Shutter Bug
Capturing Magical Moments at WDW: Part I – Preparation
Friday, January 2, 2004
by Mike Scopa, staff writer
As we head into the new year, many of you may be looking at an upcoming
2004 trip to Walt Disney World. Regardless of whether it's your first
trip or your hundredth to Orlando, there is always an opportunity to capture
memories on videotape, film, or digital media.
In this session, let's look at what steps to take to best prepare for
your trip your plans to film your experience. Before you take off for
Orlando you may just want to take some time to make sure that you are
ready for capturing those valuable memories.
Know Thy Equipment
Learning curves are no fun, especially when you are on vacation. If you
have a new camcorder, 35mm camera, or digital camera, start using it now.
Carry your gadget with you to work, or around the house. Geed to its
heft, the way it feels. Take photos of things around your house or your
neighborhood. For film cameras, process some rolls so you can see how
the camera reacts to your picture-taking, and what the pictures look like.
Take whatever steps necessary to become familiar with all the essential
features well before the day you leave for WDW. If possible, take your
camera's user manual with you. You can always refresh yourself on your
flight over, or look up obscure features during your trip.
The more familiar you are with your equipment, the less likely that you
will miss out on snapping that great photo or catching some great footage.
The best way to learn is to practice, practice, and practice.
It's very simple, if you're going to make mistakes with your equipment
do it before you go on your trip.
For your camcorder, you should know how to:
- Record and stop.
- Fade in and out.
- Zoom in and out.
- Determine the time left on the videotape.
- Determine the time left on the battery.
- Quickly load tape and batteries.
So you're thinking, “What's the big deal?” It's a big deal
if your camera is relatively new. It takes time to get comfortable with
the placement of key switches and buttons.
These six basic functions are essential for you to not only know but
also know well. The other bells and whistles can be learned later.
For your 35mm camera you should know how to:
- Best and quickly focus, focus, and focus.
- Gauge how many pictures left on the film.
- Recognize used film (more on that later).
- Load film quickly and with ease.
If you have been using the same camera for a while, then all of these
points are moot. If you have a new camera, however, you need to establish
a comfort level with these tasks before going on your trip.
For your digital camera you should know how to:
- Load batteries and memory cards
- Determine how much battery power is left
- Determine how many photos may be taken.
- Zoom
- Review photos
- Discard photos
Remember that we are keying on the very basic tasks involved in taking
pictures. Your camera may have some features that you may find you need
to become familiar with beyond the basic tasks listed here.
One point worth mentioning is that if you plan accordingly, you may not
have to worry about such things as quickly loading videotape, films, or
batteries. Don't worry about all the special features your equipment may
have. The important thing here is that you and your equipment can team
up to capture those images that you want to capture.
Power Planning
Simply put, take extra batteries. You do not want to be caught in the
middle of the Magic Kingdom afternoon parade with your batteries going
south, and you having no back-up.
Let's borrow from the Walt Disney Wardrobe department. Every cast member
has three sets of costume: one on the body, one on the rack, and one in
the wash.
Why not do the same for batteries? This would mean one on the camera,
one in your camera bag, and one on the charger. I personally take two
extra video camera batteries with me every time I leave my room. I never
know how long I'll be gone, and this gives me peace of mind.
For 35mm cameras, it's real simple: Put in a new battery a day or two
before your trip. That battery should last the far beyond your trip.
Digital camera batteries are easy to carry around, and it wouldn't hurt
to always put a fresh set in the camera first thing in the morning.
Don't forget your battery charger. You should always have batteries charging
back at your hotel room. If you return to your hotel room during the day
you can always exchange the battery in your camcorder or digital camera
for the fully charged battery. This habit may ensure that you will never
have to face being a quick-change artist with your camera's battery.
I guess I'm also saying here that the only good battery charger is an
“occupied” battery charger.
I usually take several elastic bands with me when I go to Orlando. Some
are red and some are green. I usually put green bands around my fully
charged batteries and red bands around the depleted batteries. When I
charge up the batteries I change the bands from red to green. I bring
a lot of batteries and this helps me recognize which one is charged and
which one needs charging.
