Documentary making with the Z6III and Jan Vincent Kleine

“In the first documentary, it was mostly just Trojka and me,” says Jan Vincent Kleine. “At -20°C, with wind and distance to cover, the motivation to walk ahead, set up the camera, then go back and do it all again is limited. I had to constantly balance moving forward with documenting the journey. In this second part, things became much easier, as my girlfriend June was also able to capture the human side of the story. It wasn’t just about covering distance – it was about experiencing that time together and getting to know each other. So while the film is still about the project, there’s a love story woven into it, too.”

Along with the Nikon Z8, Jan Vincent Kleine and June used the Z6III. Here, he shares his practical tips and tricks for filming a documentary.

Pack quality over quantity

In an environment like this and where the journey comes first, the last thing I want is to baby the equipment. I don’t want to worry if it’s too cold, too wet or if it might take a knock. It just has to work. From -30°C, where the screen starts to freeze, to accidentally driving over the camera bag with a Sprinter van, Nikon has never let me down.

Plus a project like this needs a set-up that’s nimble, robust and most importantly lightweight. We’re carrying for thousands of kilometres through all seasons, so being able to record everything at full quality is critical. I couldn’t carry a tripod or gimbal, so everything had to be handheld. Thankfully, the Z6III has incredible in-camera stabilisation, so many clips look as if they were locked off on a tripod. The only real limit I hit was strapping the camera to the bike handlebars, but a bit of roughness adds to the authenticity. The Z6III is so capable that even a small crew can achieve incredible results.

For lenses we used the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S on the Z8 because it is flexible and portable and the image quality is incredible. We used the NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 on the Z6III, because it’s a joy to use – so simple and light.

Get AF under your thumb

Out of the box, cameras can feel a bit limiting for how I work, so I customise the controls, in particular AF mode, so I can switch between fast focus and a slower, more cinematic focus pull while filming. My go-to set-up is AF-C with 3D Tracking and Subject Recognition, using the back button AF ON. It is a powerful combination that lets me nail focus on portraits, the dog or landscapes, all without moving a single AF point or switching modes.

Bend the 180° rule for handheld clips

One of the great things about these two bodies is they share such similar controls and film quality that switching between them came with no trade-offs. As a general rule, cinema aims for a 180° shutter, so at 24 or 25fps, you’re filming at 1/50 sec to get that natural motion blur we’re used to. But that can be hard to stabilise in post if the footage is shaky. I’m not carrying a gimbal or constantly screwing ND filters on and off, and when you’re filming while walking or skiing, your hands aren’t steady. So I adapt. If the light and conditions allow, I aim for the cinematic look. If not, I go faster so the footage can be stabilised later. This isn’t a polished commercial. It’s a raw, personal documentary, and capturing the moment will always matter more than chasing the perfect image.

Leave headroom to avoid audio clipping

I brought a RØDE Wireless Pro set-up with me, as it’s the lightest and easiest way to record conversations and thoughts in good quality. We each kept a transmitter in a pocket, so set-up took maybe ten seconds, and outside, unless it’s totally calm, a deadcat (wind cover) was a must.

The main concern is getting levels right. You don’t want the mic or camera’s analogue-to-digital converter too loud or it will clip, and you cannot fix that later. Too low, and you will have to boost it in post, which introduces noise. Normal talking might hover around -20dB, but laughter or strong consonants can jump over 10dB, so try to keep average levels around -20 and peaks just under -6dB to avoid clipping while still getting good sound. I usually set the camera’s input gain between 1 and 4 with my mic set-ups, and I always keep an eye on the camera’s level metres. As a safety net, the RØDE Wireless Pro transceivers record 32 bit float internally, so even if something goes wrong with the camera input I have clean audio. When I use the RØDE VideoMic NTG, I enable the -20dB safety channel. It is a handy fallback.

Compromise between image quality and file size

We generally filmed in 4K 25fps, H.265, 10-bit, using either the flat profile or N-Log. For me, that’s the best compromise between file size and image quality. And honestly, the quality is amazing, more than enough for a project like this. In certain situations, I’ll go up to 6K on the Z6III, usually if the camera is locked off and I want extra resolution to crop in or do slow virtual camera moves in post, such as during interviews. It gives incredible detail and dynamic range, even without resorting to RAW. RAW has its place on commercial or short projects where file size is not an issue, but there is no need to use it just for the sake of it. I am very happy with the H.265 footage. On a modern MacBook Pro, it decodes smoothly in Final Cut Pro with effortless timeline scrubbing.

Let perspective and pace guide your edit

Because I’m both living the experience and trying to capture it, I can’t fully step back and observe it from the outside. That means I have to be careful not to assume the audience knows what I know: the context, the emotions, the significance of a moment. So I have to shift my perspective, especially in the edit, and ask: “Am I taking the audience with me or leaving them behind?”

Also think carefully about the film’s pacing. For me, two things shaped it here. First, I’m not a fan of the hyper-fast editing we see on social media, where scenes fly past just to hold attention. That speed is covering for a lack of story. Second, a trip like this slows you down. You leave behind all the rush. It’s just the big landscape and the small you. That has a calming effect, and I wanted the film’s rhythm to reflect that. Even my voice is slower. The only fast-paced section is the cycling, because that part was different, closer to civilisation, noisier, quicker. So I edited it with a road-trip energy to reflect how it really felt. It also gave the film a natural tempo shift in the middle, which helps the quieter moments land more powerfully afterwards.

Top tips for documentary-making success

1. Use the histogram when filming snow

In bright snow, conditions can be intense. We wear glacier sunglasses, but it’s a pain to keep taking them off. What really helped was the Z6III’s bright EVF combined with the DCI-P3 colour gamut. Even through tinted lenses, I could still see colours and contrast clearly enough to judge a scene. With older EVFs, it can be like looking into a dim tunnel. However, when it comes to exposure in snow, I always advise relying heavily on the histogram and waveform.

Read more: Decoding the histogram  

2. Use slow-mo sparingly

I included a few slow-motion clips, but not many. The goal is to keep it real and candid, just Trojka running – which is too fast to really see in real time – and reindeer moving around us. Those moments give the viewer the same sense of awe we felt. It also helps keep things steady when filming at the long end of the zoom.

Read more: Filming slow-mo with the Nikon Z6III – an advanced guide

3. Keep batteries warm and dry

You should not charge lithium batteries below 0°C, so every other night I charged mine inside my sleeping bag using two 20,000mAh power banks and a lightweight USB charger. They don’t lose their charge in the cold, but the voltage drops, so I keep spares inside my jacket, but not directly against my skin, so they stay dry and avoid condensation when swapped in.

4. Copy, stash, ship, repeat

I really like that both cameras can copy files internally from one card slot to the other, so every week I’d copy everything from the CF Express card on to an SD, then bury it deep in my backpack. Once a month, I’d send one of those SD cards home during a resupply stop – a simple but effective second backup.

5. Shape your story in post

On a project like this, which takes months and has no guaranteed outcome, you can’t follow a script and trying to would make it less genuine. Instead of planning specific scenes, focus on filming the transitions that connect them. For example, if we’re talking in the tent, I’ll also film arriving at camp, setting up, making dinner, etc, so later I can build a scene that carries the viewer along.

6. Streamline your colour workflow

I like using a colour-grading plugin called FilmConvert Nitrate. It gives a really nice, filmic look that works well as a base for further grading. It also handles the Rec. 709 conversion internally. It is normally done using LUTs, but here it’s built in.

Read more: Exclusive LUTs give Nikon owners a little bit of RED magic