Ginger Productions has trained adventurer Ed Stafford to self-shoot with a HVR A1E handycam for an epic trek along the river Amazon.

The walk has never been attempted before and more than 300 hours of HDV material, representing over 300 tapes, will be dispatched by Stafford at intervals back to Ginger for logging and editing into a documentary.

Stafford is carrying two A1s charged by solar cells. Ginger and a series of sponsors are funding the project, which has yet to secure a commission but executive producer Ed Stobart claims to have received interest from “a major terrestrial broadcaster.”

“The images are extraordinary and by working without a crew the story is extremely raw and authentic,” Stobart says. “It could make a series, a 90-minute single or even be blown up for feature release.”

The producer trained Stafford in Dulwich woods prior to the expedition.

“We stressed the grammar of filmmaking,” says Stobart. “To be bold using his body to track shots, to tell a story with establishing shots and to use lots of close-ups. The camera is a perfect combination of weight, ease of use and image quality.”

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