thehardcorekid
Member
Great advice. Thanks!
Inside-the-fridge shot... Avoiding condensation
- Thread starter sheeep
- Start date
Capt Quirk
Veteran
No need to thank us... just pay our bill when it arrives.
thehardcorekid
Member
"Oh, no problem. Will you take an out-of-state two party bad check?"
Oh man your cooler shot is gonna be a problem. Some thoughts for what they're worth. . .
1. Get your camera AND all your tapes down to temp before even loading a tape. I'd suggest let them chill on site for an hour minimium. Make SURE any tape (or P2 card) going in the camera is the same temp as the camera. You're gonna get some initial dew (the camera's full of hot muggy air) but it should sublimate (clear) pretty quickly in the dry air of the cooler.
2. Your real problems are coming out. (Cold to hot, humid, muggy yuck.) You need to prepare ahead of time. Get several big silica gel paks. The ones that change color (blue to pink) are well worth it. You'll also need an airtight bag - supersized ziplock or those vaccuum bags they sell for storing pillows & stuff work well.
3. Cook your silica (dessicant). These work by absorbing water from the atmosphere. Drying in an oven drives the water out, "recharging" them for another round. Seal them up immediately in airtight bags with all the air out. They'll start absorbing water right away & will do you no good if all ready saturated by the time you get to the shoot.
4. When you're done and ready to bring the gear out, seal the camera and tapes in airtight bags with some of the silica paks (removed from their bags - so they're ready to work). Get all the air you can out of the bag and seal it up.
5. Now you're ready to bring it out. The outside of the bags will get pretty wet in Fla in summer but the insides (no air, so no moisture to condense) will be nice & dry. Remember the outside of the camera will warm fairly quickly and the center will still be cold. I'd give it at least an hour. A molecule of water vapor is actually a lot smaller than a molecule of air so the bags need to be sealed tightly.
6. Pop the bags and reseal the gel paks right away for next time - thats why the color changing ones are so nice - you know when they're in need of recooking.
7. Other thoughts - you batteries are gonna go quicker in the cold. Mic's really don't like wet either. Neither will the crew. Lots of coffee, hot soup and those chemical hand warmer paks* can make you a god . . .
* good luck finding those in Fla in the summer...
Be sure and post us a b reel
1. Get your camera AND all your tapes down to temp before even loading a tape. I'd suggest let them chill on site for an hour minimium. Make SURE any tape (or P2 card) going in the camera is the same temp as the camera. You're gonna get some initial dew (the camera's full of hot muggy air) but it should sublimate (clear) pretty quickly in the dry air of the cooler.
2. Your real problems are coming out. (Cold to hot, humid, muggy yuck.) You need to prepare ahead of time. Get several big silica gel paks. The ones that change color (blue to pink) are well worth it. You'll also need an airtight bag - supersized ziplock or those vaccuum bags they sell for storing pillows & stuff work well.
3. Cook your silica (dessicant). These work by absorbing water from the atmosphere. Drying in an oven drives the water out, "recharging" them for another round. Seal them up immediately in airtight bags with all the air out. They'll start absorbing water right away & will do you no good if all ready saturated by the time you get to the shoot.
4. When you're done and ready to bring the gear out, seal the camera and tapes in airtight bags with some of the silica paks (removed from their bags - so they're ready to work). Get all the air you can out of the bag and seal it up.
5. Now you're ready to bring it out. The outside of the bags will get pretty wet in Fla in summer but the insides (no air, so no moisture to condense) will be nice & dry. Remember the outside of the camera will warm fairly quickly and the center will still be cold. I'd give it at least an hour. A molecule of water vapor is actually a lot smaller than a molecule of air so the bags need to be sealed tightly.
6. Pop the bags and reseal the gel paks right away for next time - thats why the color changing ones are so nice - you know when they're in need of recooking.
7. Other thoughts - you batteries are gonna go quicker in the cold. Mic's really don't like wet either. Neither will the crew. Lots of coffee, hot soup and those chemical hand warmer paks* can make you a god . . .
* good luck finding those in Fla in the summer...
Be sure and post us a b reel
thehardcorekid
Member
First of all, those are some great suggestions and really help me get my head around what I'd be in for.
Secondly...you're going to hate me...the shoot has been relocated.
The facility manager was going to let us use the place as long as we paid an employee overtime to be there and oversee. The owner of the facility came in last minute and wants a few thousand dollars, which is not going to work for our budget (music video).
Secondly...you're going to hate me...the shoot has been relocated.
The facility manager was going to let us use the place as long as we paid an employee overtime to be there and oversee. The owner of the facility came in last minute and wants a few thousand dollars, which is not going to work for our budget (music video).