Top Five Tips for Winter Filming

When you think of breath-taking, snow-covered aerial footage or warm festive images against a stark December background, it’s obvious that filming in winter can produce some really powerful and reusable footage.

This year, some clients even have me on standby ready to capture the images they want as soon as the white stuff starts falling, but there are particular things to think about when you’re filming at this time of year.

These are our top creative and technical tips for filming in winter weather and are well worth thinking about whether you’re working with a film crew or trying to capture your own footage.

1. Think carefully about the time of day you plan to start filming

If the light is right, you can get some truly stunning footage in the winter months, but you do need to be aware that light at this time of year is very different. In winter, the sun rises later, set earlier and never moves as high in the sky. This can make the light seem softer or more flat, as opposed to summer’s vibrancy and the mood of a landscape can change dramatically throughout the day. Shadows are longer and more exaggerated, and the sunlight is more diffused. Think about the tone of your video, and consider what time of day would best capture that mood. Especially if you’re filming around Christmas time, be aware that you’re working with the fewest hours of sunlight in the year.

2. Be realistic about how long filming will take

Things change quickly in winter. Even if you’re just filming for a few hours, the light can change dramatically in that time and the weather is also likely to vary throughout the day. Make sure you’ve taken that into account in terms of continuity, but also in terms of what you need to stay comfortable. Be sure you have what you need to keep you and your crew warm, fed and dry, no matter how quickly the weather changes .Be prepared for things to move quickly and think one step ahead.

3. Dress for the weather

Most of us are used to bundling up in warm layers to go for a winter walk, but working outside in cold weather is very different. You’ll need to be able to move your arms, hands and limbs easily and, depending on the type of shoot, you’ll need to dress differently based on whether you’ll be physically active or standing around. Fleece and wool can be good fabrics for keeping you warm, but not too sweaty which can actually make you colder if you end up damp.

A lot of cold, windproof and waterproof clothing can also be very stiff and noisy which isn’t great for sound so try it out first by having a good move around in it!

It may also be worth investing in some specialist gloves. You need to keep your hands and fingers warm, whilst also being able to operate equipment. Handwarmers can help with this too.

4. Consider the colour tones

Winter scenes are renowned for being grey and flat so train yourself to look for contrast and colour when you compose your shots. Even with snow, the landscape can be featureless with nothing to draw the viewer’s eye, so frame your video with this in mind. Try to choose a scene with some vivid colours in it – a colourful tree, or a striking building, for example. You need to be aware of the lack of contrast in order to avoid a grey, lifeless scene.

Winter weather can be difficult to white balance – especially snow – so if you can, ask your subjects to wear bright coloured clothing and avoid colours like black, brown or grey. If you can even manage to get them to wear the same hue, it makes it easier to balance.

5. Prep your equipment for the weather conditions

Batteries are temperature sensitive so if you’re filming on a cold day, carry them in an insulated bag or put them in an inside breast pocket to benefit from your body heat. Swap over the ones in the camera with the ones in your pocket every now and then to keep them warm. It’s also worth making sure you have some spares with you as well. The science behind it is that cold weather slows down the chemical reactions inside a battery that create the electrical current. The result is that your batteries will run out of power much faster than usual so take plenty with you!

Keep your camera in the bag until it’s time to shoot to avoid it getting too cold or wet. You can use things like hand warmers (from outdoor activity shops) to regulate the temperature of your camera bag – and remember to pop in a lens cleaner as well.

One more thing - the wind is always going to be stronger in the winter months and can sound awful on mic, so it might be worth investing in a microphone muff, or using bandages to reduce the amount of wind it picks up.

Winter filming can result in some stunning shots that you just can’t capture at other times of year, and the starker landscape can be captivating. Don’t be put off by inclement weather or overcast light – with the right preparation and knowledge, winter weather footage is well worth the effort of capturing.

If you’d like to talk to us about how we can help you create stunning winter videos, or film in a particular weather condition like snow, please get in touch.

Things like which times of day are better for natural light, dealing with wind on the audio, the importance of doing a recce to understand the environment etc.

This would be a straightforward piece – intro, 5 points with a paragraph explaining each, conclusion. If you have any examples of dealing with weather conditions, they’d be great to include to demonstrate your expertise.