Just wondering who here is in or around Orlando Florida?
I might be doing a job there this summer and may need to hire an extra cameraman or PA, or just find people who want to go out for a beer or two.

I'd also like to know from people in the area what Orlando has for small equipment rental houses where I could get light kits and extra gear from.

Thanks!

Beer?!

Hi Dylan,

Although I live an hour and a half away, I'm in Orlando just about as much as I'm in Clearwater.

Always glad to get together and make new friends! Drop me a note sometimes...

-Phil

Hey Dylan,

I live and work in downtown Orlando, so I'll see ya when you get here. Orlando can be a wasteland when it comes to equipment locally, unlike some large cities, but we have some stuff.

Just to get you started, visit http://www.greenroomorlando.com site to see some of what's going on down here. This is just one humble site for the community, but it's something to start; they have equipment companies listed (Equipment link in the left menu).

Cheers,
Imran.

Oh, and if you're coming from BC to Orlando in the summer, and you're anything like some of the Canadians I know, I'd recommend some sunscreen, spf 2-billion. :)

Hey Dylan- I'm an hour from Orlando, close to the beach. As far as what Imran said, Orlando is like a major city, compared to where I live. People here haven't got a clue, when it comes to Pro equipment. But, it can be had.

I'm close to Phil, about an hour and a half away. You can borrow whatever I got.

I'm hoping the sun will dry out my waterlogged skin. :)

Thanks Jeff for the generous offer! I'm not sure what I'll need yet. Probably a small light kit for a few interior shots. I'm hoping to shoot most of it outside, since I hear it's pretty nice and sunny down there. I'll probably be looking for a crane as well.

Target date is mid June for possibly 8-12 days. What kind of weather should I expect there?

Imran, great link. Thanks!

Hopefully I'll get to meet as many of you as I can. I plan on adding a couple extra days of production time so I can finish early (heh heh) and see some of the local sights and have a few drinks with whoever I can.

It's still not a 100% certainty yet, but it's looking good.

Lets see.... Florida weather in the summer... Temps anywhere between 98-103 F, 100% humidity, and afternoon thunderstorms are pretty much the norm here. Of course, it will only rain when you need to do something :)

Then there are the bugs...

Should I bring a rain slicker for the camera?
For keeping my sweat off it? :)

Better safe than sorry. You can almost set your watch by the afternoon showers.

Between 1:00 and 3:00, almost every day.

Hate to be an ignant Canook, but...
Are you guys pulling my leg about the afternoon rain?

If you've got outdoor shots get up early and get them. You don't really want to be out mid-day. The light is harsh, the heat and humidity are worse. I don't think you'll be used to the humidity, it's oppressive. In the afternoon move your set indoors.

I used to spend two weeks a year in Florida on holidays with my parents when we lived in southern Ontario. We'd usualy stay in the Ocala forest and along the east coast. I loved the weather. Beautiful, perfect. Just the right heat and humidity.

However, that was always in late December, early January. :)

Hey Dylan,

I'm also a short drive (two hours) from Orlando and I tend to use any excuse to get up there and stop by my favourite coffee shop, Harold and Maude's; so keep us all updated and I'd love to come up and help out.

As for your wanting a crane, I'll be getting one at the end of May. Check out the website, see if it looks like something you mighht want to use:
www.ezfx.com
It'll have the full extention kit also, you can see a pic at http://www.ezfx.com/extension_kit.htm (but without the pan/tilt head)

And no one is pulling your leg about the Florida rain. It's super hot, extra-super humid, and it does rain at least for a while just about every day during the summer (heat + surrounded by water = lots of heavy clouds)

On the upside, if you should find yourself unable to shoot for a couple hours, there's tons to do in Orlando without going anywhere near a theme park!

Good Luck and Keep us posted!

Shawn McBee

We don't like the rain, but we prefer it to the state going up in flames. If it rains, it pours every day. If it doesn't rain, it is a drought and wildfires go out of control. We are NOT kidding.

