Planning the expedition – Part 4 – Wardrobe & "The Look"

People often laugh when I talk about wardrobe for the film.  I am not known as a fashion guru.  But the reality is – with 90 stops in 30 days and a feature length film  I could easily be seen in a different set of clothes every 3 minutes!  So for continuity sake (and ease of editing) I choose to wear the same outfit every day.  Let me rephrase – I choose to be seen wearing an outfit that looks the same every day – I do in fact change my clothes.

Continuity with the 2009 start of the film is a problem –  but it really isn’t.  To be practical – in 2009 I weighed more, had a pony tail, and used a poorer quality microphone – so no matter what I do the 2009 footage of me will not match.  However the interviews and b-roll are still good as I am not in them – so really only the footage ‘of me’ from 2009 is not useable and that’s not that much footage.

This gives me a clean visual slate.  So what will I wear?

I love my blue shirts – I like the look of a blue polo and the feel of a polyester golf shirt is perfect for a hot summer day.  I think the royal blue stands out and isn’t too overbearing – hopefully the color will stand the test of time.  To that end I just ordered 12 new Izod golf shirts for the film.  With 10 days between laundry days 12 is a safe number.

For pants I always wear black jeans.  I know for many this is too hot – but I just find them comfortable in all situations and if they are crisp and new they can look dressy enough from afar.  Of course my jeans will be Levis.

Normally I wear big black boots.  Year round.  People always laugh at them because they are huge & heavy but this year I decided to treat myself and upgraded to real hiking shoes and purchased some Merrells.  I am amazed at how many people have asked me about my shoes since I started to break them in!  They are very comfortable and I always add Dr Scholls custom fit orthotics (you know the machine at the store that measures your feet) it is like walking on air. And for a trip I always just buy new socks – it’s the big treat.

So, Merrells on the feet, Black Levis, Blue Izods.  What else is left?

Whenever I travel I need a vest.  I didn’t want to look sloppy so I got a well fitting black photographers vest (2 in fact to cycle regularly). 

And to top it off a nice safari hat – there is still debate as to whether or not I need a new one or if my slightly worn hat has character – we shall see.

I did my one concession and will pack a single ‘trendy’ outfit for one of the nights in Paris – how this will play out in life or on film will be interesting.

A full equipment breakdown will be another blog entry as we get closer to packing – but the question here is what will be visible when I am on camera.

Equipment wise everything fits in my backpack – though reviewing the footage from 2009 I realize you can only see me wearing the backpack on occasion.  I will need to pay close attention to that detail this year.

So what am I bringing and what am I not?

As a photographer I am bringing (and wearing) my digital SLR – it iss the Pentax K-5 with 2 lenses.  This means a camera on a strap and one lens carrier on my belt. I got a new shoulder strap that hangs my camera at hip level.  It’s part of my visual look.

As much as I love my toys I am NOT bringing: they Lytro camera, any 3D cameras, or any panoramic camera rigs. 

This is a movie so I need to focus on filming.

The small Sony HD video camera (which I for the most part won’t be carrying and the audience will never see) has a nice built in microphone but I will also wear a wireless lapel microphone for the entire 30 days – this shouldn’t be visible if rigged properly.

In addition to the Sony camcorder I have my Pivothead HD video sunglasses, my iPhone, and a new GoProHD Black. 

The Pivothead HD sunglasses will be in a lot of the shots because in my opinion nothing looks worse then seeing someone squint into the sun as they talk!  The other two I don’t expect to be seen by the audience.

So fashion police,  how does this sound?