Last summer I was in Peru for about 3 weeks and was able to have a wonderful time. Some of us won what we refered to as the "Machu Picchu lottery" when the trains that bring people here was on strike the day that I visited. I had gone the night before so I could get there early in the morning before the trains brought the day tourists. Instead of thousands of vistors, there were only a few hundred spread out over the entire day. (There were periods when I didn't see anyone for long stretches of time. Imagine going to Disneyworld and only 200 people showed up that day!) The weather turned out to be perfect, too.

 I also spent a good bit of time in the in the rainforest along the Amazon, too, but I haven't put that video together yet. As they say, stay tuned...

 Here's the link to the HD version: http://vimeo.com/6092727.

 Phil

That was stunning. A first class documentary of special interest to me, as a former Professional Field Archaeologist (Amongst other Professions), that had me riveted to my monitor.

It never ceases to amaze me, the planning, skills & mutual co-operation between the inhabitants of previous civilzations, in building such magnificent cities, without the benefit of modern technology.

Thanks a lot for sharing. Today, I've been to Peru & thoroughly enjoyed it

Fascinating stuff Phil. The time taken to download and view is well worth it. Well done.

Regards

Keith

Phil,

Your film was awesome and what an awesome place! I have travelled but never, ever have I seen such a sight! Stonework I can relate to, dry-stane dyking I love, but the work that must have gone into the production of some of the houses, the walk-ways, the landscaping, the stairways must equal the work that produced the pyramids.

The positives first - the camera work was absolutely super, the depth of field that you have achieved with your Canon and the colours were truly excellent. The only negative that I can detect is, "Oh how I wish you had used the tripod at the start and particularly when you did the 'pans' at the beginning"

Well done!

Alan

alan wells:

"Oh how I wish you had used the tripod at the start and particularly when you did the 'pans' at the beginning"

That's one of the problems with these "small-body" HD cameras. They take such great pictures, but they are a little "twitchy", especially when you're zoomed in all the way.

I try to use my large-body camera (Sony FX-1) for hand-held shots and keep my smaller camera (Sony SR-11) on a tripod as much as possible.

B

Thanks everyone for your kind words and your comments. I realy like to hear ways to make my work better. 

For months I debated taking my HV20 or my XH-A1. In the end, fears over dealing with customs as well as just the logistics of carrying a big setup when my primary purpose was enjoying a vacation caused me to choose the small camera.  In the interests of keeping my "kit" small, I took a smaller tripod with a poor head so I tried to stay away from pans. Of course, a place like Machu Picchu almost demands some panning so I did my best hand-held, but, yes, it doesn't look too good.

This was my first attempt at doing more of a documentary style video. I did it with the idea of impressing my students and friends. I have no illusions of impressing any professionals. There are LOTS of things I wish I had done differently and many things I wish I had included. I learned a lot of things that I hope to use on my next trip -- wherever that will be.

The most important lesson learned is to plan as much as possible before leaving. Even though I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do, it would have been a better idea to make a shot list and even a script outline before leaving home to make filming more efficient.

Looks like I won't get to go back next summer, but possible the next year. I hope to spend a few weeks traveling all over Peru while my wife visits her family deep in the northern mountains. (I don't want to stay there too long -- it's pretty remote and boring.) Fortunately, getting around in Peru is really cheap if you're willing to travel with the locals. It's an incredible country just made for filming.

Machu Picchu, in particular, is definitely one of those places that should be very, very high on your must-do life list. I'm pretty hard to impress, but it blew away any expectations I ever had even though it was my second time there. The mnore you look around and explore, the more things you see. I recommend studying up on it before including reading as much as possible so you can avoid the group tours. That'll give you more time to explore. And definitely spend a couple of night in Aguas Calientes so you can spend a whole day at the site. I was there for ten hours and could have easily spent another full day.

Phil

pdmurray:

For months I debated taking my HV20 or my XH-A1. In the end, fears over dealing with customs as well as just the logistics of carrying a big setup when my primary purpose was enjoying a vacation caused me to choose the small camera.  In the interests of keeping my "kit" small, I took a smaller tripod with a poor head so I tried to stay away from pans. Of course, a place like Machu Picchu almost demands some panning so I did my best hand-held, but, yes, it doesn't look too good.

 I'll opine on your opus, once I get a chance.  As for the logistics, I agree that big rigs and tripods are more or less out of the question.  Shots must usually be quick and candid to be any good at all, especially when you can't count on having free reign over a location or control people, vehicles, and objects.  Big equipment can also be bait for thieves, aduana, or bored police who want to check your license to film a "strategic location."   However, a stout monopod can be handy, performing triple service as a stabilizer, walking stick, and potential club to ward off vicious canines or deter at least some thieves.  Since it is hard to shoot a stable pan, one alternative is to insert some wide-angle stills into your work, or use a pan-and-stitch still tool for 360 degree views.

pdmurray:

This was my first attempt at doing more of a documentary style video. I did it with the idea of impressing my students and friends. I have no illusions of impressing any professionals. There are LOTS of things I wish I had done differently and many things I wish I had included. I learned a lot of things that I hope to use on my next trip -- wherever that will be.