Either way, we'll still welcome your Canuckness to our corner of the pits :)

And don't forget Hurricane Season. Jeff, Keith, Shawn, Imran, does it start the beginning of June and last until November? The prediction for this year, I believe, is up a little from last year due to the El Nino in the Pacific. At any rate, we know when Hurrican Season begins here because the supermarkets start printing the Hurrican tracker maps on their bags, and T.V. stations add the tracker maps to their websites. Oh yea, and the Houston paper always has a feature insert on the Great Storm of 1900 down on Galveston that just about washed away the island.

Good luck on your shoot in Florida. Nick

I'm not sure about the season... I only pay attention when they say it is coming for us. If the hurricane doesn't hit, you still have the tornados, lightning, wild fires, locusts, frogs, snakes, and water funnels. If I were to pay attention to all that is going on around me, my sphincter would always be in a knot!

Maybe I should have taken that assignment in Iraq instead....
So much for a working vacation in a tropical paradise. At least the rain will remind me of home. :)

No worries Dylan... We'll take care of you ;)

Did I mention the Bott flies? They lay their larvae under your scalp and then the maggot crawls around for awhile till it's time to pop out. They're fun.

You're killin' me, you know!

What about the gators? Should I hire a Hummer limo to take me from one location to the next? :)

Can I drink the water at least?

Aww, it's not as bad as they're all making out to be. Except for the oppressive heat and humidity. Gators are no problem. They're kinda like squirrels and not likely to be hanging around Orlando. As for the hurricanes, I live right on the coast and a hurricane hasn't hit us directly since 1984 (or 1985....I was little). Orlando is far enough inland that it'd have to be MASSIVE to be any more than a drizzle by the time it got that far inland. I have no experience with Bott flies and the water should be okay. Ever heard of Zephyrhills brand bottled water? Zephyrhills is about an hour's drive from Orlando. So is Land o' Lakes, but I hear it's not the same one as the butter :)

-Shawn

Don't worry about them Gators, Dylan... Them is good eating! It's the mosquitos that will eat you.

Played Golf in Kissimmee and hit a baby 3ft gator sunbathing on the edge of a lake, made concentrating on the next shot a litte unsettling.
Watch out for the Fire Ants though, EAT you alive.

Shawn, you haven't been to downtown orlando in a while eh? Harold & Maude's, Kit Kat and the neighboring Globe (which used to be the Go Lounge) were all bought out by the company that owns Wall St. Cantina. The Globe is still The Globe, but rather different, and Kit Kat/Harold & Maude's has been converted into one large club - Slingapour's.

It's all very commercialized, and a little annoying, but hey, what can ya do?

And Dylan, nobody is lying about the rain. When I first moved to florida back in '86, I used to actually use the rain to remember when reruns from old Star Trek were on - like clockwork, just before 4 or so. El Nino made things weird for a couple of years, but we're getting back on the same cycle now. Prepare for heat and rain!!!

But, at night, there's nothing like driving with the windows down...

I can get up there to meet folks. I missed the last opportunity, so I'd like to try again.

I have a pickup truck for hauling things around if needed for a few days.

There are pro equipment dealers up their, but mostly small places that have to special order. Or you can contact University of Central FL which has a well funded film program and see what they can do to help.

Dylan, we can bring you down to Aligator Alley. I know a place a little more than an hour from my home (Everglades National Park), where you can get up close and personal with hundreds of wild gators. Really.

It's lots of fun to walk down to the waters edge and stare them in the eye. I have some pretty good shots from my digital camera to prove it.

just wondering if Peter took the mandatory 1 stroke penalty for attacking an indigenous species. Also, it's hot and humid, the rest is theater. I'd offer my help, Dylan, but I retreat to the safe environs of NY during the summer, lol.

<<<-- Originally posted by Eric Emerick : just wondering if Peter took the mandatory 1 stroke penalty for attacking an indigenous species. Also, it's hot and humid, the rest is theater. I'd offer my help, Dylan, but I retreat to the safe environs of NY during the summer, lol. -->>>

Of course I did, I'm an Englishman. though I did break the rules and took a drop way way back from the waters edge.

Peter.

