Having run this whole idea down, let me do a complete about face, and give some constructive advice.
First off, the thing that kills most attempts at recording hunting video is an unstable hold. Whatever you do, make sure the camera is steady. Handheld and headcam shots suck. Get a tripod and get a designated cameraman and do it right. Starting out, forget zooms, pans, trucks, racks, and cranes-- do it with static shots.
That means practice. Make sure you and your cameraman practice and practice a lot. Start off easy with projects like "A Day at the Range" "A Day Hike in the Woods" , etc.
When I got into the biz, I had a prof tell us to go out and burn 1 roll of film and come back to class with a story. We had 24 frames to get it done. I did mine with a pocket 110 just like Kolchak, the Night Stalker. I got sent to the head of the class, because my 24 frames told a funny story about trying to get a parking spot in the campus lot. I had the class rolling on the ground laughing. You and your cameraman need to be able to do the same thing: tell a story.
Also: make it a real story. So much of the dreck on cable is dreck, because it is contrived. It's all about competition where there is none and hoopla where it isn't. Don't shoot a bunch of footage and hope there is a story there when you get home. Have a story in mind before you step out the door.
Invest in a Digital Audio Recorder. You can get one for under $100. Use it to mike the subject. The mikes on video cameras usually suck, and won't pick up sound at a distance. Alternatively, used the DAR to pick up ambient sound away from the camera so you don't just hear the cameraman breathing.
Hunting is damn hard to shoot right. The hunter has to take the shot when he can, but the cameraman may have a leaf in the way. The biggest problem I see is perspective. 75 yards is a LONG freakin' way in videoland. In order to get the animal to show up, you're zoomed all the way in. Now you've lost the perspective. If you stay on the hunter, the hunter looks like he's shooting a flea. Alternatively, you put the camera waaay back and zoom so you see the animal over the hunter's shoulder. The problem is you've now committed to a very narrow window of where the shot can take place.
I used to watch hunting shows with my dog, Barney. Barney loved hunting shows. It was high drama for him. It was kaack for me. One thing I noticed: so much of the actual hunting footage was contrived in one way or the other. It was filled with cutaways that were obviously shot before or after. It had ridiculously long holds to heighten the tension. The truth is usually pretty banal: animal walks out. Bam! Dead animal.
I'm going to make an analogy here that may or may not sit well. Hunting is like going to the bathroom. There is damn little that ever happens after the door closes that anyone really wants to watch. Everything that is important is happening on the inside. The harder you try to make it meaningful for the observer, the worse it gets.
EDIT: Sorry. I got pulled away. Where was I? Oh, yeah. You're challenge is to take something that mundane and make it work-- put someone there without making it banal.
One other tip, and then I'll let it go: those podcasts I do during Turkey Season are a great way to make a record of a hunt without having it get in the way. Yes, it is audio only, but that allows the listener to open his mind to what's happening, rather than concentrating on the bad, shaky video.
Last edited by shaman; 09/02/15.
