Taking DV tapes on a plane

Shawn

Shawn

Hey, maybe a silly question, but I just want to confirm: There's no danger of my DV tapes being damaged if they get sent through an X-ray machine at the airport is there? I'm flying home on Saturday, and I would probably have to kill myself if my entire movie got erased because of something stupid. Haven't had a chance to make copies or get everything on my hard drive yet, so I'm a bit paranoid and overprotective. A fast reply would be really appreciated because I leave in a couple days. Thanks a bunch!
Shawn
 
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I've personally not seen a problem with magnetic tape, including DV tape, from airport scanners. However, scanners do vary, and if you want to be very safe, remove your tapes and ask that they be manually inspected. Unfortunately, the security climate keeps changing, so your results may vary. My experience with the screeners is that they will humor me, if I approach them with proper humility.

Do NOT let your tapes go through the baggage screening/X-ray process (the luggage scanning for non-carry-on luggage), that is more powerful and much more likely to damage magnetic media.

Since I don't fly much anymore, I searched and found this, helpful post (quoted here without permission) ...
Traveling with tape? Since 9/11 I have logged about 50,000 air miles. I shoot both video and still photos. My experience with security has generally been good. The information that says X-Ray will not damage videotape is based on the fact that video is a magnetic medium and not emulsion based light sensitive silver halide film. With that said I am still too paranoid to place videotape in my checked luggage. As a magnetic medium we all kno we should protect it from magnetic exposure such as electrical motors. I wonder if Michael’s drop-outs could have been caused by his luggage being paused near some source of magnetic interference? Just a wild theory, but food for thought? Not knowing what happens to my tape through the entire handling process is enough for me to keep it with me.

My traveling system is to carry the XL1 by hand, out of the case, onto the plane. It sits between my feet, or on my lap for take off and landing. The tape and other job critical items are in a carry-on bag. By having the camera out of a bag I never get hassled about having it and a carry on bag.

I believe the official TSA rules are that you have the right to not have your film x-rayed. In practice, I have found this to not be true. On many occasions security has just flat out told me it is the law, everything must be x-rayed, including my 35mm film, which can be damaged. Even though I request a hand search, my videotape has never been damaged when they do x-ray it.

And of course international travel is a different story, Canadian Customs is hard enough to get through, shopping for tape in Mexico, tough.

Sorry I wrote a novel here.
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I had a friend who had gone to Japan to work on a documentary.. he was shooting film, so he was travelling with a bolex and a bunch of canisters of film stock. Apparently, the security folk have dealt with it before, because there was someone available to hand inspect his camera and film stock.. he said the guy set up the little light-proof "pop-tent" of a changing bag, and went to work making sure there wasn't a bomb or anything in the camera.

I would agree that if you let them know you're concerned about your tapes, they will examine them by hand. Keep in mind though, that likely means they'll be hand inspecting ALL of your carry on luggage (and you) as well, so be prepared to spend a few extra minutes at the security checkpoint.

It's all relatively painless. I've been hand examined the last several times I've flown, I think because for a while there I was flying one way trips back home every couple of days as I was working driving trucks across the country to their destinations. Most of the screeners I've run across have been very friendly, and easy to deal with. The bottom line is that as long as you're not trying to smuggle anything on the plane, you have nothing to worry about...

So, unless you're traveling at a VERY busy time of year, on a VERY busy day, on a VERY busy flight that you're VERY late for.. it shouldn't be a problem to get them to take the extra care to protect your gear and tapes. Definitely worth it -- if for nothing other than piece of mind. :)
 
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LOL! Spatula, you're a card, but don't make any jokes with the security staff at the airport! I did that once, a long time ago, and they almost locked me up.

"No maam, the FBI doesn't have a sense of humor... that we're aware of."
 
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