Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow: How To Protect Your Gear From the Great Outdoors

To get the most out of your video production gear, you need to shoot wherever life happens. But many locations have conditions that aren't video friendly. Even small amounts of sand, rain, salt water, or dust can damage or destroy a camcorder. It's vital that you protect your gear.

Whether your image of protective gear is Uncle Joe shooting in the rain from beneath a Hefty bag or a Jacques Cousteau film crew shooting in the deep sea with sophisticated underwater gear, you'll be glad to know there is many solutions in between.

In the next few pages, you'll learn the challenges and solutions of shooting video in rain, sea spray, sand, heat, humidity, extreme cold and underwater. You'll also learn that with the right equipment in your bag and a few tricks up your sleeve, you can shoot just about anywhere.

If you shoot outdoors, sooner or later you'll encounter rain. Water is a real enemy to the electronics and delicate inner workings of your camcorder. The camcorder itself is designed to protect these working parts, so if it's sprinkling lightly, there's usually no need to panic. A jacket or some other light barrier may be all you need to keep the camcorder dry, and you can keep shooting as long as the rain doesn't increase to a deluge. Just be sure to thoroughly wipe the camcorder's casing with a clean, lint-free cloth when done and store the camcorder completely dry. Keep an eye on the clouds and be prepared for worsening conditions.

In heavier rain, the challenge is to protect the camcorder without losing your ability to operate it. Most videographers have relied at one time or another on this common-sense technique: cover the camcorder completely with a sturdy garbage bag, preferably a clear one so you can see the controls on your camcorder. Cut a small hole for the lens. Tape or rubber band the bag securely around the lens, being careful not to inhibit the camcorder's focus function. Take care to keep tape off the camcorder's surface or you'll have to deal with the sticky residue. Continuously check your camcorder during taping to make sure that the bag hasn't shifted or ripped to expose any part of the camcorder. While less than ideal, this emergency solution has saved a lot of productions.

For a sturdier cover, use the clear, plastic zippered bags in which blankets are sold, or the vinyl department store garment bags used to package mens' suits. Both are waterproof, sturdy, and can be cut to tent your camcorder.

Better still are Rain Capes, made by Ewa Marine and Rain Slickers, made by Porta-Brace. These clear, waterproof pouches encase your camcorder, keeping it free of moisture and dust. They feature built-in glass optical ports and mounting brackets. While waterproof, they are not immersible. They retail for about $130 to $200.

When shooting poolside, the goal, again, is to keep the camcorder dry. Evaluate the splash factor and protect accordingly. Wipe any drops off the camcorder as soon as possible using the clean, lint-free cloth that should permanently reside in your camera bag. You can also stand as far back as possible from that splashy cannonball competition and zoom in.

Between shots, cover your camcorder and put it in a secure, dry place. A dripping person walking past your lounge chair can do as much damage as a sudden cloudburst. The cover also protects your camcorder and tapes from prolonged, intense sunlight.

Beach productions present four challenges. The first is water; second is sand; third, salty sea breezes and mist; fourth, intense heat and sunlight.

To protect your camcorder from water and sand, it must be completely covered. Salt water and sand are highly corrosive and can be very harmful to your equipment. The garbage-bag solution isn't a good one for the beach because sand has a way of entering through folds in the plastic. Once inside, sand can etch surfaces and sift into delicate components. Professional covers like video rain capes are highly recommended.

It's also vital to cover the lens. Don't take your camcorder to the beach without a UV filter. Not only does it improve video quality by filtering out UV rays, it will protect the lens from sand and salt etches and scratches. It's much cheaper to replace a filter than a lens. At the beach, a filter is absolutely mandatory.

A huge variety of filters are available for every imaginable lighting condition and different optical effects. See "Lens Filters: Quick and Easy Ways to Spice Up Your Videos," in Videomaker's June issue to find the right ones for your specifications.

Another problem at the beach is the wind. To capture clean audio, your microphone will need to be covered with a windscreen. Windscreens can be found in foam, flannel, or acrylic fur. Most are designed to slip right over the microphone and are relatively inexpensive. Be sure the screen you select is designed for outdoors, not just to reduce minor sounds of a speaker's breathing or popping consonants. Markertek and Location Sound offer a variety of sizes and styles of windscreens, ranging from $6 to $38 each.

As mentioned earlier, it may be wise to keep your distance from the waves and zoom in. At the beach, you have to worry not only about splashing, but surprises from Mother Nature like unexpectedly large waves. Before approaching the shoreline, spend 10-15 minutes watching the ocean. Waves have a rhythm and often a predictable pattern. Every seventh wave, for example, may be huge. As you approach the shoreline, notice how far the biggest waves washed up on the sand. Obviously, you'll want to set up behind that point even if the waves currently lapping the shore are further back.

Before your production, check the tide table. A film crew shooting in Santa Cruz recently placed a dolly track close to the ocean. In the 45 minutes or so that it took to prepare the shot, the tide steadily moved in. The crew lost an hour frantically rescuing the track and moving it to higher ground.

If you're shooting in a tide pool area, you need to beware of spouts and blow holes. You can be shooting anemones in a tide pool from a dry rock and still become the victim of an unexpected saltwater shower as the waves surge into the rocks and send a geyser of sea water up through a hole or cavern nearby.

Finally, respect the ocean at all times. Every year freak waves or incoming tides sweep people to their death. For your own safety as well as the safety of your gear, don't turn your back on the ocean. Better yet, have a production assistant whose job is to watch the waves.

After any beach production, do a routine maintenance check and clean the heads.

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