Photo: Chris Cantle, Road & Track
Ah, Mr. Spielberg, perched so daintily atop your E.T. money, we suspect that you never foresaw the rise of the GoPro camera. A manageable, smartphone-sized video camera capable of recording high-definition video while suction-cupped onto nearly any surface imaginable—Indiana Jones could have used one of these in the Temple of Doom, eh? Well, we’re not here to gloat any more than we already have.
Instead, we come bearing tidings of great joy and mystery: that anyone can now be a mobile filmmaker. Better still, you can be one whose films are actually worth watching. We all remember the halcyon days, where home movies meant listening to your father give instruction to have fun from a shoulder-mounted rig. Mom blocks her face with a celebrity open-palm, Bob Saget salivates at the prospect of renewed income, and Sony counts its money while wishing it could laugh openly without losing face.
The GoPro is actually just one of several inexpensive options you have to capture video that’s actually beautiful. Instead of recording the shaky handcam footage of those latter, terrible Bourne films by using a camcorder, you can use the Drift HD Ghost S which is waterproof and controllable by smartphone. The bizarrely titled >Optrix XD is a less expensive option as it’s basically a waterproof case and mount for your phone, coupled with a wide-angle lens. Take to the air with an AR.Drone 2.0, a quad-bladed aerial drone, or upgrade your camera with a swiveling, ball-head Delkin Fat Gecko Dual, a more flexible and agile mount for whatever camera you own.
Photo: Chris Cantle, Road & Track
Of course, the popular camera that a lot of people use is the GoPro itself. Now called the GoPro Hero3 series, these are the source of lots of driving shots on YouTube thanks to its hardy design and ease of use. With a range of accessories from WiFi Remote, Battery BacPac, LCD Touch BacPac and mobile GoPro App, you can coordinate video footage that looks like a pro shot it. For ideas on how to use your GoPro while driving, Road & Track has a cheeky article showing the best spots in and around your car to position the camera.
Take those positions with a drop of gasoline, however. As much as we like dashcam, who hasn’t seen that? Experiment with points of view you haven’t seen on an episode of COPS. Maybe lumbar cam could be a thing, or muffler cam. People talk a lot about how hot it is out there, but does anyone’s cam watch the butter melt while you drive home? Could be some blue ocean there. Of course, we probably can’t recommend hitchhiker cam, but you have to admit that the possibilities are tantalizing. How about almost-pick-up-hitchhiker-but-then-speed-up cam? Haven’t seen that done before.
You should check if Ford has an app designed for GoPro or other camera integration. We’d be glad to help you set up your camera, so stop by Leith Ford, your local Ford dealership in Raleigh. Now get out there and become the next James Cameron!