On Location
Filming outdoors in the UAE heat: a kit list for summer shoots
The trouble on a UAE summer shoot is easy to predict: cameras overheat, lenses fog, sun washes out the screen and wind ruins the sound. What to pack for each one.
· 3 min read
From May to September, a midday exterior in the UAE is hard on a camera. None of what goes wrong is a surprise, so all of it can be planned for.
Cameras that stop recording
A body with no fan, in direct sun, recording long 4K takes, will eventually stop to protect itself. For long exterior takes, rent a body with active cooling, like the Sony FX3 or Sony FX30.
- Keep the camera in shade between takes, under an umbrella or a white cloth. Black bodies take in sun fast.
- Leave the rear screen open, away from the body, so the heat can get out.
- Shoot the long takes early in the morning, and keep the middle of the day for short ones.
Lenses that fog
A lens carried straight from an air-conditioned car into humid air fogs over, inside and out, and wiping only smears it. Before you open the bag, seal the gear in it and let it come up to the outside temperature. Allow twenty minutes or more on a humid day, especially near the coast.
Batteries
Heat is bad for lithium cells, and video drains them quicker than stills. Bring more spares than you think you need, keep the spares in a cool bag rather than on the car dashboard, and charge in the shade.
Cooling and power
Hard sun
Midday sun is high and hard, which puts dark shadows under people’s eyes. Use the first and last hour of daylight, or soften the sun: a 5-in-1 reflector gives you a diffuser to hold over the subject and a bounce to fill the shadows. Bring ND filters too, so you can keep a wide aperture in bright light.
A phone-sized screen is hard to read in the sun. A brighter external monitor such as the Atomos Shogun Inferno under a hood makes judging focus and exposure possible.
Sand and wind
- Change lenses inside the car, facing away from the wind, and keep the body cap on whenever no lens is mounted.
- Wind ruins a microphone recording more often than anything else outdoors. A Rode Blimp around a shotgun microphone, or a lavalier under clothing, saves the sound.
- A gimbal like the DJI Ronin RS4 Pro smooths moving shots over uneven sand. Check its balance again after the camera has been in the heat.
For the location
Before the day
Malls, hotels, beaches and many public places need permission to film, and some need it in writing. Ask the venue first. For public locations in Abu Dhabi, check with the Abu Dhabi Film Commission well before the shoot.
Shooting somewhere hot or remote? Tell us where and when. We will suggest a kit that copes, and can deliver it to the location.
Questions people ask
- Which cameras overheat the least in the UAE summer?
- Bodies with a built-in fan, such as the Sony FX3 and FX30, are built for long takes in heat. Keeping any camera in shade between takes helps more than any setting.
- Why does my lens fog up when I start filming outside?
- Cold glass from an air-conditioned car meets warm, humid air and condensation forms. Keep the gear sealed in its bag for twenty minutes or more until it reaches the outside temperature.
- Can you deliver equipment to an outdoor location?
- Yes. Kit can be collected from Al Reem Island or delivered to locations across the UAE.