Pronghorn Productions

Today I want to discuss how to accomplish the seemingly impossible........taking an animal on camera without the use of a camera person. It can be done and done well, but preparation is key to success. First off you need to be hunting from either a treestand or well concealed blind (you will need to make more movement than normal and need to be well hidden). If hunting from a treestand , a quality camera arm to support the camera is critical , you simply cannot get quality footage trying to hand hold the camera and shoot at the same time(it is impossible with the bow, and will produce very unstable footage if you try it while using a gun).

A quality arm would be rating for the weight of the camera you are using and it's head and joints should move smoothly with no popping or creaking noises.If you have noises emanating from the arm try lubricating the joints with a non-scented lubricant, most inexpensive consumer type arms come with inferior heads and should be replaced with a quality pan/tilt head or better yet with a good fluid head.

Hunting from a blind requires the use of a tripod to support the camera, again here quality is a must if you expect quality footage, you want a fairly lightweight yet well constructed tripod that will securely hold your camera and is fully adjustable for height and uneven terrain. Quality pan/tilt or fluid heads here are a must also to prevent jerky or unstable footage.........also if you are a turkey hunter and like to use short skirt type blinds that require a low profile, look for a tripod that has the capability of setting up low to the ground with out a leg spreader (which can restrict how low you tripod will set up).Companies such as Bogen Manfratto make good models that will set up low to the ground.

Remember that good audio is just as important as steady video footage, a  shotgun microphone is usually better than your camera's on board mic. and will pick up a lot more ambient sound as well as vocal sounds made by you as the hunter.Most shotgun mics. for consumer cameras can be purchased for less than $200 and are well worth the investment. If you are looking for more professional results consider also using a wireless mic. setup in conjunction with the shotgun mic. While these systems are relatively expensive, they will give you superior audio quality while giving commentaries or intros in your footage. A quality system may run you $250-$400 and again is not a necessity ,but a good addition to an already solid taping system.

Once your are set up with the proper equipment you must know the function of that equipment intamately to get the best footage your camera will provide. Study your operators manual and get familiar with the white balance and shutter speed,iris operation and manual focus. You will generally get the best results using the manual settings on most cameras (especially focus if you have a lot of brush or foliage between you and the subject) Always carry a white card with you for adjusting the white balance setting in the field as conditions change.Also be familiar with your audio equipment, know how long your microphones will run on a battery and always carry spares(same goes for your camera, never go out with only one battery because about the time your battery loses power a monster whitetail will step into view!)

Setting up and placement of your camera arm.Practice setting up your tree arm in the dark by use of flashlight before going into the field on a hunt. Most arms use a ratchet strap to attach the bracket to the tree and you must know how to operate it QUIETLY in the dark, I always use a gloved hand to muffle the locking bar as i ratchet the strap tight, if you let it lock without covering the noise it may spook game. But before you get to the point of attaching your arm, you need to consider the best placement so that you will be able to both shoot your gun or bow and tape the scenario simultaneously. I generally place the arm so that the camera's LCD screen is at eye level or just slightly below when I'm standing, this way I can quickly acquire the subject and start taping and it also allows more room to maneuver for the actual shot. Also deciding which side of the tree to mount the arm is very important, if the LCD screen flips out from the left of the camera I like to mount the arm so it is on my right side, this allows me to better see the LCD screen and also allows better access to camera controls. The only time I will setup on the opposite side is when I expect the shot opportunity to come from my right and i don't want the arm to interfere will the shot, in this scenario I like to mount the camera slightly lower and more towards the center of the tree so i can better manipulate the controls and see the LCD screen. Once you have the camera set up it's time to adjust the shutter speed , gain and white balance modes to get the best picture based on the current light conditions. At this time i also do an audio check with headphones that I carry in my pack to verify my mics. are working properly.(If I were taping another hunter I would keep the headphones on all the time) From time to time as the lighting conditions change you must adjust your settings, I generally set up my camera to stay on in standby mode so that I can monitor the lighting conditions on the LCD and make changes when necessary (be aware that this will drain your battery and you will want a long life battery for your camera along with a back up) this way when an animal appears I simply hit the record button and start recording as opposed to having to turn the camera on and wait for it to power up before pushing record(it has cost me the money shot).

Tracking the animal and knowing when to pick up your weapon..........every scenario is different, but as a basic rule try to track the animal to just outside your effective shooting range before grabbing your bow(or gun) once you have your weapon in hand it is extremely difficult to move the camera and manipulate the controls, so it's best to have the camera set how you want it (zoom and position) before you pick up your weapon, minor changes in placement can still be made, but they won't be very fluid. I always look for a good open shooting lane ahead of the animal and pan to it before the animal gets there,that way i can concentrate on making the shot when the animal moves into the lane. Keep the zoom fairly wide so that you will get the shot on tape as well as the animal as it starts to flee, after the shot immediately get back on the camera and follow the animal til it's out of sight, once you can no longer see it or it has fallen widen the zoom and point the lens at yourself to capture your reaction and do a recap of the events while they are still fresh with emotion (make sure to flip the LCD screen so you can monitor your framing and know how it "looks" on camera). You have just accomplished the impossible,but you're not done just yet..........if you are going to tape any cutaways(shots to be edited into the footage later)now is the time to do it when the lighting is still close to the same as it was when the shot occurred. But remember NOT to cross the axis when taping your cutaways (do not get the camera in front of the weapon or at an angle that is not believable) the more true to life the cutaways the better it makes the footage. Once you have climbed down and are ready to track, keep the camera out and slowly follow the trail with the camera (the footage may be too shaky to use, but then again it may not be, never hurts to have too much footage) once you reach the animal you need to find a prop for the camera so you can tape a short "hero" shot of you with the animal talking  about the hunt. Remember to include shots of any pertinent info that played a part in your success, such as a food plot or placement of a stand and why it made the hunt a success, because not only should a hunting video be entertaining, it should also educate so others can benefit from your experience.

My equipment consists of:

Panasonic DVX100p(prosumer video camera)

Azden 2x mic(shotgun microphone)

Muddy Outdoors(tree arm)

Azden wireless mic set up

Varizoom remote control

Panasonic headphones

Bogen/Manfrotto 3221 legs 3130 Fluid head

Fig Rig camera support

Dvcam LCD sunshade