We’re on a mission to ask the adventurers at this year’s Adventure Travel Show how they feel about technology and travel. Russ Malkin is the director and producer who’s helped Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman take the Long Way Round and the Long Way Down, before helping Joss Stone on her mammoth Total World Tour. So when it comes to travelling with technology, few know it better.
What are your feelings about technology? Do you love it, loathe it or feel excited by the possibilities it presents?
I know many people would say be a purist and venture out with nothing but a map and a tent, and I do agree with the adventurous spirit and remote wilderness, but I do love technology. For me it’s always been fun recording my adventures. I actually started out in life as a photographer and capturing images and beauty and landscapes has been a big part of the fun. That obviously extended into filming and documentaries.
I’ve never been a big fan of big kit and loads of lenses and sound equipment as anyone who’s ever worked for me would know. For me the pleasure is in speed and spontaneity and so as cameras have got small and hard drives have replaced tapes I’ve gone with it.
For me, pleasure of use means capturing moments that can never be repeated, an image that makes you feel something and tells a story. It may not necessarily mean much to other people but I like being able to look back after a few years and say “Did I go there?… Wow!”
Is there a downside to the tech?
It does encourage people to put up loads of content without thinking why they’re doing it. Also, we use solar rechargers but they are still slow so best be prepared to take extra batteries and charging pods, but these are all affordable.
What technology do you use?
If we are making a full on documentary then we’d use:
- Two HD video cameras (or the highest quality available)
- A high quality SLR style camera
- A bunch of GoPros (high definition personal cameras)
- Enough laptops and drives to back up our content
- Enough microphones and audio kit to ensure good sound
As for other equipment, drones are great. Soon I think the skies might be crowded and they will be controlled but for now they are a big plus – cheaper and better quality than a helicopter. I used one recently on a shoot in Africa and we flew it up and over a mountain in Lesotho which was epic and then buzzed it round a construction project. The footage was amazing.
And my favourite piece of kit is my iPhone. Honestly I can take pictures and video as quick as a gun slinger can draw. I use an iPhone 6 so I’m not familiar with Android, but really this phone is brilliant.
I’ve just come back from an adventure on the Trans-Siberian Express and I was able to take photos quickly from the moving train and post them on Instagram and Twitter. I shot three minute videos and edited them using the epic iMovies (including my own piano piece that I recorded in Ulaanbataar). It’s great fun, easy to use and gives you a finished product in an hour.
I think because it’s in your pocket you can get on with enjoying your trip and having the freedom to ‘be there’ without worrying about expensive cameras and the time it takes to get them out and turn them on.
I think so long as people don’t post pictures just to show off to other people about where they’ve been but because they want to share creativity then that’s good.
What technology would you invent?
I remember I used to invent all sorts of on board cameras but never thought of marketing them so well done to the people at GoPro. It’s great that innovation is now so fast and is really changing the potential of travel and the ease of recording and being creative.
As for what I would invent, well I don’t like being reliant on Wi-Fi and satellites are slow to upload, so a guaranteed fast way of getting pictures and video back from anywhere to the safety of London would be great.
We did a big shoot last year for CNN and had to back everything up onto hard drives and Fed-Ex them to London to be taken into the edit suites. It was for safety and speed but it still seemed antiquated.
Also, I think there have to be better ways of recording sound. Putting tie mics on seems old fashioned and with most cameras just having two audio inputs it’s restricting. If someone can invent an intelligent mic that can ‘see’ who’s speaking and capture their voice with software that recognises unwanted wind sounds or background noise they would make a lot of money.
I want a microphone with eyes and a brain, so like turning a camera to auto, the mic will do it all.
Russ also shared some of his Australian travel experiences with us. You can read more about them here.
What are your thoughts about travel tech? Tell us what you travel with here.
Read more interviews from Adventure Travel Show 2015
Planning your own Australian adventure / trip
Find out more about your favourite Australian destinations
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