LONDON—This year is my 20th anniversary working with the most intrepid explorer on modern TV today, Simon Reeve. Over the time we have worked together, we have crossed Arctic tundra, crisscrossed countless mountains, spent time in hostile environments with military and police units, and spent countless hours traveling in all manner of transport. From canoes to cargo ships, light planes to 3km long trains and more 4x4’s than I ever thought conceivable. And filming all the way whilst doing it.
For as long as I have had an active choice, since the 1990s, I have made Sachtler tripods the only choice for supporting all my cameras. I recently undertook my latest adventure with Simon Reeve for the BBC 2 series “Wilderness,” where we traveled into the dense jungles at the heart of the Congo Basin.
Tripods for the Wilderness
Previous jungle experience had taught me this was going to be a tough trip so we prepared hard and left nothing to chance. This calculation included the weight of tripods and batteries to be carried. Every piece had to be carried by hand to the forward research base deep in the jungle. From the camp, we set out each day in the search of the elusive Bonobo monkey. We carried our filming equipment through dense undergrowth and I often found myself waist deep in rivers and stuck in muddy peat bogs.
Not once did my trusty Sachtler aktiv tripod disappoint. Light enough to be carried through the vines and thick foliage, it never got stuck in mud when I had to deploy it quickly when we first heard the sound of the Bonobos. We were using long zooms—well over 200mm—so I had to be sure when I finally did see our “TV treasure,” the shot would be steady. The beautifully compact and lightweight aktiv tripod head and flowtech legs performed as well as many heavier tripods I have owned.
Sachtler’s aktiv is faster, and in documentary television production, seconds matter. In the past, I’ve lost shots because I was still leveling or something moved and I had to rebuild the tripod. aktiv’s setup is seconds faster and sometimes those seconds can make all the difference between getting the shot or not.
The Trust Factor
I’m often asked by colleagues, “why do you use Sachtler tripods? They cost more.” In today’s cost-conscious production environments, many look towards alternatives. I understand why, but it’s an argument I will counter: It’s very simple, you can’t buy trust. Trust must be earned. Trust takes years to build and seconds to evaporate and disappear.
Having used most manufacturers’ equipment at some point over the years and having pushed that equipment to the edge, I found my camera work journey circling back to the same products, time and time again. It’s no accident that Videndum is the owner of most of the camera kit accessories I use on a daily basis—mainly Sachtler tripods, Anton/Bauer batteries and Small HD monitors. Every time I click an Anton/Bauer on my camera or lock my camera onto my Sachtler tripods, I know that these parts of my kit do the exacting job I require.
The trips in the heart of the Congo Basin are right at the top of my lists of filming experiences. It’s a life-affirming moment to come face to face with some of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. The results on screen for these chance moments were made more possible by choosing the best tools for the shoot and a good dose of luck from the filming gods.
More information is available at www.sachtler.com.
