Director/Cameraman Package for Scouting Locations + Scouting Apps
Since the invention of the Canon 5D, it has taken scouting to a whole new level, and preparing that package that allows you can take advantage of serendipitous moments, lightning in a bottle so to speak, is essential.
In Act of Valor, we shot on four continents, twelve states, and five different countries. Our method was to land in a foreign country, get our boots on the ground, start to scout our locations for about a week, and then shoot for a week. Both our scouting and shooting packages were aboard the plane in our overhead bin space. I took a small compliment of Panavision Primos, Canon L Series, and Zeiss ZE primes.
Location Scouting
While we were scouting in Cambodia and heading to Kampot, I looked out the window and saw a river that led to these amazing mountains that resembled Fiords. We jumped out just as a long skinny boat was heading upriver. We whipped out the Panavision 35mm Primo and slapped in on the Tripod and tilted up with the boat to reveal the mountains where our terrorist would be running his training camp. Go it. Let’s continue scouting.
These spontaneous moments are jewels and capitalizing on them is paramount. On the day when we were scheduled to shoot this, the water level had dropped and it was overcast.
The Scouting Locations Package
Soup to Nuts
- 2-1440 Black rolling Pelican Case
- 1-Canon 5D
- 1-Canon 7D
- 1-35-70mm Leica R Zoom
- 1-21-35mm Leica R Zoom
- 1-80-200mm Leica R Zoom
- 1-Tiffen 77mm WW ND Filter Set .3-2.1
- 1-Zacuto Z-Finder
- 6-Batts
- 4-Hoodman 16GB 600x CF Cards
- 2-Canon Battery Charger
- 2-Multi International plug
- 1-FireWire CF Card Reader
- 2-500GB bus powered G Drive
- 1-Mono Pod
- 1-Intervolmeter
- 1-Compass
- 1-Inclinometer
- 1-Lee Color Gel Swatch
- 1-Rosco Color Gel Swatch
- 1-Light Meter
- 1-Color Temp Meter
Scouting Apps
- Helios
- Artemis
- pCAM
- CameraOrder
- Gel Swatch Library
- Photosynth
What is in your scouting package? What moments have you been able to grab while location scouting?
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About Filmmakers Academy Cinematographer Mentor Shane Hurlbut, ASC
Director of photography Shane Hurlbut, ASC works at the forefront of cinema. He’s a storyteller, innovator, and discerning collaborator, who brings more than three decades of experience to his art. He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the International Cinematographers Guild/Local 600, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Hurlbut frequently joins forces with great directors: McG’s Netflix Rim of the World and The Babysitter, plus Warner Bros. We Are Marshall and Terminator: Salvation; Scott Waugh’s Need for Speed and Act of Valor; and Gabriele Muccino’s There Is No Place Like Home and Fathers and Daughters. His additional film credits include Semi-Pro; The Greatest Game Ever Played; Into the Blue; Mr 3000; Drumline; 11:14, which earned Hurlbut a DVDX nomination; and The Skulls. Notably, his television credits include the first season of AMC’s Into the Badlands.
Mine is really less complicated; besides the must-have mobile apps, I pack my 5D, extra batts, (canon 16-35mm & 50mm & 70-200), cineskates, macbookPro, 500g Lacie rugged HD, and Zacuto VF.
7D
5D mrk2
Canon 16-35mm L
Canon 50mm F1.4
Canon 70-200mm F2.8 II L
Opteka 6.5mm Fisheye
Z Finder
Go Pro
Glidecam HD 2000
Monopod Manfrotto BHV-1
2 1440 Black rolling Pelican Cases
Hi, Shane. Nice kit. I know what a inclinometer is for, but how do you find it useful in your scouting kit? For overall reference regarding location terrain?
Cenydd Ros, inclination on the Sun. I find that the ones on Helios and Sun Scout are bunk some times, this just double checks.
Your scouting kit looks better than my shooting kit.
