BLACKMAGIC DESIGN ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE T here are big challenges when you decide to trek the Grand Canyon for five days, both physically and mentally. But this arduous journey is just one of five feats of endurance that athlete Leo Gripari undertook to raise funds for sustainable water projects in Uganda. Documenting his journey were director Charli Doherty, DOP Richard Jephcote and Tom Neish of production company Biscuit Bunker, who travelled every step of the Grand Canyon with him as part of their documentary film Maji . The strikingly visual film tells a story of Gripari’s gruelling efforts across five continents, as well as the broader issues around water sustainability and how it affects local communities – and on a global level. Charged with filming the epic journey, Jephcote talks us through everything he had to take in his kitbag on the Grand Canyon section of the trip. Grand tour Slogging through the wilderness, the key kit concerns are weight, battery life and media as there’s nowhere to charge a battery or power a laptop. The whole trip is built around how much a team can carry. You are expected to take your tent, sleeping bag, clothes, food and water for the full five days. As we were trekking in November, starting and ending most days in the dark, we needed a full range of warm winter clothing, along with shorts and a T-shirt for the daytime. Everything we needed for filming was in addition to what we had to carry to survive. So while trekking equipment is purpose-built to be light, DZOFilm lenses and V-Lock batteries aren’t. We also needed the camera built and ready to go, working within a strict timeline to hit all our trek milestones. On top of this, creative decisions made for the rest of the film had to continue throughout
Off the beaten track When trekking through the Arizona wilderness for an incredible five-day shoot, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras proved rugged yet light companions
FAST COMPANY The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro is quick to rig up and records incredible Raw files
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