A movie about an adoption experience is a lifelong gift to you and your children.

We would like to offer some suggestions about how best to prepare to capture the experience as completely as possible.


Before your trip...

...take some footage of your home and your surroundings. Try to capture a slice of life that existed before your child arrived. This helps establish a context for the adoption experience itself.


While you are traveling, shoot as much as you can about the trip itself.

Get some scenes driving to the airport, waiting for your plane, and en route. Be sure to record a lot of the scenery you encounter when you arrive. A good rule to abide by is this: if you see a scene or sight that strikes your eye, get it on tape. Don't assume that you will be back to catch it another time.


Try to capture as much of the forever moment as you can.

It's great to have someone help you film that. Make sure they understand how to operate your camera. Tell them to keep the tape running at all times, and to go easy on the zoom.

If no one can help you, park the camera on a tripod, tabletop, file cabinet, or any other useful object. Set the lens for a wide angle and simply let the camera run. Technique doesn't matter here.

Don't make yourself crazy. We have made plenty of great movies where the gotcha moment wasn't captured on tape. Experiencing the moment is far more important than filming it.

Be sure to get "establishing" shots.

These help later to set the scene. If something important or memorable is to happen in a certain building, be sure to record images of the building itself. You don't have to do it in sequence. If you forget to get the shot going in, get it going out. Or get it the next day. We can always put things in the right order in post production.


Equipment Recommendations

We recommend Mini DV or Hi-8 camcorders. Mini DV is greatly superior to Hi-8, and only slightly more expensive.

Several other formats are currently available. These include models that record directly to DVD, built-in miniature hard drives, or removable media. Unfortunately, they all require heavy in-camera compression of video data. That is destructive. So, when it comes time to edit your video, a great deal of quality has been lost. As a result, we recommend that you not purchase one of these systems, and stay instead with mini-DV.

For brands, we recommend Sony and Canon camcorders. Both offer excellent choices across their product lines.


Ignore two gimmicks.

The first is special effects that are built into the camera. They are of no value and usually present ghastly results. Worse, they are destructive. A scene shot with a special effect is stuck with that effect. It is irreversible.

A second gimmick is digital zoom. This is a feature where, manufacturers claim, in-camera software enlarges the image to simulate an extremely powerful telephoto lens. What they don't mention is that the software can only simulate an extremely awful telephoto lens. The image produced by digital zoom is horrendous. If your camera has this feature, disable it. Put exactly no stock in this feature as a purchase criterion.

The only zoom-power that counts is optical zoom, and most cameras have about the same amount. Optical zoom is a function of the physical elements of the lens. Most video cameras have optical zoom lenses with somewhere between 10x and 20x power. When you get much beyond 20x in magnification, handheld shots get shaky, even with built-in image stabilization.

By the way, one reason we so like Sony and Canon camcorders is that both companies equip their gear with excellent lenses. In photography, nothing is more important than the lens.


Other stuff you should buy...

...include a spare battery and plenty of blank tapes. If you have a digital camcorder (mini-DV) don't bother buying "IC" tapes with the built-in chip. These have limited utility and cost a great deal more than standard mini-DV tapes.

Consider buying and carrying a small table-top tripod. Also, if you can swing it, consider buying a backup camera. You could get a lesser model - perhaps even a used one - and tuck it away just in case of emergency. Don't assume you can buy a replacement wherever you going. (That advice applies even more to supplies like batteries and tapes.)


Most important, get to know your camera before the trip.

Don't be one of those people who reads the user's manual on the airplane. (Or who plans to, but never does.) If you have to think about your camera while shooting, you will miss something. This is a once in a lifetime trip, no matter how many times you do it.


Shoot a lot!

Videotape is reusable and relatively cheap. Don't try to edit your movie in-camera. Let us take care of that for you. You go get the raw footage. We will make it memorable.

Good shooting, and good luck.