10 tips for shooting video in europe

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10 Tips for Shooting Video in EuropePosted by Rebekah Toth Burns on 03 13, 2014 & filedunder Technical. 9 3 16

Crews Control has been managing video productions in

Europe for 20 years. Over that time we have gained a lot ofvideo production experience and have collected some funnystories along the way. We worked with our Crews Controlrepresented Directors of Photography from all over Europeto compile our Top 10 List.TEN: Flicker. The technical tip that was mentioned morethan any other was correct frame rates. “Why is the b-rollfootage of the factory flickering?” If is important to note that

European countries are PAL. You may say “why does thatmatter for an HD, 2K, or 4K shoot? It’s all about the Hertzbaby. European countries main frequency is 50 Hz so thenative frame rates that correspond are 50 or 25 fps.

America line frequency is 60 Hz so our corresponding framerates are 23.98, 24, 29.97, 30, 59.94, and 60fps. Most highdefinition and digital cinema cameras are capable ofshooting all the frame rates above. It is important to have a

conversation with the local crew to discuss locations and ifthe frame rate needs to be changed accordingly.Here is an extremely concise answer and solution from

Steve Mahrer, Senior Technologist from Panasonic North

America. “ Shooting with any camera in a "non" native frame rate environment is not uncommon, this is especially

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true of 24p "film" style shooting, or if for example a US newscrew is shooting in Europe or vice versa. As you cannot

change Video Format, to stop flicker or strobing, it isnecessary to use the camera's Synchroscan shutter (fine

shutter) to null out any strobing caused by the local lighting power frequency. The basic formula is simple, TV frame rate divided by thePower frequency x 360 = required shutter angle. For

example, in the US, if a camera is being shot at 24fps, andthe lighting is 60Hz, the shutter angle is calculated as 24 /60.00 x 360 = 144 degrees. • If a US camera (running at 1080i 29.97) is being used in

London where the power is 50Hz, the shutter is adjusted to215.8 degrees to stop flicker.• If an EU crew is shooting 1080 25p in New York, they will

set the shutter to 25/60 x 360 = 150 degrees. Troubles may arise if the lighting is of many different frequencies, e.g. AC power and HMI film slights, also some of

the new LED lighting use PWM to change the brightness...this may cause flicker! If you're in a tough position and still

see flicker, simply adjust the Synchroscan shutter SLOWLYand look at an WFM, adjust until the flicker is minimized.” NINE: Siesta. If you are planning to pick up a hard drive orXQD card in the European south at 3PM you probably willnot get very far. Shops are closed for siesta from 2:30PM – 5:30PM during the work week. Stores tend to haveabbreviated hours on the weekend as well, they close at3PM on Saturday and don’t open again until Monday

morning.EIGHT: Mileage. The average cost of gas in the EU is $8/gallon. It is good to be mindful of travel distance to and froma location as well as during the shoot to capture b-roll oflandmarks. Bloomberg has a resource that lists countries bycurrency, volume, and time frame.

http://www.bloomberg.com/visual-data/gas-prices/20133:Norway:USD:g





SEVEN: Congestion charge. Cities like London andStockholm have congestion taxes. This is a fee that vehiclesare charged to drive into a city to reduce overcrowding andpollution. Unlike a toll booth the car’s license plates are

recognized by cameras and the owner is sent a bill.SIX: Meal time. I had lunch time described from aEuropean crew once as a “one hour sit down break.

Americans tend to understand lunch as a sandwich while wedrive to the next location.” Keith Surridge shared this entertaining anecdote. “Back inthe 80s I shot for a large agricultural outfit from the mid-

west. The client lived on a huge farm/ranch there, 100s of

acres, which for us Europeans is almost inconceivablebecause here everything is much smaller. Anyway we were shooting in a one horse town in the back end of nowhere in

Germany and it was time for lunch. As always with overseasclients I translated the menu...German stuff like sausages, sauerkraut, pork etc. then I told him there was spaghetti

Bolognese on the menu, he looked at me and seriously askedwhat that was. He had never heard of it! I wasn't too sure if

he was having me on but he was most sincere. I know youhave a lot of Italians in the states but I guess their culturehasn't spread to the mid-west. He went for sausages.” FIVE: Language Apps. There are many foreign languageapps available on iTunes that will help you navigate eachEuropean country. All of our DP’s speak English and oftentranslate for Producers on location. It is always appreciatedto put forth a little effort, know a couple key phrases in thenative language to ease the interviewee.FOUR: Holidays aren’t just for Americans. It is important tofamiliarize yourself with local customs that may affect yourshoot schedule. It seems like a simple tip but it is importantto discuss your chosen date and time with the shoot subjectand the crew.



“Surprisingly, people forget that other nations have

different holiday schedules and traditions! Find out what

days a city is closed for national holidays or even major sporting events. Your shoot might have nothing to do with

the event or holiday, but those events can still affect your project. Public transportation may be unavailable and streets and businesses could be closed. This is especiallyimportant when you need visas or permits to shoot in public

areas. If you need three days to get the permits cleared and your shoot is on a Thursday, then Monday might not beenough time to file if there are national holidays. Even with

crew and gear ready to go, you won’t be able to do your

shoot unless you’ve requested the necessary paperwork theweek prior.” Says Crews Control Production Manager

Becky Holzman THREE: Get permission. Nothing shuts down your videoproduction faster than the police. When shooting in andaround landmarks you will need to have permits. Dependingon the country and the landmark it may takes weeks to getthe paperwork sorted through the correct channels. Where

some European countries are hard to get the paperwork inplace is seems that Spain isn’t one of them. “Although Spain is fully integrated in the European Unionand between all EU members the Schengen borderless area

applies, if it comes to shooting film or video every Europeancountry has its’ own rules and customs in terms of permits

and what can be done or what not. Spain is one of the

easiest countries to shoot in the EU. We do not need any

shooting permit to shoot on public spaces with a crew under8 people and if not using a crane, dolly or any other major grip device. Even if permits are needed they can beorganized in less than a week and do not cost much, unless

you plan to completely shut down traffic in Madrid’s 5th Ave., Calle Gran Vía, which we have done for a new Toyota

10 tips for shooting video in europe

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