We’re often reminded how lucky we are to be a part of a video production company on Vancouver Island and this project will always stand out.

Over the past summer, we took a trip into the backcountry on Vargas Island which is the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousat, and Hesquiaht nations. We wanted to capture the experience of being on the island while showcasing the unique natural beauty of the area. Without any location scouting and a limited power supply, we had to plan our shoot with as much flexibility as possible.

The trip started with a spectacular flight over Tofino and was met with an unexpected turn of events but we were left with an unforgettable experience and some spectacular footage. 

For any adventure filmmakers, we even included our packing list at the bottom!

We acknowledge that we live, work and create on the traditional territory of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ nations. 

Vargas Island

Whether you’re going by water or air, Vargas Island is a beautiful 7km trip from Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The island is a photographer’s dream; sandy beaches, layered mountains, lush vegetation, and islands dotting the coast. Most of the island is now part of Vargas Island Provincial Park but there are several smaller private lots along the coast. The island even features a surf break if you’re interested in getting away from the crowds of Mackenzie or Long Beach.

Note: We were warned several times about wolves on the island, but didn’t see any ourselves. I would still recommend taking the necessary precautions and being smart about your food storage. The only surprise encounter we did have was with cell service and 5g data on our phones!

Ocean view on Vargas Island

Day 1 – Arriving in Tofino

We left Victoria at 4 am and began the journey up towards Tofino. After a quick stop in Port Alberni, we were able to get past the construction at Kennedy Hill without much of a wait. With a little extra time, we stopped at Long Beach to watch some surfers and review our shooting schedule for the day before heading to the airport.

Atleo airlines took us on an amazing flight and they even took one of the doors off so we could get better aerial shots (my first experience hanging out of a helicopter while filming and loved every minute of it). We did a couple of laps around Tofino and circled Lone Dome before making a beach landing on Vargas. We’re fortunate that our pilot mentioned that low cloud cover could prevent a pick-up on Day 3 because if we didn’t catch this we could easily have missed another shoot we had scheduled back in Victoria.

After arriving, our priority was setting up shelter and tying up our food supply before getting any shots. While filming, we prioritized the beach area closer to our camp so we could venture out further on Day 2. The skies were clear and we weren’t sure if it would stay so we took off with our drone to catch at least one golden hour. Since we were filming on private property, we were able to launch without any issues and caught some amazing footage of the island at sunset.

Helicopter shots on Vargas

Day 2 – Turn of Events

Since we did have cell service, we were able to text the helicopter pilot about the incoming weather and he recommended an early pick up at 3 pm. This caught us off guard since we still had a day and a half of shooting planned, which we now had to cram into 8 hours.

Some clouds rolled in over the morning and we used this as an opportunity to get several close-ups of various features around the property with soft lighting. Often when you’re shooting in nature, it’s easy to get caught up with the beautiful landscapes and forget about the little details that you’re experiencing. For us, it was the ocean breeze through the grass, the shell beach crunching under our feet, and waves crashing on the rocky shore that completed the experience.

Luckily, we still had enough time to venture into the forest where we found a mossy creek full of ferns and fallen trees. We decided to risk a flight under the canopy with our drones. This is a technique that a lot of people don’t think to use; drones are great for landscapes but they’re so much more versatile than that. We ended up with some unique gimbal-like shots under the canopy that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

With our last hour, we went snorkeling and grabbed some underwater shots before heading back over to the pick-up spot. For anyone who ever wants to film a helicopter landing on a beach, I would strongly encourage you to use a cover for your camera.

Day 3 – A Blank Sheet

So unfortunately, this 3-day trip became a 2-day trip and Day 3 was spent charging batteries, cleaning out sand from everywhere and backing up our 730 GB of footage. This shoot was a really unique opportunity for us and was a great chance to put our pre-production process to the test. Had we not shot listed and scheduled our time out accordingly, we wouldn’t have been able to re-adjust or could have potentially missed some crucial shots.

Bonus Packing List

For anyone interested in backcountry filmmaking, here’s our packing list:

Camera Gear

      • Blackmagic Pocket 6k Pro
      • V Mount Batteries
      • Sigma 18-35
      • Canon 24-105
      • Rain Cover
      • DJI Mavic Air 2S
      • DJI Mavic Mini
      • GoPro Hero 7 Black
      • 500GB Samsung SSD’s
      • Various SD & Micro SD cards
      • Microfiber cloths
      • Lens Blower/Cleaner
      • Camera Brush
      • Tripod

Camping Gear

      • Tent
      • Headlamps
      • Backpacks
      • First Aid Kit
      • Rain Jackets
      • Hiking Boots
      • Sleeping Bags
      • Thermal layers
      • Sleeping Pad
      • Rope
      • Dry Bags
      • Stovetop
      • Propane
      • Pots and Pans
      • Rain jacket

Food

      • Water 
      • Water purifying tablets
      • Several Backcountry meals
      • Clif Bars
      • Pita & Hummus
      • Oatmeal
      • Flavoured Electrolyte Mix
      • Coffee
      • Trail Mix