Hi Shane,
Great post. I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind expanding upon your process when your scouting. For example what do you look for and do first. Turn off the lights, see whats going with them one by one? Take color temp readings of sources native to the location? Do you try to get inspired by what the room looks like without movie lights, and then amplify that when you are actually shooting? Lastly, I’m just curious how you would use the gel swatch books while scouting, like what balancing with them to match sources? Just trying to get inside your head a bit more, if you don’t mind.
Thanks again, as always, I really appreciate you sharing all this great information, I’ve been following since the beginning, and have learned and been inspired alot.
– Tommy
Hi Shane, I feel the pack that holds all your gear is as equally important. I would love haul a sexy backpack around but the practical Pelican waterproof hard cases are great and so are the Nanuk brands.
I have peace of mind knowing that my gear are kept protected from the rigors and elements.
Thanks for showing us what you bring along for location scouting, and thanks the apps too :)
Baron, thank you so much for your insight and you kind words.
I bring a DP… Like you…
shane the 35 70 is the 2.8 version? if not wich one is the best?
Federico,
I have the Leica-R 35-70/f4 and use it all the time (big thanks to Mike Svitak for the tip on buying that lense!).
Not sure there is a f2.8 version – rather an older f3.5 – but I’m really a Leica optics newbie.
/Patrick
federico, the 3.5 version is great. Don’t overlook the 80-200mm Leica F4. That lens is cinematic as hell
Besides being a professional location scout, being a gearhead, I am pretty jealous ;) I am ususally expected to go to out shooting to bring home a lot of options and working in a large urban area it is seldom wise to leave valuables in an unattended vehicle. period. (I usually work alone whereas a lot your scouts might be tech scouts with an entourage?) In any case, nice article – thanks :)
R. Richard Hobbs, thank you so much for your support and kind words.
Thank you, Shane, for your continued instruction. It is a tremendous resource for beginners. Could you please do me a favor, though? I really didn’t want to hijack this latest thread, but I can’t seem to find anything more than an opening paragraph on your “Building a Perfect Keylight” thread. No matter what I click on, there is no further information aside from that first paragraph. What am I doing wrong? I’d love to learn more.
Okay, now it works for me from my Android and from within Firefox browser, just not from within the latest Windows Explorer browser. Thank you!
Daniel Longworth, cool I am glad you were able to view it. Thanks so much for the support.
hello
(off topic)
does the Leica zooms fit well on the 5D?
i am planning to buy the 28-70 or 35-70 and 80-200 but there some info on the net saying that they aren´t compatible with the 5D mirror
Alexandre, all of those lenses work amazing with 5D. The 80-200 is probably my favorite of the set. That is one cinematic lens. I take it over Cinema glass like the Cookes and Primos. The only problem with the 28-70 is that you cannot filter it. The front element pushes forward.
Hello There. This is a really well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.
Hi Shane,
First, thank you for giving your hard learned knowledge freely.
As to scouting, are you trying to validate specific shots you had in mind prior to see the location or are letting the location dictate the shots, or both?
I understand there is a lot of variables but do you have a checklist of shots in your mind from which you refer to build your shotlist or do you let the location dictate it?
thank you
Great question. It’s both. You have a shotlist, storyboard and design in mind. But once you get to the location you then have to think quick on your feet as to how the location changes your plan, and how to use the characteristics of the location to your advantage.
What do you use the gel swatches for on a scout?
I use the gel swatches when discussing different colors, or when trying to match a specific color coming from a window. I also use it when I need to color correct a fluorescent. I hold up the swatch over my color meter.
Thanks for the insight.
