When I was working production, many times the location on the call sheet would be kind of vague, particularly if we were shooting somewhere remote where there were no obvious house and street numbers, or deep within a park, forest, or open desert. But since I have retired, one of my pastimes has been off-roading in my Jeep. In fact, I am the president of Desert Wranglers Jeep Club (www.desertwranglers.club) based out of the Las Vegas area.
One of the first things that I learned was to always use GPS coordinates to identify a given location or meetup spot. That took the guesswork out of searching for (non-existent) street addresses when there is nothing around but dirt roads and lots of nature! Your smartphone and car navi system will show you GPS coordinates (hit the COMPASS app on your phone), and if you punch those coordinates into your navi or map search -- it will guide you within several feet, even if there is no official path or road.
If you are totally off the grid and without cell service, then software programs such as OnX Off-road can be downloaded to your phone ahead of time and will allow you to download detailed maps of the areas. The newer smartphones will receive GPS signals, even without cell service, and will function with these (previously downloaded) maps to provide detailed navigation. That's how we find our way around when we are out Jeeping in the middle of no-where.
And on the subject of Jeeping... it never hurts to establish a relationship with local off-road 4x4 clubs. Not only is it fun, but as a filmmaker it may be a valuable networking opportunity. One, there are lots of videos to be made. Not just documenting a trail run, but also doing education & training or even commercial product infomercials.
If you ever need to scout a remote location, or just to transport yourself and crew out there -- your local 4x4 club could solve a lot of transportation problems. It never hurts to network!
If you are in the Las Vegas area, our club is the Desert Wranglers. The new Desert Wranglers Jeep Club (Las Vegas, Henderson, Southern Nevada) was recently approved as a Nevada non-profit organization. Up until 2021, the club was part of and directly overseen by a Las Vegas area Jeep dealership. The dealership cut its ties to the club, and in 2022 the Desert Wranglers re-organized as an all-volunteer, independent group. Desert Wranglers is family oriented and prefers the tamer, more scenic trails (rated 2-5) rather than rock crawling. The club welcomes beginners as well as intermediate. In addition to monthly trail runs, Desert Wranglers also offers education & training. Our website is www.desertwranglers.club Come join us!
One of the first things that I learned was to always use GPS coordinates to identify a given location or meetup spot. That took the guesswork out of searching for (non-existent) street addresses when there is nothing around but dirt roads and lots of nature! Your smartphone and car navi system will show you GPS coordinates (hit the COMPASS app on your phone), and if you punch those coordinates into your navi or map search -- it will guide you within several feet, even if there is no official path or road.
If you are totally off the grid and without cell service, then software programs such as OnX Off-road can be downloaded to your phone ahead of time and will allow you to download detailed maps of the areas. The newer smartphones will receive GPS signals, even without cell service, and will function with these (previously downloaded) maps to provide detailed navigation. That's how we find our way around when we are out Jeeping in the middle of no-where.
And on the subject of Jeeping... it never hurts to establish a relationship with local off-road 4x4 clubs. Not only is it fun, but as a filmmaker it may be a valuable networking opportunity. One, there are lots of videos to be made. Not just documenting a trail run, but also doing education & training or even commercial product infomercials.
If you ever need to scout a remote location, or just to transport yourself and crew out there -- your local 4x4 club could solve a lot of transportation problems. It never hurts to network!
If you are in the Las Vegas area, our club is the Desert Wranglers. The new Desert Wranglers Jeep Club (Las Vegas, Henderson, Southern Nevada) was recently approved as a Nevada non-profit organization. Up until 2021, the club was part of and directly overseen by a Las Vegas area Jeep dealership. The dealership cut its ties to the club, and in 2022 the Desert Wranglers re-organized as an all-volunteer, independent group. Desert Wranglers is family oriented and prefers the tamer, more scenic trails (rated 2-5) rather than rock crawling. The club welcomes beginners as well as intermediate. In addition to monthly trail runs, Desert Wranglers also offers education & training. Our website is www.desertwranglers.club Come join us!
I never tried it yet
