Filming in the  Amazon

If you're looking to answer the question 'how do I film in the Amazon Rainforest?' then you've come to the right place. Read on for our tips on what to pack, who to bring, when to go, and how to mitigate the many risks that are involved in shooting in The Amazon and other remote locations in Brazil.

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In a country the size of Brazil, there are endless opportunities  when it comes to shoot locations. Some take a while to reach and some are just so remote that it brings a new definition to the word. It’s shoots in those places, where local knowledge is essential and self-sufficiency a must, that we’re going to explore here.

The Amazon is one such place. Covering over 5.5 million square kilometres, it covers almost half of South America. There are dozens of airports that service the region but crews should expect to travel by road and/or river as well, often for days depending on the final destination. 

Story Productions has taken on some challenging shoots in the Amazon in recent years, from filming a segment of a social science series for German broadcaster ZDF to a documentary co-production filmed in the states of Acre and Amazonas. 

Our biggest production in the Amazon to date, however, was supporting Sharp Entertainment for a strand of its reality series 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days which involved seven Amazonian shoots in 2017. Throughout that year, we fine-tuned how to prepare for filming in such a remote, challenging environment. Read on for the highlights of what we learned. 

Stunning locations in the Amazon

01 Hire a local guide

We usually warn our clients away from hiring local "fixers" with no audiovisual background; their inexperience with the technical and logistical aspects of a shoot can lead to wasting precious time. That said, in remote locations it is important to have a local guide on the crew to facilitate access to people and places, especially where there are few facilities such as restaurants, petrol stations or where road access is difficult. On the shoots for Sharp Entertainment, the Story Productions crew would include an experienced fixer to structure the shoot for the client, and a local guide to facilitate any local issues such as securing access to people, places and solving unexpected equipment needs.

02 Find a hotel near to the shoot 

We’d love it if we were always able to stay in a clean and comfortable hotel (preferably with a bar) on location, but way more important than comfort is proximity to the shoot. In the Amazon, the chances of finding a comfortable hotel close to a remote shoot location are slim, and planning to drive long distances can put the entire shoot in jeopardy if bad weather leaves roads unpassable.

03 Getting around

Know your route

Make sure that one of the team knows the way. Dirt roads in remote locations almost never have sign posts, and a cell phone GPS will rarely get any signal. 

Hire a 4x4 vehicle

Think of the Amazon as an unpaved wilderness where the condition of the roads can change from one day to the next at the whim of the weather. If travelling any distance by road, plan for the worst and hire a 4x4 – you’ll stand a much better chance of having traction on slippy, pot-holed roads, especially during the rainy season (December to May). It’s also worth noting that a special licence is required in Brazil to drive a vehicle with more than six seats, so don’t rely on regular crew members to double as drivers for larger vehicles.




Travel by boat

Depending on the location of the shoot, boat may be the most efficient way to get around. There are a variety of modes of river transport, from a private speed boat charter to larger, slower bus boats. If travelling by boat, it's important to keep equipment to the bare minimum (see point 8 below). 

04 Budget for security detail

Not only does the Amazon have a broad range of residents, from indigenous communities living on protected reserves to rubber tappers and more, it also has a number of national borders. It's important, therefore, to treat the logistics of each shoot on a case-by-case basis. When it comes to security, the risks are just as varied, and can include river pirates and armed illegal loggers in some areas. We therefore recommend carrying out a thorough risk analysis during pre-production, and almost always recommend hiring private security.

05 Bring drinking water 

Don’t drink the tap water in Brazil, even in nice hotels, and don’t rely on bottled water being easy to buy when you are outside towns. If you’re planning to be away from civilisation for a few days, a packet of water purification tablets will come in very handy. 

06 Check cell phone coverage

Find out in advance if your cell phone provider has coverage in the region you plan to visit; not all of them will, especially in rural areas. Buying a prepaid SIM card for the operator with the strongest local network will make life a lot easier.

07 Stay charged and powered  

Unless the production has a budget big enough to warrant hiring a generator, crews will need to bring enough batteries to keep all equipment powered for a full day without recharging. Overnight accommodation might only have electricity for a few hours each night so bring at least two chargers for each type of battery, and a surge protector with multiple outlets to charge a few batteries at the same time. Also, check that you have the right international adapters for your location.
Camera operator in the Amazon

Flying with batteries

Airlines have been tightening up their rules for flying with lithium batteries in recent years, so  check the specific restrictions of domestic flights as well as international flights on a shoot, although in genereal batteries with more than 100Wh or 12V power are banned. Some Brazilian airlines will allow lithium batteries of up to 100Wh to be carried on board, but generally only two per passenger, which is rarely enough when the crew to equipment ratio is high. Some airlines ignore their own rules, but it's not worth taking the risk, so we tend to rent batteries from local providers in the Amazon and can get a good price through our local fixers.

08 Bring the right gear 

Choosing the right gear for the shoot is essential, and worthy of a whole article in itself. The key, however, is to plan to be as lean and efficient as possible, especially if the crew is small, or the logistics involve travel by boat. Even if you had the luxury of bringing a wide range of equipment and a variety of lighting options, you simply won’t be able to use it if you’re a small team on a tight schedule. Plus the more gear there is, the longer it takes to cover up if an Amazonian downpour takes the crew by surprise. 

09 Protecting equipment

Protecting against water
Rain in the Amazon can arrive with no warning and be torrential, so be ready to protect equipment quickly. When using camera rain covers, make sure that air can still circulate underneath as the combination of heat and humidity are a disaster for any electronic equipment. Try and keep cameras dry using microfiber towels.

Protecting against heat
Heat can also damage camera equipment, preventing you from filming. DSLRs and digital cameras are especially sensitive to heat, so when planning what equipment to bring, opt for robust cameras with their own ventilation systems. If you are filming with smaller cameras that don’t have ventilation, try wherever possible to keep them out of the sun.

10 Protect yourself

Staying safe and healthy is a good idea for a number of reasons that don’t need spelling out. These might sound obvious, but we’re often surprised at how unprepared some visiting crews are for their own well-being. The following are all sensible precautions to take:


a) Make sure your vaccines are up-to-date

b) Bring anti-malarial drugs when travelling to the Amazon

c) Sun protection (clothing and sunscreen) is essential

d) Insect repellent is also an essential, though don’t expect it to keep you 100% protected

e) For those pesky bugs that do manage to bite, be ready with antihistamines and anti-itch creams.

f) Bring a first aid kit

g) Organize travel and health insurance in advance

Story Productions is happy to give solid, expert advice on any of the topics above, and we regularly provide location scout reports and technical scout reports for our clients during pre-production.
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About filming in the Amazon

More about filming in Brazil

For production tips and location spotlights browse the sections below
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