I guess after hauling those Peli’s around all day, you don’t need to go to the gym.
if you were buying your first 5D package, would you get a lieca 35-70 over the new canon 24-70?
and if so is it only because the front element comes out?
the reason i ask is it seems like every 5d job the pkg asked for is the 24-70 and the 70-200.
also, does anyone have any idea if in the new 5dmk3 if the live view cuts out when an external monitor is plugged in, seems like very easy thing to test but i can’t find any info on it.
thanks!
jlevy, I would go with the Leica glass. It gives the sensor a whole new life. Not sure about the MkIII
thank you shane for the quick response. i think i am going to cancel my order for the new 24-70mm then, I’m not sure if you had this reaction or if its normal, but the last job i had to do with that lens is that id zoom in and get focus and zoom out to frame and it would be soft. or id magnify in and get a focus, then the director would want a tighter shot, so id change the focal length only and id re-magnify in and it would be slightly out of focus and need adjusting. i don’t know how focus pullers can deal with that. maybe it was just that lens because I’ve never noticed this before, but i also hardly ever pull my own focus either. i guess the question is, if this is a universal problem with these lenses, do you have such an issue with the leica lens you suggest?
btw, we were both repped at the cheriff agency at the same time for a brief moment :)
jlevy, using any zoom on the 5D is a bad idea. You need a sharp piece of glass to help with all the compression that softens your image. The Leica’s I found are sharp and lower contrast. All of the Canon Zooms do that. I recommend the 21-35 Leica and the 80-200 Leica zooms. Everything else is a prime. Small world, I haven’t talked with Stacy in a while.
ok, good, i thought i was going crazy. so the 21-35 leica zoom? i have to check that one out. i was definitely interested in that 35-70 too though to fill up that focal range. do you happen to know if one is better then the other btwn the leitz f3.5 or the leica f4? they look pretty identical. i think the guy below me has the same question. anyway thanks, I’ve been using the 5 and 7ds for awhile and following your work on them but never jumped in, this is my first camera since my old bolex pl mount pkg from back in the day, haha. I’m excited for your cinema series from letus too, very nice!
i was with stacy until the end, 13 years, she moved on to a cooperate job at a new media company, I’m now with montana artists.
yeah, I’m confused by the choices now too, i see the 35-70 2.8 is ridiculously expensive. but the f3.5 and f4 are cheap, especially compared to the new canon 24-70 mkII.
but the f3.5 says leitz and the f4 says leica.
is there a difference or better yet a preference?
don’t want to bu the wrong one.
thanks!
Shane and co. –
Thank you so much for a great Blog and resource !!
I am finishing my wonderful Leica R prime set with the zooms and I am stating out with the 35-70mm – But i can’t quite figure out witch one of them to get ?? i see there is different speed, shapes and prices … and see some of them have that push and pull zoom if you know what i mean :) – I of cause want a zoom that turns and not pull !! – what do you think ??
“These spontaneous moments are jewels and capitalizing on them is paramount. On the day when we were scheduled to shoot this, the water level had dropped and it was overcast.”
So in this case, if the weather conditions on the shoot day were less than ideal, were you able to use the shot from the scout in the final film instead?
My scouting kit is fairly simple, but I think I may start carrying a monopod with me. I just finished a shoot where I think there were a few shots I could have capitalized on during the scout that we didn’t have time for on the shoot days.
My typical scouting kit:
5D MkII
Canon L lenses (16-35, 24-70, 70-200)
Minolta Light Meter
iPhone apps: Sun Seeker, Panascout
Bud Dickman. Thanks for the comment, and yes we did use the footage I shot from the scout.
About apps, by all means check out Map-A-Pic Location Scout. Not only it helps you remember and organize the locations, but it also shows you the times of sunrise, sunset, and the Golden hour for your locations.
App Store link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/map-a-pic-location-scout/id519612179?mt=8
Pavel, thank you so much. I will check that out
Thanks for the blog, Shane, seriously. So much time spent on this, unbelievable…
Apart from the kit mentioned in your post and comments, I always have a notepad and a laser distance meter. The latter one I find very useful for the interior locations. Combined with some location photos I can plan the shots/lenses fairly precisely, if production wants me to. I use Leica D2.
Edgar. Thanks so much for the comment and support. Those are some great additions to a scouting kit.