Top videography tips for filming outside

Every videographer working in London and across the UK will be familiar with the unpredictable British weather. A far cry from the Hollywood hills where the sun shines most of the year. Alas, dont be put off. England is a fantastic place to film, even during the wetter months and when you get a sunny day during winter, the light is just fantastic.

Working as videographer and filmmaker for almost two decades now, I’ve had my fair share of run ins with unpredictable weather. So how can a videographer best prepare for filming in the great outdoors.

Planning ahead

It seems like a simple, no brainer but always check the forecast. When booking in a shoot i’ll check teh long term forecast and continue to check the weather the closer I get to the shoot. If it’s looking like torrential rain and that’s a deal-breaker for teh video production then iu’ll look to reschedule before D-day. Even in the event of rain on the forecast, i’ll often check out the hourly forecast. As a result, you can see if there are likely to be any dry spells. If there are, i’ll re-schedule the day to ensure the externals will be filmed at that point. It’s unlikely that a videographer will film every scene of video outside. In the wintery months, it’s advisable to let the client know you’ll need some flexibility for teh external scenes to ensure you get the dry spell.

Kit essentials every videographer needs for filming outside

Most London based videographers who’ve been working for any decent length of time will have encountered rain. There are some key pieces of videography kit that will get you through these difficult situations. The first is ensuring you have a camera bag with a water proof cover. Even when you’re not filming, you could be walking to teh tube or car park. If the rain is hammering down, your kit wont be protected! I personally use a ThinkTank wheeled case with built in velcro waterproof coat. This has saved me many times.

The videographers number one tool is their camera and this should be protected at all costs. You have the option of a waterproof camera cover which I’ve even plenty of videographers use. However, I personally opt for a large umbrella. This means you can continue filming in light rain. A camera case might result in you have drop of water in front of the lens but an umbrella will not. On many occasions, the umbrella has enabled the video production to go on. When a client is spending good money on a videographer, this is a real benefit for them.

Controlling light in your films

Rain is an obvious issue when filming but when the sun does come out it can be equally as problematic. Harsh mid-summer sun causes huge shadows. The never looks good. Any videographer wanting to take their work to teh next level will look to control this light and cerate something more appeasing. Kit such as flags to block sun, large diffusion panels to soften light and reflectors to bounce light are key. A mix of these will give you control over the look of your image. Just remember to weight things down with sandbags, especially when the wind is blowing. My typical setup for outdoor filming would be to have teh sun behind the subject and bounce some light back into the face. I would also look to cut the backlight with a flag is necessary. Hey presto, you’ve cerated a beautiful looking external interview shot without even rigging a light.

How to utilise the location to create the best visuals for your film

With time comes experience. A videographer who just loves their craft will naturally look to improve the films they’re making. One way of doing just that, is becoming familiar with what visuals works as background. When filming outdoors, a well experienced videographer will look for a number of specific things. One things might be leading lines when filming someone. This is easy to do in a room with walls but outside this can be achieved with buildings. The lines bring the viewers eye to the person who’s being filmed. in London or any major city, you should be able to find a location surrounded by buildings that provides this.

One advantage about filming outdoors is the array of colours. As a videographer, filming interviews indoors can be difficult when its only white walls on offer. However outside you can find a great spot full of colour and interesting shapes and textures. One background in particular I loved to filming front of is nature. trees, bushes or anything green. When the sun shines these create beautiful bokeh in the image and just look fantastic. Of course where the sun is situated will feed into the decision of the videographer filming the project.