Cold Weather Filmmaking: BTS and What to Pack

Winter in Seattle as a filmmaker usually means hiding in the office for a few months while I wrap up my projects from the previous fall...and getting my taxes all buttoned up - fun times!! The weather is at its worst so most shoots get pushed back to early spring. I consider Seattle in January 'Cold Weather Filmmaking' which comes with it's own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to gear. But this time, we were heading into even colder conditions with a new client, RL Winston Fishing Rods. They were looking for a company profile video and they wanted it shot in the dead of winter. RL Winston are located in Dillon, Montana and it is ‘quite cold’ to say the least during January and February. People usually travel to Montana during this time to do things like skiing and snowboarding...not fly fishing. But, as always, we were up for the challenge! Here’s a sneak peek behind the scenes of that shoot and a full list of our travelling gear. As I will mention in the video, to shoot the outdoor sections we often had to hike into a location so bringing the right gear and keeping it as light as possible was essential.

Packing List:

Sony FS700

Sony A7SII (for stabilizer)

8 Sony batteries (they burn faster in cold temps so having backups is key)

Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q

Canon 24-105 F/4 L IS

Canon 70-200 F/2.8L IS

Zacuto Gratical HD Micro-OLED EVF

Zacuto VCT Universal Baseplate

Zacuto Recoil Handle Top Grip

Manfrotto 504HD Tripod

DJI Ronin stabilizer

DJI Phantom 3

Small HD 502 moniter

Kessler Stealth Slider

F-stop Gear Tilopa Pack

Essential Cold Weather Gear:

Lots of puffy coats (in case some get wet)

Waders

Gore Tex boots

Hand warmers (great for keeping batteries tempered)

Healthy snacks to keep that blood sugar level high!

I’ve filmed in remote locations like this quite a lot and have learned from experience that packing light is vital. A backpack that can hold everything is going to be your best friend. I have tried a lot of different packs over the years and finally settled on the F-Stop Tilopa. F-Stop makes amazing backpacks that are extremely durable and big enough to hold everything I need, and keep it protected. From there I try to take only what is essential. Of course I wanted to bring every lens I had, but in the long run, two Canon zooms really do get the job done in a location like this. Strap a tripod and slider onto the pack then you’re good to go and ready to tackle the river.