I'm driving cross-country with my son next week, with overnight stays at Cheyenne WY, Olathe KS, and Louisville KY--destination, Lehigh University in PA. For the most part we'll be driving at breakneck speeds, but is there must-have footage along that route and in PA? (I already know about the sagebrush and backsides of antelope in Wyoming :)

Also, I saw a chromakeyed commercial showing one of our senators standing with the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains in the background. Only trouble was, the far-off mountains were in perfect focus. It looked fake. So my question is, if I shoot anything at a distance with greenscreen work in mind, should I shoot some of it slightly out of focus? Seems like it should work, but does it?

Last questions: I'm flying home, so wondered, has anyone had experiences with last week's reportedly beefed up airport security measures aimed at electronic devices? And do you have special bags for your tripods and check them, or what? I'm only taking my camera and tripod, and thinking of mailing the latter home when I'm done, 'cause I wouldn't want to be mad at some airline employee for breaking it.

Lorinda,

Concerning your second question...I recommend you go ahead and shoot everything in focus. It's simple to blur the footage in post.

<<<-- Originally posted by Lorinda Norton :
Also, I saw a chromakeyed commercial showing one of our senators standing with the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains in the background. Only trouble was, the far-off mountains were in perfect focus. It looked fake. So my question is, if I shoot anything at a distance with greenscreen work in mind, should I shoot some of it slightly out of focus? Seems like it should work, but does it? -->>>

I wouldn't shoot it out of focus.

You can always blur it in post (I've used After Effects for a little bit of greenscreening (http://www.scifi-pics.com/seniorproject/csrdf_comp_test.jpg)). You could probably apply a small gaussian blur to the background... maybe even animate it a little bit. Also, by doing it in post, you have more control over the amount of blur after you have your greenscreen footage to look at.

Okay, thanks, guys. I'm one of those people who tries to do as little post work as possible (I'm not that good at it!), but what you said sure makes sense.

I've had several tripods damaged by airlines. I've tried the padded tripod bags, but i don't think they offer enough protection. I wrap the head with clothes and ship it in my luggage. You can also buy hard sided tripod cases, but you can't use them for anything else.

If you are taking the camera as carry on (which I recommend) be sure to have a fully charged battery on the camera. Security may ask you to power up any electrical device. If you can't power it up, it can't go on the plane. They will not hold the camera or give you a receipt for it, so you'll probably miss your flight.

Thanks for the tips, Jeff.

It was hard enough shipping my camera to Irvine for a service, so it's not getting out of my sight on the plane. I had padded, squishy cases custom made for the XL1s's. Taking the "extremities" off the cameras makes sure they fit under the airline seats pretty well. You've no doubt seen the way some people cram their stuff in those overheads. :)