Work so you can play; play so you can work. It’s been a foundation of our culture here at WELD for quite some time, and with our latest additions to the video department, the lines between work and play are getting blurry. That’s because WELD recently purchased 6 GoPro HD Hero Cams to be used on our productions and after work adventures.

These tiny POV (Point of View) cameras are water and shockproof and come with an extensive mount system that allows us to put them in precarious circumstances and come away with some unique perspectives. So far we have used the cameras with mountain biking, whitewater kayaking and rafting, zip lines, and even a helicopter production.

One aspect that I think is neat is that we get to turn our filming subjects into the camera crew. People enjoy being on our side of the production. We give them the parameters for filming and then turn them loose. The camera set up time is minimal, so everyone can focus their energy into doing the activities rather than setting up for a particular shot.

There are some limitations to the cameras, but those limitations make for a simple production. Each camera has a fisheye lens. Currently, you cannot preview what you are shooting, so it takes a few trials and errors to get the positioning exact. Looking at the reflection of the lens will help. Also, there are no manual controls for exposure, so lighting conditions will really dictate the results. It’s no surprise, we have had some of our best shots during the “magic hour” in the evening.

Typically, we are setting the cameras to shoot at 1080p, 30fps and 720p, 60fps. If you are using these cameras with Adobe, you will also need to install a codec plug-in package from MainConcept to get the footage to play properly.

As we head into the 2010 summer, look for more weekly POV clips like the “Wednesday Night Paddle” video (below) on ACE Adventure Resort’s Blog, and of course, here on The WELDer.

Tags: ACE Adventure Resort, GoPro, HD, kayaking, Keith Doherty, video, whitewater rafting, zip line canopy tour

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 2:51 pm by Keith Doherty and is filed under WELD, WELDlife, video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.