House Hunters International – Off The Grid

In May 2015 I traveled to Belize for a week in the rainforest to shoot House Hunters International: Off The Grid. The spinoff follows buyers specifically looking for properties with no connection to public utilities — solar power only, rain-catchment water, composting systems. The homes are typically remote, the access roads are rough, and the production logistics are genuinely challenging.

Shooting a week in the Belizean jungle means solving for power, heat, humidity, and equipment safety before you start solving for audio. Condensation is a real concern for microphones and wireless gear in that environment. I kept the Lectrosonics transmitters sealed when not rolling and paid attention to humidity exposure on the Sanken lavs. The local crew was great and we worked out a system that kept everything running reliably through the week.

The format puts buyers in properties without air conditioning, without road noise, and without the familiar acoustic blanket of a city environment — which actually makes for some of the cleaner exterior recording I’ve done. Jungle ambient has texture, but it’s consistent. Rain was the wild card; when it came down, it came down hard.

Look for the “Better in Belize” episode on HGTV.