Recent Films
MEERKAT MANOR, Series 1
Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International, 13x 30mins
Series cameraman
*NOMINATED FOR 2007 EMMY CINEMATOGRAPHY & EDITING AWARDS*
Filmed on the Kuruman River Reserve in South Africa, the series follows the fortunes of the 'Whiskers' group over a six month period. The storylines were very character based and driven by the real-life events that occured within the group; a rich blend of births, deaths, challenges and rivalries. Meerkat Manor as a brand has been extremely popular; breaking Animal Planet viewing figure records when first broadcast in the USA and nearly reaching the 4-million mark during its run on BBC2.
The first series of Meerkat Manor won the 'Gold Statue' for cinematography at the Omni Awards and has been nominated for cinematography at the 2007 EMMY Awards.
For an article about the filming of Meerkat Manor, Series One, click here.
ELLA; A MEERKAT'S TALE
Oxford Scientific Films for BBC2's Natural World strand, 1x 50min
Producer / Cameraman
The true story of six months in the life of Ella, a young female meerkat and daughter of the group's tyrannical leader. Ella breaks one of the 'golden rules' of meerkat society by becoming pregnant - typically breeding rights are restricted purely to the dominant pair within a group. The birth of Ella's pups sets in motion a chain of events that sees her loosing two of her pups and becoming brutally evicted from the group. Just as all seems lost, a stroke of good fortune allows her back into her family and she briefly becomes their leader, only to be ousted by her own mother and forced back into the wilderness.
'Ella; A Meerkat's Tale' achieved the second highest ' Audience Appreciation Index' rating of the '05-'06 Natural World run and the highest rating on the Sunday night broadcast slot.
MOOSE ON THE LOOSE
BBC Natural History Unit for BBC2's Natural World strand, 1x 50min
Director / cameraman
Radio Times 'Pick of the Day' & 'Moment of the Week'
This is the extraordinary story of the the urban wildlife of Anchorage, Alaksa. A modern American city where 1,000 moose, 200 brown bears, 60 grizzly bears, 5 wolf packs and a whole host of other wildlife lives cheek by jowl with 250,000 human residents. Rick Sinnott and Jessy Coltrane are the Alaska Department of Fish & Game biologists who are in charge of keeping the the potentially chaotic situation under control.
But Rick and Jessy do much more than damage limitation, they are pioneers of a groundbreaking new approach to conservation. Based on the idea that preserving biodiversity on our increasingly urbanised planet depends on our relationship with 'wildness', Rick and Jesse believe that, wherever possible, humans and wild animals should live side by side. The wildlife benefits from this approach as it can move into and exploit urban niches as their natural habitat become increasingly pressured. While who would deny that it is good for the human soul to live alongside some of the most charismatic animals in North America?
This approach to conservation requires extremely skillfull management, and during the year it took to make the film Rick & Jessy were tested to the limit.
For an article about this film click here.
'Moose on the Loose' was Radio Times 'pick of the day' and had their 'moment of the week' together with an 'inside story' feature. It also featured prominently in other national press including a full page spread in the Daily Mail. 'Moose on the Loose' achieved an AI of 84. Here is a nice review from The Times on 14th April 2007:
GANGES; DAUGHTER OF THE MOUNTAINS
BBC Natural History Unit, 3x 50 min
Series starts on 5th August 2007 at 21.00 on BBC2
Principal cameraman on programme 1, sequence cameraman on Programmes 2 & 3
An epic three part series celebrating the natural history, history, and culture that surrounds the Ganges river, to coencide with the 60th anniversary of Indian independence.
I have mainly been working on programme 1, which covers the story from the source of the river in the high Himalayas to the point at which it reaches the floodplains at Haridwar. Programme 2 covers the central plains of India and Programme 3 covers the Ganges delta.
The Daily Telegraph described the photography of programme 1 as 'breathtaking' in their TV suppliment.
Origionated on HD
BEAR MAN
1x 50min, Aqua Vita Films for National Geographic & Channel 5
Broadcast in February 2008
Principal cameraman
A film about the work of Ben Kilham and his insights into the world of the black bear. A mixture of natural history and observational documentary filming work.
The film covers Ben's work on bear social behaviour and his groundbreaking approach to dealing with bears that have become accustomed to coming into urban areas and feeding on leftover human food.
Origionated on HD
SNOW MONKEYS
1x 50 minute Natural World film for BBC2 & Animal Planet
Director / Cameraman
Broadcast on BBC2 & BBC HD on the 13th & 15th February 2009
Radio Times 'Pick of the Day'
Snow Monkeys is the story of one of the most iconic groups of primates on the planet; the Japanese Macaques which inhabit the mountains of Honshu. These are the most northerly living non-human primates on earth, and are famous for their winter pass-times of bathing in hot springs and rolling snowballs.
But there is much for to these remarkable animals than hot baths.
We follow Japanese primatologist Dr. Takayo Soma as she tracks the fortunes of three groups of these incredible animals, each with very different fortunes and challenges.
Origionated on HD
HONEYPOT ANTS
1x 60 minute Natural World film for BBC2 & Animal Planet
Currently in production for delivery 2010 / 2011
Director / Cameraman
The fantastic story of the Honeypot ants that live in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona.
Groundbreaking macro, revelatory behaviour and breathtaking scenery combine in this remarkable film.
Shot on HD using P2 Varicam