Video taping parks!

[yecats]

Hi all,

I am beginning to really get excited about my upcoming trip to the parks. I have begun to plan out things and made my rest. ressie. I have been several times in the past decade and recently reviewed an older video tape I took back in the mid 1990's (had one of those old video cameras that took an actual VHS tape - looked a lot like the ones that you see news camera crews with) and realized that I really did not tape a lot of things that I wished I had before they closed for good (old camera was heavy and too big to carry around so it did get locked up a lot). I recently purchased a new digital video camera for upcoming events but Disney will be my first endeavor with it. Needless to say I am current teaching myself to use the darn thing,so that I can have a nice memento for future reference and recollection.

My question to all of those that have been video taping the parks - What are you filming (other than those basic family shots), how is it all coming out when you watch it at home, are you taking film on the rides themselves and if it is a darkride is it coming out (I do have some sort of night vision with the camera)???? Also how many hours did you find you filmed in the parks? One last question, is it possible to get a shot of Main Street without anyone on it, like if your one of the first families on the street when it opens (I have never been when it opens first thing in the a.m. but will this next trip).

I am trying to put some forethought into this process before I go on my next trip. I will be going solo this trip so no family to attempt to get perfectly in the scene. I mainly would like to get some of my favorite things on tape (SE, CoP) especially as one or two of them may be waving goodbye before to long. I am thinking that maybe I should make one tape per park (either 60 or 90 minutes depending on the park) and one tape for hotel, boardwalk and DTD. But I am thinking that I may be going a little to nutty on what I intend to tape.

Any help or advice or stories would be appreciated as I think that it would help me to keep everything in perspective. Thanks for all the help, tips, advice, etc.

 

[Lora]

...but I can give you some basic info. We have approx. 1 hour+ from each of our last 3 trips. Our stays have usually been about 10-11 days.

Dh has filmed on rides (including dark w/ infrared) and shows. He doesn't film each ride in its entirety -- just bits and pieces here and there. We always have a blast watching our home video including our Disney trips. Dh has been transfering them to DVD since our original vhs-c's were beginning to lose quality. We now have Digital video tapes, but he still puts them on dvd.

Last Oct., my mom and I were volunteers in the Backstage Tour scene w/ the boats, etc. That was a lot of fun and I'm glad to have it on tape. I also have a good deal of the Main Street Electrical Parade on video.

The thing I have to remember is to make sure I get the camera from him occasionally so people know he was on vacation with us, too!!

 

[Fantasmic303]

I learned a few things over the years of filming my own family vacations that I'd be glad to pass on to you.

For attractions:

- Agreed with above poster about not filming the ENTIRE ride. You'd be amazed at how long 2 and a half minutes is when you're watching tv and not actually in a honey pot bouncing along with Pooh.

-The exception to the above rule is the "E-ticket" rides. Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Test Track - the ride never gets old. It's really a lot of fun to watch them - especially if you ride with your sister, who is the biggest chicken in the world. Nothin' like hearing her squeal and scream over and over again!! My advice for taping these types, however, is to pick a focus point that will be easy to keep track of in your viewfinder without intenting watching it. You won't want to miss the excitement of the ride, and if you keep, for example, train tracks or someone's shoulder in view, you can just make quick glances. All best are off for the big drop on Spalsh Mountain, of course - my camera has a mind of its own as we go down to our Laughing Place!!

-When in doubt, ask a Cast Member about video. It's a bit of a controversy on the boards regarding which rides you can and canNOT tape, so I always ask before I board rides that do not explicitely say no video or pictures allowed. It's only been suggested one time that I do NOT tape, and that was on Dinosaur. My Tower of Terror video is one of the best I have, and, even though some people insist it is against the rules, I asked before we boarded the elevators and was told there'd be no problem.

-Make sure you know how to turn off your external lighting. This is one thing that is NOT allowed in most (if not all) the rides, and they'll monitor and stop you throughout rides like Pirates of the Caribbean if you use external lighting. We got stopped several times on PoTC because a man on our boat refused to keep his off.

-Not sure about the dark rides - I have the night vision option on my camera as well, but I've read that the sensory thing that makes it work sometimes disrupts the infrared system in rides like the Haunted Mansion. Can't confirm, as I didn't try it, but maybe someone else can help you with that.

Other things:

-I came home with about three hours of tape from our 5 day stay, and I don't think I went totally overboard on anything, though I did cut out some things when I coverted them to video. For example, I realized the safari loses it's splendor when you're not bumping around the jeep, and, on the other hand, that walking down Main Street is only as good as your hand is steady. I was convinced I was holding the camera well as we walked down, but when I got home, I found the view gets me a little sea sick lol - even with steady cam!!

-We were in MK among the first for CRT ressies, and it wasn't TOTALLY empty, but it wasn't crowded either. Well, that is, if you don't count the people rushing in every direction to meet and greet characters, get to their breakfasts, or line up for Fast Passes!!

- You might want to consider putting all the shows and parades on one tape. I looooove Fantasmic, but I fast fwd through it everytime I watch my tapes because it's so long. Same with Spectro. I needed to have them on video, but it puts a pause in the vacation story. I might suggest putting the full version on a separate tape and including clips of it on your final vacation edit.

- Like Lora said: Make sure you let someone else tape you every once in a while, even if it means YOU taping yourself.

