Australia
http://www.php.com.au
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