TransLantau 2026 — crew brief
A proposed three-day shoot on Lantau Island, 13–15 November 2026, following the TransLantau by UTMB races: three camera operators working one camera per place, a small van with a driver, and a crew house in Pui O. This page is the working plan, so you can see exactly what each role does, where, and for how long. Everything is subject to confirmation with the organiser.
We film the races the way they're run — on the move. Each operator works alone at every set-up: 30 to 60 minutes in a place, then a car, a van or a trail to the next one. Nobody stands at the finish line for hours.
- What we're shooting. The TL100 night start, headlamps over the passes, Tai O and Ngong Ping after midnight, dawn on Lantau Peak, the Pui O buffalo flats, three hills, the cut-offs, the winners, golden-hour finishing and the prize-giving. Forty-two set-ups over three days; the only long ones are the summit at dawn, Radio Hill for a whole wave, and the ceremony.
- What we ask of you. Confident handheld documentary shooting, self-sufficient at a location for an hour; fit enough to hike with a camera in a backpack (the big one is Lantau Peak at night: 1.6 km and 520 m of climbing, budgeted at 90–100 minutes); one of the two operators works a night shift. Lighting is a headlamp and a very small LED — nothing heavier.
- What we provide. Transport door to door (the Director's car or the van with driver — walking only where vehicles cannot go); a shared crew house in Pui O with a bed for everyone coming from off-island; food and drinks in the house and in the vehicles; a meal break in every shift; at least 11 hours between shifts.
Winner windows
| Race | Estimate | Fixed cam window | Trigger (LiveTrail) | Coverage |
|---|
Estimates use a first-runner factor on the organiser's "fastest" times (TL100 ×1.05, TL50 ×1.40, TL25 ×1.52, TL15 ×1.33). Women's windows assume a 1.15–1.20 ratio to the men's time; confirm field depth with the organiser.
Hikes at crew pace
| From → to | km · m | Runners | Crew (light kit) | Surface |
|---|
Crew minutes assume one operator carrying a camera, lenses, batteries and a small LED in a lightweight backpack, a headlamp at night, and a rest stop on the long climbs. Add 20 % for a gimbal rig.
How we'll work
Vehicles. The Director drives his own car; a hired small van with a driver carries the other operators and holds food, water and spare batteries. No taxis, no buses. The driver drives and nothing else — cameras stay with camera people.
Walking. Only where a vehicle cannot go: Tai O car park to the waterfront (12 min), Ngong Ping car park to the Big Buddha (8 min), the Shek Pik and Ham Tin lay-bys (3–5 min), and the planned hikes — Lantau Peak, Radio Hill, Lo Yan Shan, the Olympic Trail. Everything else is door to door.
Base. A crew house in Pui O (Mui Wo 10 min, Ham Tin 5, Pak Kung Au 12–20, Ngong Ping 25–30, Tai O 45). If the base moves to Mui Wo or Tung Chung, only the Friday west run and the Saturday morning call change.
What to bring. A camera and lenses you are fast with handheld (we will confirm the camera package and media with you), batteries for a full night, a lightweight backpack, headlamp, a small LED, rain shell, trail shoes, warm layer for the summit. Leave the tripod and lights at home unless you are on the fixed camera.
Still being confirmed. Wave starts, media accreditation and arch access, the prize-giving time, and the crew house. The plan will move a little as these land; the shape of it will not.
Interested? Send a reel and your availability for 13–15 November through the contact page. Fixed-camera and driver enquiries welcome too.