- My sister and I did intros and wrap ups for each day. We were silly about it at the time and it was usually referring to something funny that happened that day or that we HOPED would happen, but, now looking back, they're some of the most colorful memories of our trip. Don't let anyone be shy about being on camera because as embarassed as they may be watching themselves being "Goofy", you'll be glad to have those memories on tape. (Unless being videoed is traumatizing - we don't want any tears in Disney World!!)


Sorry this is so long, but I hope some of it is helpful!! I'm big on photos and videos so I can relive the magic again and again!!

Good luck, and have a great time!!

 

[rrobalew]

It depends on the purpose of your video. For example, if your intent is to create the feel of your trip so that you can relive it later by watching the video, you probably will want to spend a lot of time just shooting strait ahead on the rides. And you'll want to be in the front of the ride. CM's have always been fine with letting me wait for the next car, if necessary, so that I can be in the front.

When I video, my goal is usually to capture my (now 5 year old) daughter for us to look back later and see what she was like at this age. In this case, I spend much less time actually recording the ride itself. Instead, I spend a lot of time switching back and forth between my daughter's facial expressions and whatever caused the reaction. On rides where you can see the other passengers, I usually sit ahead in a separate car or section so that I can shoot back and see my daughter's face. I also record her running excitedly up to a ride and then make sure I'm recording when she gets off and invariably makes an amusing comment.

In either case, the video will be much more enjoyable to watch later if you attempt to tell a story with what you record. Rather than just record ride after ride, include a few clips of what happened in between. For example, use a few seconds to scan the line waiting for the ride to show how long you had to wait. Then record entering the ride along with the CM operating the ride, who will sometimes ham it up a bit for the camera.

If you're going to be digitally editing your video on a pc later, you can make things more intesting by going on a ride or watching a parade and recording from different angles. Or for a show, you can tape the entire show once zoomed out to show the entire stage and then tape a second time zooming in on the main action. You can then edit it as one scene later, switching back and forth between the different angles or different zoom positions.

If you're going to edit later manually, you'll want to have some space between scenes on the original video. For example, if you're narrating a scene, record for a few seconds before you start talking and then keep recording for a few seconds after you stop talking. This will make it easier later to manually cut and combine scenes.

For shows, try to sit at the front of a section so that there's no one immediately in front of you. That will help keep extraneous conversations out of the video.

For parades, make sure you know which way the parade is coming from so that you can avoid having trees and other such obstacles from blocking your view. Also try to get a spot early so that you will be at the front the crowd (I have lots of video of the backs of people's heads).

For night time shooting, such as fireworks and the Spectromagic parade, use manual focus. Otherwise your video camera will struggle with focusing and half of the video will be blurry. Before the show, focus on a spot where the action will be (the castle for the fireworks, a light post for the parade) and then select manual focus. Then when the show starts, you'll be ready to go.

 

[yecats]

Thanks for the great replies. I do want to capture the feeling of the vacation and get some of the rides on film as well and your answers are definately on the mark. I can see myself riding most things twice with the first time filming a bit in the ride and the second just enjoying it for fun.

Fant303, I was sort of wondering how the safari ride would come out as everytime I go, I bounce around in that vehicle like you wouldn't believe. When you rode SM did you have some sort of plastic to cover the camera at the end? I've had all sorts of riding experiences there and coming off semi drenched to barely anything at all.

rrob, I really like the idea of filming before and after with wording in between to give you something to edit out. I never would've thought of that.

I would have never thought about the trees and light poles in video regarding the parades so I will have to stake out my viewing areas. I was lucky in the video I took in the 1990's as I had a great viewing area for Spectromagic with no ones head directly in front of me. However, if you would see the rest of the video, it always seems that I have some 6 foot guy seated right in front and I have excellent video of his hair, scalp, neck and ears with parts of Disney being filmed around him.

Thank you for all your suggestions which I do intend to use faithfully. I can envision myself on Main Street talking to the camera and getting funny looks from those around me. Well I'll just have to get used to people thinking I'm nuts, oh well, I'll never see them again.

 

[Fantasmic303]

Re: The Safari:

I was disappointed in it on video, and I realized I probably would've enjoyed it much more if I had been paying attention to the savannah rather than my viewfinder. It's just difficult to focus and zoom on animals when you're bouncing around, so just take that into consideration.


Re: Splash Mountain:

I have actually taped it a few times, and I've never had any protection for my camera. I've never been concerned with a little water, as I don't really ever remember coming off the ride THAT wet (though my sister may beg to differ), but the lens worries me a little bit. It usually gets some droplets on it, which hasn't caused damage to my camera yet, but may be something you want to be concerned with. I don't know what kind of camera you have, but perhaps you can fit it into a Ziploc bag for the ride? Maybe prepare one before hand with a slit to hold the camera? It won't prevent the lens from getting splashed, but it should be sufficient protection for the rest of it.

Come to think of it, it'd be a nice little "poncho" for your camera if it rains at all during your stay too...I thought about it while we were on vacation, that Sony or Kodak or something should make a waterproof case for cameras. Perhaps I'll contact the patent office.

Anyhoo, if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!!

 

[yecats]

Fan303 - thanks for your reply.

I sort of thought it would be like that on the safari tour. Last trip on the tour I was seated in the last seat and almost ended up on my neighbor's lap after one of those bumps so I can't imagine my hand being too steady filming that.

I have a small digital hand held Canon camera. It fits perfectly in my hand and I have thought about carrying a zip lock specifically for that purpose but will have to see how it films through the plastic. I think that with SpM it depends on where your seated which decides how wet you get. I have probably been more in line with your sister as I have learned to put on a poncho before getting on the ride.

Thanks for all of your help.