Too many "lessons" are hard to utilize, since a casual traveler can plan the agenda, but not the weather, the local incidents, or even the seat on the bus. A Scorsese might be 100x more skilled than any of us, but his travel videos might also look very humble if shot with a single hand-held device,  without any control over the "set," shot from the midst of a gackle of other tourists, and no more "effects" than those accompanying the usual NLE.

pdmurray:

The most important lesson learned is to plan as much as possible before leaving. Even though I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do, it would have been a better idea to make a shot list and even a script outline before leaving home to make filming more efficient.

I edit other people's travel video and always urge them to give me some voiceover to accompany the work.  Unfortunately, many fluid speakers suddenly get tongue-tied in front of a microphone.  A great story becomes a useless stretch of stutters, duh's, and pauses.

pdmurray:

Looks like I won't get to go back next summer, but possible the next year. I hope to spend a few weeks traveling all over Peru while my wife visits her family deep in the northern mountains. (I don't want to stay there too long -- it's pretty remote and boring.)

The Cajamarca region perhaps?  Huaráz?  Huánuco?  No reason to be bored.  In addition to natural wonders,  hardly a household or town goes a week without some noisy party or fiesta, with lots of caliente (sweetened aguardiente), chicha, huayno, and coca.  A real pachamanca and the crowds it draws, are quite a feat to document.  Just don't mess with the traficantes.

pdmurray:

Fortunately, getting around in Peru is really cheap if you're willing to travel with the locals. It's an incredible country just made for filming.

Yes and no.  Faces with sunburned complexions are difficult to film against the whitewashed walls or glaring rocks, or in the shade of a white hat.  Garúa on the coast makes it hard to shoot clear video from May to September.  If you need an extra memory card or Lithium-ion battery, expect to pay through the nose.

pdmurray:

Machu Picchu, in particular, is definitely one of those places that should be very, very high on your must-do life list.

Perhaps, but it is harder to achieve original video contributions in the case of  iconic "post card" monuments.  It is difficult to match the work of predecessors with big budgets and crews.  Meanwhile, no one has ever made a good documentary video of Trujillo's Chan-Chan, Lambayeque's Valley of Pyramids, or the Easter Week events of Tarma, Acobamba, or Ayacucho.  Lima's barrios altos or Barranco are quite photogenic, yet almost totally ignored by videographers (even local ones).  The cluttered hillside sprawl of Lurigancho would make a spectacular video documentary.  The chaotic rush-hour traffic on the Carreterra Central would inspire more video thrill than a roller-coaster ride.  In other words, places and events your friends never heard of, or put on there "must" lists, can be the most potent video opportunities.

I finally got to view your video.  It was on a vintage P4 system with an occasionally cranky cable connection, so I don't know if any judders I saw in the pan shots owed to the video or my PC.

Compare the pan shots in your raw video to those in the output file and as presented on Vimeo.  Any difference?  I've observed that pan shots seem to get juddery / jerky in file export, or when played on the Windows Media Player, but not (for heaven knows what reason) when exported to Blu-ray and played on a dedicated player.  The Vimeo player would presumably (?) neutralize any flaws owing to codecs of the WMP per se.

You got great results with your Sennheiser wireless mic.  Were did you have it pinned?  Fortunately, it seems you made your visit on a windless day.  How good will it work in windy conditions?

How did you set up your mic receiver with the Canon?  Did it sit next to it on the rocks?  Or did you mount them together somehow?  Did anyone stand next to the cam and receiver to keep them safe and turn them on and off?  You did not seem out of breath in the climbing shots, so I'd assume you did not have to scamper up the rocks after turning on the devices.  Sometimes the dangerous part is descending in a hurry to turn things off!

The shot of you mounting the crest of a terrace, with the appearance of a precipitous drop behind, was very clever.  The work is sure to entertain your students.

The day was semi-cloudy, perhaps optimum for shooting.  On a bright day, there tend to be extremes of blow-outs (clouds, rocks, white clothing) and excess shadow.

Based on your separate video of a zoo trip, I'd assume your next visit to the region might be to Cajamarca.  The city proper has some 16th through early 20th century architecture.  The view from the hillsides is magnificent.  Not far away, an enchanting site called Cumbemayo gets few visitors, and is inhabited mainly by pastors and their flocks.  The rock formations and pre-Incan artifacts are quite intriguing, worth an extended visit by an ambitious videographer.  No need to worry about crowds.

A $700 Sennheiser is too expensive for most folks, especially if there is risk of loss, confiscation, or theft  Are the devices commonly used by sports referees or coaches in your area?  The only cheap alternatives I know of require a rather bulky receiver.  Do you know of any economical portable equivalents with rechargeable batteries?

If you're based in the D-FW area, it might interest you that a talented musical couple, Ed Vargas and Olga Milla, reside there.  They specialize in creole ballads and dance music of Peru's coast, not the sierra, but it's very good stuff.    Any event were they perform is worth attending.  If you seek to make a video, however, it is important to clear any royalty or copywrite issues before posting on the Web.