Traveling abroad with your favorite filmmaking equipment can be a quite overwhelming task, especially when you’re not prepared for the multiple obstacles and challenges you might stumble upon along the line. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 100% risk-free trip, especially when you are carrying equipment that worth thousands in your backpack.
So, the better you are prepared in advance, the safer and more secure will be your trip. In the video ahead, Kris Truini of KriscoartProductions provides five personal tips when traveling abroad with filmmaking gear. All in all, these are some of the most basic, but still important considerations you should bear in mind when traveling that might help you to make your trip a lot safer and pleasant and avoid all the hassle down the road.
The first tip may seem quite obvious, but when you are traveling by plane avoid bringing any flammable materials on board. For instance, forget about dusters for your lenses or any other cleaning solutions you are using on a daily basis that might be extremely handy on set but considered as entirely inappropriate for an air travel.
Even though the list of banned materials is too long to remember, you should take the time to find out about the most common prohibited and hazardous items you shouldn’t bring on board under any circumstances. The time spent on this topic will save you tons of headaches, so be sure that you have done your homework in advance.
I know that it would be great to have full access to your complete filmmaking kit everywhere you go with you, but unfortunately, this approach is quite impractical and unrealistic. Just make sure that you bring all the essential bits and pieces with you and forget about the bells and whistles of your full-fledged filmmaking kit. As-a-rule-of-thumb, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and you’ll be okay.
Furthermore, make sure that you declare all your items at customs before you leave. The odds are you might come across a serious problem when you try to prove the ownership of everything you poses, especially when it comes to expensive gear. Plus, this way you will have a comprehensive inventory list to keep the track of all the expensive pieces of equipment you are taking with you.
Another tip is to get insurance that will cover your equipment for theft, damage or other loss. Even though this often might be considered as overkill, there are certain situations when a full coverage insurance might turn into the most valuable investment you have ever made, even more valuable than the money you’ve initially spent to buy the gear itself.
At last but not least, secure all your gear carefully. Buy some robust Pelican cases, and make sure these are secured, water-proofed and dust resistant. Ultimately, these type of cases are essential when traveling and can be real life savers, especially when it comes to storing gear in the cargo section of an airplane. You also need to be fully aware of the travel alerts and warnings, so plan ahead and look into even the smallest details. Sometimes, these might save your trip from terrible disasters and unforeseen obstacles that you should avoid no matter what.
I’m sure you have a lot more recommendations on the topic, so feel free to share your traveling tips in the comment section below.
[source: KriscoartProductions]
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