International Flight Advice

[Dustin Veneman]

Hey Brendan,

If something goes wrong here is a good rental house.


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[TD]CAM A LOT
Duivendrechtsekade 65
1096 AH Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0) 20 694 0004
Fax: +31 (0) 20 463 3295
Email: info@camalot.nl



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Also I am located in the Netherlands if you get in a jam and just need a battery or something, I don't have much on hand but I do have a basic red one mx setup.

I am traveling myself in a bit, have my A.T.A Carnet here on my desk that still needs to be filled out...

 

[Keith B Plummer]

I just travelled to the U.K. from the U.S. and had various flights. On my international flight no problem 2 carry-ons. My domestic flight from Atlanta to Philly was full and they stopped allowing any bags to be carried on. I argued the rules, called in managers, everything that my over 20 years of international experience taught me. No dice. Pack it under the plane they said. No way! Pack it or take another flight they said. I put the camera together, lens, mag, touch , cables and 1 AB batt . I carried it on and held it under the seat no case. My soft case with 1 AB batt, 60D, drive were hand carried down below. Needless to say I was pissed beyond anything. They wanted to check my soft case to England. When we landed I got my case and tried everything out. Luckily it all worked out going so I knew what to expect coming back.

Word of advise, don't think there will always be room for your bags because on some of these domestic flights there won't be. Also they didn't care about the battery rule.

 

[Wes Williams]

So I'm about to travel internationally for the first time with many, many cases of equipment. I've done so before with a couple of reds and lenses all over Europe and to AUS, and never had trouble, but then again it's always been rather compact.

Definitely going to go through the process of getting a carnet, but that makes it obvious I'm a professional videographer. What do you say to customs agents on both sides of the pond? Am I there for work? For play? For a personal documentary?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Robert Ruffo New]

So I'm about to travel internationally for the first time with many, many cases of equipment. I've done so before with a couple of reds and lenses all over Europe and to AUS, and never had trouble, but then again it's always been rather compact.

Definitely going to go through the process of getting a carnet, but that makes it obvious I'm a professional videographer. What do you say to customs agents on both sides of the pond? Am I there for work? For play? For a personal documentary?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

My advice is do not lie. In most countries doing B-Roll is fine, as long as you have a letter that shows you are employed by a company in your country, and that principle photography is not being done in the country you are visiting. Get a carnet, generally do not mess around. You could easily be held off your flight, or worse, get a "refused entry" on your record.

 

[Uros Zuraj]

Hey Wes,
was shooting a part of doco in the US this summer (following ultra marathon cycling race across America) and we didnt have any visas (as production said we dont need them as theyve done it two years in a row) and we got stopped in Philly at border control. Had bunch of problems, paid 90USD per head and got temporary visas. The guy said that next time we should apply for "media visas" which are for teams filming and using that footage outside US - so not working for US.
I have a stamp in my passport now and I will get questioned every time i go to US now...
The thing that was the problem was a lot of gear... so they knew it right away... and ofcourse when they ask you for your occupation and you say "film maker" or "photographer" you are fucked
If you can get visa get it... saves a lot of trouble.

 

[Curt Pair]

I've traveled the world over for many clients myself. The BEST advice I can give is to call your 'local' embassy of the country you're visiting. Ask THEM what THEIR COUNTRY requires! They'll tell you; for both traveling with gear and if you need 'visas' to work. Often, you'll have a consulate office somewhat near you, and you can go there too. After that, we ALWAYS go through US customs. The 'carnet' does cost money, however, there are ways around that, IF you visit your local customs office. They can help you with the forms you need at the AIRPORT of your return flight. We've found this has a HUGE bearing... returning to Houston is different than returning to the USA in NYC or LA! Often you have to have paper work to ENTER/LEAVE the country you're visiting.... AND have paperwork to get home!

There is a company in NC that used to ship our gear around the world for us... of course we paid them to do everything... but more times than not... there were problems as THEY didn't do something right! I remember traveling to Kiev, and I was 'detained' at the airport for 28 hours while I 're-prepared' the paperwork to their specs! The rules there are simple EVERYTHING MUST HAVE A SERIAL NUMBER! Imagine pulling out 50 Dedo gobos, and having to label each one with a sharpie so that they had a 'serial number' then writing each one down on a line item in paperwork... while you don't speak Russian and they don't speak English! Fun times!

Once we returned from Portugal... we were supposed to fly into Charlotte, but ended up in NJ. We had some MASSIVE problems with out paperwork... a skycap told us he could make it all disappear for $300, and he did! If you have a 'fixer' on the Netherlands side, that always helps! Someone who knows the lay of the land, can speak the language and such. That REALLY helped us in Belize! I didn't know what was necessarily going on, but that person just walked us right on through!

Power shouldn't be a problem as most of our gear these days is 'switchable' provided you have the correct cable or adapter. LIGHT BULBS for lights, however DO MATTER! You need the correct voltage for any lights you might take (except LEDs).

Good luck!

 

[AndreasOberg]

Make it look light. Carry it with untroubled with a smile on your face.

This is what I do. I have the backpack on my shoulder which is usually 15kg -20kg and have a big smile when going to the reception. If they say it looks big say that you have checked that it fits the "regulations". If they double dare you and weight it (hasn't happened yet) just say "oh but I thought".

If they only allow 8kg this means that the overboard compartments are probably too small to have the bag so you will have it in the front. This is normally not a problem. When you enter the plane you will just have to put it in the front.

Myself I use a Kata 610 bag so I can have the Epic fully assembled. I also use a Petrol bag if I bring more heavy equipment.

Good luck with your flight! So far I have always made it.
/Andreas

 

[AndreasOberg]

My advice is do not lie. In most countries doing B-Roll is fine, as long as you have a letter that shows you are employed by a company in your country, and that principle photography is not being done in the country you are visiting. Get a carnet, generally do not mess around. You could easily be held off your flight, or worse, get a "refused entry" on your record.

Yep, dont lie. This could get you into very real trouble. However by being honest they can often be helpful.
/Andreas

 

[Scott Brown]

Times are changing. I've had my carry on bag(s) weighed several times recently so be aware. Airlines are getting tougher on carry on bags so do your homework, read the small print and plan plan plan before you get to the airport. Sometimes calling the airline/airport in advance to explain your position helps.

Don't understand anyone using Peli-cases as carry on bags, they're just too heavy. I use Think Tank cases which are guaranteed to comply with airline size specs + they're light weight which gives you a head start )

Scott

 

[Scott Brown]

Carnets - do your homework on these before parting with your money. They are expensive and won't always make life easier. Not all countries accept them - India didn't when I was last there so consider the duplicate list system. This does mean you may need to pay a refundable deposit as you enter the country - remember in many third world countries, the rules are "flexible" and it doesn't matter what you have with you, you're going to have to part with money at some stage.

Scott