There is a lot of good advise given out on this forum every day. The next sentence may be the beas advice you see here IMHO. Have a PROFESSIONAL videographer video your Safari. Based on a recommendation of Ivan Carter [also a PH with HHK] I retained Ian Lewis of Harare Zimbabwe www.safarivideos.com to video my Safari. I was introduced to him at the Dallas Safari show. I am very glad I did for several reasons. He is a very fun person to be around. We have become good friends, I enjoyed his company very much. His film work is very good. Several of the shots were high speed in the thick jess and he did a remarkable job in "getting the shot". We visited with several other PH's and other clients during my 21 day safari and showed some of the key adventures durring lunch and dinner. It is wonderful to relive the experience of an exciting stalk, [whether a shot is taken or not] and especially exciting to relive the shots fired. I would NEVER consider going on another Safari without a Videographer. I think highly enough of Ians work that I will plan my safari dates around any of his prior bookings if necessary. He was also very good at tracking, and spotting animals and contributed a lot to the Safari.
I am already making plans for future hunts and I plan on Wayne Edwards [PH] and Ian Lewis PV [Professional Videographer] being there.
His policy is to provide you with ALL the Raw footage ASAP Then he edits and produces a professional hunting video that lasts an hour or so that you can show to your buddies. I especially like the fact tha I am getting all the Raw footage as there were so many hours filmed that I can show those that are really wanting to know all the little details of how the hunt went day by day as well as wanting to see them again myself.
It is "almost" as much fun for me to watch the video as it was to do it in "real time". For me it was the best money I spent.

I agree completely. Our first African safari was with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris and we had their Dark Continent Video subsidiary video our hunt.

We received a copy of all the raw footage and a very professionally edited 90 minute video and DVD complete with appropriate and interesting African music, nice maps showing our travel routes and hunting destinations and title pages between segments. Everyone that has seen it, hunters and non-hunters alike, has enjoyed it immensely.

As you said, it was a very worthwhile investment that has allowed us to relive the experience whenever we choose.

We have made three more African hunts since then and I have taken many hours of videotape during each of these hunts. However, as a hunter, there is no way that you can get the same quality video as a professional videographer. And, of course, you cannot film your own shots or stalks very effectively while hunting. PHs will sometimes take the camera and shoot some video, but generally they cannot be distracted by video cameras during a hunt.

On future hunts, we too will make arrangements to have a PV along. During our recent trip to Namibia we tried to contract a PV recommended by our PH, but unfortunately we waited too long and he was already booked.

That video sounds like a great investment to have made. If I'm not mistaken, I think it was Ian that was in my camp in Chrisa for 2 days when he was filming the hunt of a guy from Colgne, Germany. During the evenings it was a real treat to be able to see the experiences they had enjoyed that day (Including a buffalo hunt where it took 10 well-placed shots to finally kill a nice bull). He also shared with us some other hunts, including one where an old man was hunting a big bull elephant and had him charge to within maybe 6-7 yards before going down. The hunter was firing wildly, clearly over the ele's head, as the PH shot and dropped the bull before letting the old man stand on and boast of "his" great kill.

The filming of a hunt sounds great and something that I'm considering on my next trip. The PV in Chirisa (again, which I think was Ian) had never worked with a customer in Tanzania. He wanted to go with me on that hunt, but I need to find out if TGTS has internal arrangements for such services before bringing in someone else. Anyway, I very much enjoyed your thoughts on this issue and you're definitely helping me decide on whether or not to do it!

What's the cost?

The standard fee is $250.00 per day,Fees are negotible, and depend on such things as length of the hunt and how the videographer will get to camp. This includes all materials, tapes DVD's etc, AND the most time consuming technical factor of all editing the final product. HHK let him stay in camp for free. He flew in and out of Harare on my charter, which I was already paying for and did not cost me any extra. While I have not seen all the raw footage, he taped quite a bit of stuff, the "prime" scenes we reviewed in camp have proven to me it was worth every penny.

Spring
You may be correct. I know Ian has done a video in Charisa with a German Client.