Road Trip Camcorder Tips
By the Editors at RoadsideAmerica.com
1) First Person Inspiration
When we see a crazy homemade building, or collection of unusual items in an obscure museum, we often wonder what inspired its creator. We usually stick a camera in the guy's face. He might open up, or he might just repeat the same thing he'd told every visitor for the last 20 years.
But there's an intriguing new possibility presented by using a small, digital camcorder. We just turned on the Small Wonder and handed it to a few owners and curators of roadside attractions. They wandered off into their chaotic worlds of welded scrap metal or freak animal taxidermy, and started to tell their stories to the camcorder. Some acted like it was a handy way to document their attraction; others acted as if it was a special friend.
At Truckhenge, in Topeka, Kansas, creator Ron Lessman immediately took to it. He strolled and yammered among his upended trucks and works of art.
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At the Battle Hill Natural History Museum in Battle Creek, Iowa, curator and
expert guide Dennis Laughlin was more considered in his shots, recording
his elephant skeleton, a room full of stuffed birds, and a homemade cave in
the museum basement. Then he
darted
out the front door and drove off on his ATV with the Small Wonder.
He soon returned, with exciting footage of the outside of the building. We didn't worry much, because Small Wonder camcorders are relatively inexpensive, and if he never came back, one of the museum's two-headed pig specimens would fetch a decent price on eBay.
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Note: Not all curators and tour guides may wish to participate and shoot with your RCA Small Wonder. Always be polite at roadside attractions.
