In the Field with Tom Walker (& Hyenas)
Celebrating 75 years of production, BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) is the best known and most loved producer of natural history content in the world. With ground-breaking technology and innovation, they reveal to audiences around the world the extraordinary wonders of nature through exceptional storytelling, jaw dropping imagery and cutting-edge science.
To understand the magic of this mission, we went behind-the-scenes with Tom Walker, U.K. based DOP working in natural history filmmaking. In conjunction with BBC Studios, Tom recently completed Sir David Attenborough’s new show Dynasties II: Hyena which is scheduled for release in the UK on April 10.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Sandhu
GSS: What camera, lens and gimbal technology did you use in the field for this shoot?
TW: RED Gemini, Canon 50-1000 in a GSS Cinema Pro 516
GSS: How long did it take to capture what was needed? Did you have “shot list” or did the story unfold as you filmed?
TW: The project filmed over two years, with multiple trips back to the same clan. The idea of Dynasties is to tell the story of individual animals, so to some extent they determine the story and the scripts. It’s less about working from a shotlist and more about covering what happens.
GSS: How did you use the gimbal and camera technology to observe without interfering?
TW: Aside from reading the animal’s behavior, the combination of such a long lens and the gimbal’s performance at the longer focal length allow us to work from a comfortable distance to the animals without causing disturbance.
One of the GSS gimbal’s many uses is its ability to move with the animals by driving alongside them as they move. There are many variables that need to align to result in a comfortable, non-distracting image though and when working off-road, it can be a challenge. More recently, camera movement can be quite overused but when it’s motivated, it really allows us to bring the viewer into the subject’s world and open new possibilities to capture behavior that is otherwise very difficult to achieve with static cameras.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Sandhu
Photo courtesy Aaron Sandhu
GSS: How did you partner with GSS during the shoot?
TW: One issue with working off-road is the demands on the gimbal. Because the system’s primary use was traditionally on helicopters with less physical demands on the system, we had to change the system’s outer axis speed. I did this a couple of years ago with the original 512 gimbal. Working with Steve Rudolph at the GSS Headquarters in California, I helped create some ground tuning profiles by pushing the outer axis response speed. At the beginning of the filming of Hyenas, I worked remotely with the GSS team to create those same profiles in the field with the 516.
GSS: SPOILER ALERT! GSS has now redesigned the 512EX now to include these tuning profiles. Stay “tuned” for more on that.
Why Hyenas?
Hyenas are often misrepresented as being scavengers or villain-like creatures of the night. Dynasties aims to show the world what hyenas truly are. Their social structure, intelligence, resilience, and senses are some of the most advanced in the animal kingdom but are rarely covered in media. Hopefully, people learn something new about these misunderstood animals.
What are some of the most memorable moments of filming the Hyenas project?
Hunts are always high adrenaline and a fun challenge to capture properly. There are a few hunts in the film, but the only one I filmed was the zebra chase. This was the most memorable moment and in typical wildlife fashion, happened on my second to last day on the project.
Dynasties II: Hyena will air in the U.K. on April 10 at 8 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Tom Walker is an award winning cinematographer with over 9 years of experience specialising in natural history. Previous projects include: 7 Worlds One Planet, A Perfect Planet, Planet Earth 2 and various Disney, Netflix and National Geographic films. Learn more at www.tomwalkerphotography.co.uk @tomwalkercam