Run three action cameras on my rig and enjoy compiling the videos but I can't seem to get the right angle to view the entire jeep and its surroundings without

A) buying a drone

B) mounting camera to CB antenna lol

C) welding a massive Selfie Stick to one of the corners of the Jeep! Haha

Any suggestions?

I'll politely ask all the smart asses to refrain from commenting....

 

Here is some of my gear.

 

Hope you don't take this as one of those "smartass" comments, but you sound like you want to get some better quality videos so I offer this advice with that in mind. Take a friend/spouse/significant other/kid with you and on occasion put him/her outside your Jeep shooting it (or vice versa, letting him drive). If you're by yourself, mount a camera on a tripod before driving by (there's even a GoPro adapter for a standard 1/4-20 tripod head thread). Honestly, though, you'd be better if he used other than a GoPro camera, too, so you can get some different image perspectives. And throw in some B-roll video: Short shots of the surrounding scenery, a hand turning the ignition switch, a tire close-up as it crosses a muddy stretch, etc. Think about how "real" movies are made and follow some of their techniques. Not saying my movies are a paragon of best practices (I'm still a beginning moviemaker, though I have five decades of still photography background), but you can see some of this at work in many of my videos ...

I rode as dedicated videographer on this trip ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFjr3hSzEu4 We did not have an extra person on this trip, but with multiple vehicles I was able to get some shots of the other vehicles from an occasional different perspective than a vehicle-mounted GoPro ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IldVX63Z8D4 I was by myself, so had to use an unmanned tripod-mounted camera to get some of the shots ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_60c5_oMI

 

Oh, and getting those outside shots is time consuming. In fact, even using multiple GoPro cameras is time consuming unless you just turn them on let them record until the batteries run dead--a technique I strongly recommend against because videos made with just the entire length of the shoot tend to be pretty boring. Or you spend time in post watching every minute that you recorded to boil it down to the 10-15 that are actually worth including in a final video product. Plus you have to deal with recharging batteries. And while you can get extra batteries so you always have one charged, each time you change the battery the GoPro loses its time/date setting, so you spend yet more time inputting that back into the device or else you can't use software tools during post that let you properly order videos shot from multiple cameras. Bottom line is you'll want to reduce the time spent setting up shots, so pick your shots carefully. In this video, starting about 5:24 is one of my favorite shots ever. Again, I was dedicated videographer. This shot took about a half hour to set up and shoot, but it really gives perspective to the area we were traveling, and does include my Jeep ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHsvKCfP7DA&list=PLNmyT4ZqfdQmacIYAxCr1xZL58bL6ON2J#t=324

 

I have placed my camera on other jeeps to get ours going over and through obstacles. Two or three cameras work best for splicing in the different perspectives.

Do like the selfie stick idea.

 

I'm want to buy a Go Pro and maybe some other type of video camera to record some trips in the near future. What other options other than a Go Pro would you suggest looking into getting to record video?

 

Depends on how much money you want to spend. Even the most basic HDSLRs have pretty amazing video capabilities these days. This is pretty typical of what's out there, with a basic kit lens. It will record HD video ...

Amazon.com : Canon EOS Rebel T5 EF-S 18-55mm IS II Digital SLR Kit : Electronics

If you want to spend more, well, the sky is the limit. I have about as much in photo gear as I do in my Jeep. And I mean that quite literally. And while my gear is quite excellent for amateur work, it's nowhere near top of the line where the money spent on a single cinematic lens can buy you an exotic super car.