<<<-- Originally posted by Joe Carney : Dylan, we can bring you down to Aligator Alley. I know a place a little more than an hour from my home (Everglades National Park), where you can get up close and personal with hundreds of wild gators. Really.
-->>>

I've seen my share of gators there! I was windsurfing in a small lake somewhere in the interior there, looked behind me and saw a small log following me! OK, so the gator wasn't longer than 3 feet, but it scared the hell out of me as I was a long way from getting back to the beach. Made it back with all my fingers and toes though. :)

Dylan..only three feet?
I'm talking an average closer to 8 feet. A park ranger pointed the place out to me. It's easy to get to by car, so if you're afraid you can sit on the car and take pics.
It's east of Everglades City north on a dirt road off the Tamiami trail. When I said hundreds, I wasn't exagerating.

If you're interested, let me know, I have a pickup truck great for riding in the back of and taking great gator video. To high for the gators to jump into. hehehe. Bring a good zoom setup, you can tell your Canadian freinds you were right down by the water. instead of 20 feet away. I promise not to drive crazy... really.

Sounds like fun actually!

I'm trying to get an exact shooting schedule, trying to decide between 10-14 days. Hopefully we can wrap it up in 8-10 days and I'll have a couple extra to do some fun stuff.
Can you guys reccomend the top 4 things I should do while I'm there? Besides hit Disneyworld?

Isn't it Florida where they have walking catfish that attack people?

Better bring your mosquito, fire ant, Bott fly, catfish, gator, and Jeff repellent, Dylan.

It comes in a spray form John, it's called SmartA** repellent. I'm not sure if it still has my likeness on the can, though.

John- The catfish do walk across dry land, but they won't attack... which is more than I can say for some of the natives :)

Dylan- As far as things to do, I recommend Universal and Epcot as theme parks to hit. Other than that, I have no idea what might peak YOUR interest. What would you like to do? Historical sites? St. Augastine, the oldest city in Fla? Fort Christmas is just outside of Orlando. Daytona Beach is always fun. It is up to you. I'm sure several of us would be happy to play the part of tour guide. Maybe all of us could get together and swarm the state in a drunken frenzy?

I've been to St. Augustine actually, about 15 years ago.

Theme parks for sure. I planned on hitting Epcot/Disneyworld.
Other stuff would have to be within an hour or two of Orlando, since I might only get half-days free.
I'd like to make it out to the coast and do some snorkling, if there are any easliy accessible reefs in the area.

I've got lots of golf lined up already in the evenings.

I missed Spring Break so there's no point going to Daytona, is there? :)

"I missed Spring Break so there's no point going to Daytona, is there? "

I can't help it if you don't know how to manage shooting schedules... Timing, timing, timing :) However, Daytona is still a fun place, even without the coeds gone wild.

As far as snokeling, I can't say... I don't dive. Besides... It's shark season. There are some springs out near Orlando that are supposed to be great for diving. Shark-free, even :)

While theme parks are fun, there's a lot to do in Orlando that's a lot let expensive. There's a Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, an FAO Schwartz (so fun!) Church Street Station, a great Imax theater, a Hard Rock Cafe, Cirque du Soliel... hell, you name it.

And That's what I know with the limited amout of time I've spent there. I'm sure others could tell you more.

Uno's Pizza.....Mmmmmm....

-Shawn

If you are looking for gators closer to O-town than Miami, try Payne's Prairie near Gainesville.

Damn thaings are all over the place. There is one portion where after a short walk you can get closer to live alligators than you would want to. Right off the Gainesville end of the Gainesville-Hawthorne rail trail is a side adventure that will take you there.

Of course, there are lots of UF gators also, but that's a different story. I had the opportunity to help Nino G. videograph some of the UF type live gators yesterday. The experience was most illuminating, as was ESPN's Erin Andrews' smile. I had to wear polarized sunglasses most of the time to escape the dazzle.

Being that this post is nearly 4 years old, I'll assume that Dylan found what he was looking for.


In response to the Daytona question, since I went to photo school there, I'll add that in addition to spring break (which is going full blast now) you have Nascar Speed Week and related activities and Bike Week. You can't drive all the way up and down the beach as was possible when I worked as an Orlando Sentinel stringer there, but sections of it are open to vehicles for a fee. It's an all day parade of cars and people and entertaining to watch.

Most people don't think of Gainesville as a tourist destination but thousands of college students live here and it makes quite a party at times. You can also check out the sporting events, minus several extremely talented Gator basketball players who will soon go pro.