
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.
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
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.


Packing List:
Essential Cold Weather Gear:




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