Johnnie Behiri shoots National Geographic “Earth explore” desert adventure on 7D

DSLR News Shooter

Making the real world look as good as cinema

Being a freelance cameraman/editor gives me the freedom to accept other interesting projects when not working with the BBC.

When National Geographic approached and asked me to make a film about their “Earth explorer bag collection” I had no doubt that the Canon 7d was the right tool for the job.

Production notes
The task I got was to produce/direct/film/edit a short film that will be presented in NG megastores, exhibitions and at distributors’ point of sales. The main idea was to try and keep the “NG spirit” although we are talking about a commercial product.

A budget and a very tight timeline for the production were set and my first task was to find a proper filming location. I needed a place that would look like an “international desert”. Furthermore, if I could get a few “desert looks” in one location that did not require long travelling time it would be even better. The other thing I needed was a desert that allowed me easy access to its inhabitants and where the language barrier would not be a problem. The reason is that NG is very strict with its copyright policy. Anybody and anything that moves in the frame must give permission to be filmed and any other brand (in my case Land Rover and Canon) filmed in the video must give permission for their product to be shown in the video.
Last, I needed to shoot in a country that was potentially reliable when dealing with the different service providers and – not forgetting – that would be cost effective too…. read more...