Gear Add-ons For Adding Emotion To Your Hunting Videos

In a prior blog we reviewed what equipment is absolutely necessary for filming hunts. Today we will be looking at two add-ons that aren’t essential but really help add emotion to your videos.

Wireless / Lapel / Lav Mics

Shotgun mics are great for picking up good overall ambient sound. They do decent for when the hunter is talking toward the camera. If you want to step the audio game up to the next level and really add in some emotion to your videos, a lapel mic is the way to go. Lapel mics are worn on the hunter and can capture so much more personal audio than a shotgun mic. A lapel can capture the hunter whispering to the camera man. A lapel can capture heavy breathing as a monster buck comes into range. Sometimes you can even capture a heartbeat on a lapel mic. A mic on the hunter can make the viewer feel like they are actually there experiencing exactly what the hunter is experiencing. Audio is so key in any film and having close up and personal audio of your hunter really ads emotion to your hunting films.

POV / Second Angle Cameras

Wireless mics help add emotion through audio and POV cameras add emotion through the visual. When you only have one camera pointed toward the animal you are hunting you can’t see what is going on with the hunter. You don’t know if the hunter is freaking out because they are looking at the biggest buck of their life. You don’t know when the hunter is about to shoot because you can’t see them drawing back their bow. After the shot takes place, you don’t know if the hunter is worried or is celebrating. A second angle camera pointed at the hunter allows you to much more easily tell the story of what happened. When you see the hunter do everything that leads up to the shot, you really feel like you are there. Second angle cameras dramatically increase your ability to add emotion to your hunting videos and make them so much more enjoyable to watch.

If people are going to take the time to read or watch a story, it must have emotion and it must be relatable. Wireless mics and second angle cameras do just that when it comes to hunting films. If you are looking to step up your storytelling game, a wireless mic and second angle camera should definitely be on your list of gear add-ons for this season.