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UPDATE ON CURRENT WILDLIFE FILM ACADEMY STUDENTS Armed with the theoretical knowledge gained from two weeks of lectures, the students were excited to pack their bags and head off to the Kruger National Park, where they would spend long days out in the bush working on their unique story ideas.
Filming leopard, sable antelope, and large herds of buffalo were some of those extraordinary experiences, but finding a fresh buffalo kill on a bush walk, discovered by the working dog that accompanied the trails guide, must have been the most exhilarating moment of the trip. The lions had just left the carcass earlier that morning, and were most likely still in the surrounding area. Equipped with their cameras and tripods the students walked through a stunning drainage line, finding fresh footprints and scent marks of the lions. But, and perhaps fortunately, they were not spotted.
A feeding frenzy of vultures, crocodiles approaching impalas
drinking, elephants chasing hippos out of the water, and
beautiful sunsets surrounding us all resulted in unique footage
that the students will now put together in their final film
projects. As always the bush was exhilarating, relaxing and
inspiring, and a successful field trip was had by all.
SCREENING OF STUDENT WILDLIFE FILMS - NEW VENUE The students on the current course will be screening their films, at a NEW venue, the CityVarsity Cinema in Kloof Street Gardens, on Friday 15 August from 14h00 – 16h00.
Each student will present their 5 minute film, make mention of their highlights and challenges during production, and answer questions from the audience. There is no charge, however to secure a seat email info@wildlifefilmacademy.com or call 021 422 0012.
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NEWS FROM FILMMAKERS IN THE
FIELD
The Wildlife Film Academy interviewed Naturalist Lyndal Davies, who started her career in television as a television journalist at Network Ten, Sydney, Australia. It was during her time as the environmental reporter that she moved into making wildlife documentaries.
In recent years Lyndal has moved from directing and writing documentaries back into the field of presenting. She teamed up with Oxford Scientific Films to make a new series for Animal Planet called Lyndal's Lifeline – a programme format she conceptualised.
Lyndal has also presented various other titles for Animal Planet
including
Tsunami: Animal Instincts, Jungle Orphans, World's Favourite
Animal, Animal People and the 3 part series
Animals Did it First.
"I have just completed a 15 x 30 minute series for Animal Planet called Shamwari: A Wild Life. This follows the lives of people living and working on a game reserve. We have a film unit based at Shamwari and we are on call 24 hours a day. So when the action happens, we are in the perfect position to cover it.
One of the Wildlife Film Academy's past students, Jennie Stenhouse, has been working on the production and has proved herself an invaluable member of our team. (Read what Jennie has to say at the end of this newsletter).
Shamwari: A Wild Life is a co-production between Animal Planet and my Australian company Rock Wallaby Productions. It premiers in the UK on Monday 15 September at 8pm and in Europe and South Africa on Monday 29 September at 7pm."
2 What has been your most memorable / hair-raising experience whilst out there filming?
"When working on the Shamwari series we had to translocate 5 lions on a tiny plane to another reserve. The seats had been taken out of the back of the plane and then the tranquilized lions were laid side by side with nothing separating them from us or the pilot. We were practically sitting on top of the lions during the 6 hour flight. But the worst part was one of them started waking up, slowly raising its head, and locked its eyes onto me. Luckily our vet Johan quickly topped up the tranquilizer and it was soon asleep again. A couple of hours later just as I was breathing a sigh of relief as our plane began its final approach one of the large males also started lifting its head. That was certainly one flight I will never forget!
But generally I find the people and places we go to far more dangerous than the animals themselves.
When filming in Sierra Leone just after the civil war had come to an end, rebel forces wielding machine guns tried to pull us out of our car. We managed to drive off. That night on the news we heard 7 people had been shot dead in that very same riot we had been caught in the middle of just hours before.
There was another incident when we were filming the Lyndal's Lifeline series in Brazil. We had joined the locale police force to do a raid on a local market place where they were illegally trading exotic birds. We all had to go undercover and disguise ourselves as locals. It seems we did too good a job. When the police were in position they started pulling out their guns and screaming at the traders to hit the ground. As I turned around to tell my cameraman to get his camera out a policeman had a gun at his head. He thought the bag he was carrying was full of illegal birds rather than a camera!!"
3 What is your advice for newcomers to the industry? "Work hard and be prepared to take risks. The first programmes I ever made I funded myself. I was employed as a journalist at the time but every spare moment, evening, weekends and holidays, I would work on my wildlife documentaries.
Also, you need to come up with an original idea. Before pitching something to a commissioning editor, make sure the idea is fresh or you will be wasting everybody's time (especially yours).
Finally, and most importantly, you have to be passionate about wildlife and animals. This can be a very difficult business to break into and there will be plenty of ups and downs. But I believe if you truly set your mind to something then you will succeed." |
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NHU AFRICA -
LOOKING FOR FOOTAGE
NHU AFRICA, the Natural History Unit of Africa, is looking for stock footage on the Western Lowland Gorilla. Please email lianne@nhuafrica.com if you have any, before 22 August 2008.
HD EQUIPMENT FOR HIRE
The NHU AFRICA (Natural History Unit of Africa), based in Cape Town, has a wide range of equipment, including the latest HD equipment, which is available for hire at vastly discounted rates to help with your budgeting constraints on wildlife and natural history productions. For more information about the rental rates for cameras and other gear email geta@nhuafrica.com or telephone +27 21 422 0012.
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INTERNS AVAILABLE
The Wildlife Film Academy has a number of students who have
completed the wildlife filmmaking course, and are now brimming
with enthusiasm and creative energy and would welcome any
internships in South Africa and abroad. Should you be interested
in employing
an intern please email
info@wildlifefilmacademy.com
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Animal Planet -
www.animalplanet.co.uk
NFVF -
www.nfvf.co.za
Lizard Entertainment -
www.lizardentertainment.co.za
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CONTACT DETAILS
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