Preventing media frenzy
Media frenzy is that feeling you get when you realize you are out of
film, out of videotape, or out of media storage… and Dopey is hugging
your 7-year-old in a really memorable moment.
How can you best avoid media frenzy?
If you've planned well, you may have a rough itinerary of the sights
you want to see and the things you want to do for your trip. Keep in mind
that unless you are independently wealthy and can spend three months in
Orlando, you cannot do everything in one trip.
Do you have a list of what you want to see? Write down a time estimate
next to each item on your list. For instance, if you intend to tape the
Jungle Cruise attraction in the Magic Kingdom, you may want to write “15
minutes” next to this attraction. Do this for each attraction (most
will be 10 to 15 minutes) or show (on average 30 minutes).
For parades, estimate 30 minutes. Parades are usually 20 minutes long,
but sometimes may be slowed down by a number of factors.
Allow 15 minutes for the Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom,
30 minutes for Illuminations at Epcot, and 60 minutes for Fantasmic
at Disney-MGM Studios. These are rough estimates; always allow a little
extra.
Once you have listed the times, check off those that you intend to videotape.
Add those up, and you have an estimate of how much videotape (in time)
you may need. Remember, this is an estimate for attractions, shows, parades,
and fireworks. Since there will always be other opportunities, like character
meals and unexpected entertainment it's best to increase your estimate
by another 50 percent.
Also, purchase your videotapes before going to Florida. It's just a wild
guess but I'll bet your tape is less expensive at your local Wal-Mart
than it is at the Dark Room in MGM Studios.
Once you have filled a videotape, either flip or break the tab to make
sure that you do not accidentally tape over it with other footage. You
might also want to jot down the primary subjects you filmed on the tape
as well.
The question of how much film to take depends on whether you intend to
take a digital camera along as well. Some people prefer film to digital
because they intend to make high-quality prints. Those people should also
go through an exercise to think about how many pictures they might take.
Of course, this is at best an educated guess. You should think about your
picture-taking habits and how much film you would go through, keeping
in mind what your itinerary will be.
[One thing to consider, if you want to purchase a digital camera for
your trip: Many manufacturers now make 5 megapixel digital cameras. The
resolution on these are so good that you can order an 8-inch by 10-inch
print and it is difficult to tell the difference between it and a picture
taken on traditional film.]
Hint: You can never have too much film. It's best to bring more than
you need, and to also purchase it at home rather than in Florida.
When you have completed a roll of film, place it in a canister and place
a dot on top of the canister signifying that the film has been used. You
may find these sticky dots in an arts and craft store. Instead of a dot,
you might also consider sticking a mailing address label as well. This
not only reminds you that the film has been used, but the film might find
its way home to you in case you happen to lose it during your trip.
When it comes to digital media for your digital camera, two questions
arise. Should you bring more than one media card for your digital camera?
How will you manage those images from your digital card? In most cases,
if you expect to take many pictures as most people do with digital photography,
then you will be faced with reviewing and determining which photos to
discard. If you prefer not to discard any photos, then you need to determine
how you will offload them from your camera's storage media.
In most cases this may require a laptop or some storage device like Iomega's
FotoShow to offload and empty the card so you can use it to store more
images.
Also, remember that the number of images you may capture on a card depends
upon the quality setting of the camera. Keep in mind that the higher the
quality the fewer the number of images.
The 9/11 Factor
If you haven't flown since 9/11, you should be aware that check-in luggage
receives heavy scrutiny and that the X-ray machines used to screen them
is stronger than those used for carry-on luggage. To play it safe, carry
your film and videotape on to the plane and even ask that this media be
hand inspected to avoid any harm to it from the X-ray machines.
Placing it in a transparent Ziploc baggie will make inspection easier.
Try to avoid using the “X-ray proof” bags that used to be sold
in travel goods stores. Since inspectors cannot see through them, they
are likely to hold up your security check so they can open your bag to
rummage through it and inspect your film bag manually.
A lot of what we discussed is basic common sense. Some of it may be termed
as “preventive maintenance” to make sure that your trip goes
smoothly in the memory-capturing department.
Next time
In our next session, let's discuss the fine art of videotaping and picture
taking at Walt Disney World theme parks.
Happy New Year!
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