Flying with gear. Any advice?

[Hank Vadim]

Hello guys. I tend to travel a lot. Share here your travel and equipment safety transport tips, tricks, advice etc. Thanks.

[Hank Vadim]

Please note. I'm not talking one bag shoot here. I'm talking basic cinematography kits. Camera, lenses, base support, tripods, batteries, hard drives, lenses, lens support systems etc.

[Guest]

Are you leaving the US? A carnet will be required.

 

I travel with my Alexa, and I take it as a carry on in a travel case, never had any issues with airport security.

 

R,

[Hank Vadim]

I leave and come back often. I never heard but carnet actually and I've been flying for the past two years. Do you really need one and if so how do you get one?

[Guest]

Well then you are lucky. If you have semi pro gear like a 5D, they won't bother you. If you have a serious piece of gear like an Alexa PKG, then a carnet is for sure needed. Unless you want your gear confiscated at a foreign airport.

 

R,

[Stuart Brereton]

You don't need a carnet unless you are leaving the country, and then they are essential. There are professional carnet companies who can do the paperwork for you, or you can handle it yourself.

[Hank Vadim]

Wow that sounds serious. Last time I was with three black magic cinema cameras. And then two years prior to that I was traveling with red one.

[Hank Vadim]

Do you have to pay for that, and is it expensive?

[Guest]

Well you're gambling Hank. That kind of gear could be seized in a foreign country, and it will be a living hell trying to get it back.

 

R,

[AJ Young]

Have a list of everything. Anything that is "checked" will need to be inspected the moment you get it from baggage claim. If anything is missing, then you will need to report it immediately to the proper authorities. A friend of mine AC'd a show and checked a case of Ultra Primes. When they landed, they checked the case and a lens was missing. Needless to say, the airline had to buy them a brand new Ultra Prime and pay for the rental of a new in the mean time. They were able to do this because of proper documentation.

 

Whenever I can, I ALWAYS fly with the body and lenses as a carry on. This becomes challenging on larger items such as an Alexa, large lenses, etc. It's a nightmare to get an item replaced because of theft by either airline or TSA employees.

 

Packing wise, the cases are technically designed to keep things secure in foam. AKS items, like a Noga, become flying hammers if they're not secured properly in a case. A good rule of thumb is anything that can fly around in a case WILL fly around in a case.

[Hank Vadim]

OK guys, but how much does it cost?

[Robin R Probyn]

The carnet ?.. its a percentage of the total value of the gear.. put the prices way down.. you get the "deposit " back if the paper work is all in order .. the carnet itself depends on your agent I guess.. I think mines around $150 -200 or something like that..

 

If i go to non carnet countries I dont get a carnet done.. a stamped list from customs when you leave will be fine.. its all really about bringing your gear back in the country you live in.. thats where you,ll have the problems.. seldom where you are going.. its basically a passport for your gear.. to prove that you already owned it and are re importing (what it actually says on the carnet) not bringing in gear from abroad without paying tax.. we have Napoleon to thank.. a tax to fund his wars against the Brits..

Carnets are a bit complicated .. and its worth learning yourself what and where needs stamping and signing.. also every trip I have to correct someone who is about to stamp/rip out the wrong page.. then you really have a problem trying to get your money back.. I had this once and it was a real pain.. customs guy ripped out totally the wrong page.. thats when I learnt exactly what had to be done..

 

Carnet is basically a pain and is just a tax that was made up a couple of hundred years ago.. if customs wants a "donation" to their beer fund in some far flung place.. they will regardless of a carnet.. and you will having to show them how to fill it in anyway.. and some places they will want to check every single item.. flying with gear is a pain in the A.. and getting worse every year..

[Robin R Probyn]

I carry camera body and lens and batts hand baggage.. every now and then some clown will give me grief about bag size and they dont know the battery lithium level laws .. lens best practice to iris wide open .. zooms to wide and I put focus to infinity.. if i have an empty seat next to me I try to get the camera body on that seat with a rug over it..from the over head.. bit naughty but a short run way and they will just fly the plane into it.. rather than feather it in nicely..

[Hank Vadim]

Guys, but still it gets expensive if you fly a lot. Every time spending even $200 per trip is a lot. If I cary RED Scarlet body, and a lens, few batteries and small accessories that would fit in peli carry on case, would I have problems or they won't even care since it's carry on?

[Hank Vadim]

One more question. When you book a flight or check in luggage, will media/film badge from a company help with reducing the costs? I'm asking because once I was flying to Ukraine, and they said if you have a media badge on you that shows who you work for makes it easier in a way.

[Robin R Probyn]

Guys, but still it gets expensive if you fly a lot. Every time spending even $200 per trip is a lot. If I cary RED Scarlet body, and a lens, few batteries and small accessories that would fit in peli carry on case, would I have problems or they won't even care since it's carry on?

 

 

You can always wing it.. (pardon the pun).. but always a chance someone is having a bad day and takes it out on you..

Some airlines do media rates.. personally I find this is becoming a thing of the past..

You dont have to have an agent do your carnet.. but its alot easier .. they have your gear and serial numbers on record .. its not really alot in the grand scheme .. if your flying i.e. working alot you should the money to pay it ?.. tax deductible too..

[Hank Vadim]

What if there's no serial number? I understand camera and lenses, but some of the stuff I have has no serials. Yes it's old but still works.

[Hank Vadim]

It's funny, I flew between Los Angeles and London four times this year and had no idea that you need this thing. And nobody ever questioned me what I have in my Peli cases.

[Stuart Brereton]

Customs officials don't always check your cases. If they do check, and you don't have a carnet, you could find yourself liable for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in import duties unless you can show that you already owned the equipment before leaving the country. They can confiscate your gear until you either prove it or pay up.

[Hank Vadim]

Customs officials don't always check your cases. If they do check, and you don't have a carnet, you could find yourself liable for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in import duties unless you can show that you already owned the equipment before leaving the country. They can confiscate your gear until you either prove it or pay up.

Whaaat. Damn.

[Hank Vadim]

I'll shoot next film on iPhone then.

[Hank Vadim]

Does anybody know anything about European laws? I do fly more in Europe.

[Hank Vadim]

I'll definitely be careful with my next flight to US. Do you know if Blackmagic Cinema Cameras are considered professional cameras? Or they can be waived like DSLRs?

[Stuart Brereton]

Here's a list of countries which use the carnet system.

 

http://www.atacarnet.com/carnet-countries

 

European citizens traveling in Europe have freedom of movement, so traveling with gear shouldn't be a problem. Bringing gear from a non European country might be a problem.

 

Even countries which don't use the carnet system will have some sort of customs procedure to allow temporary import of gear without incurring import duties. It varies greatly from country to country, and there are some where it's just not worth the effort to bring gear with you (from personal experience, Russia, China, and India)

[Hank Vadim]

Here's a list of countries which use the carnet system.

 

http://www.atacarnet.com/carnet-countries

 

European citizens traveling in Europe have freedom of movement, so traveling with gear shouldn't be a problem. Bringing gear from a non European country might be a problem.

 

Even countries which don't use the carnet system will have some sort of customs procedure to allow temporary import of gear without incurring import duties. It varies greatly from country to country, and there are some where it's just not worth the effort to bring gear with you (from personal experience, Russia, China, and India)

Thanks.