Survival - Meerkats

This was a big shoot.
My first shoot for the BBC's new landmark bluechip series - Survival.
Did a lot of planning for this with my friend Sophie Lanfear.We were to film meerkats which have been filmed a lot before. We wanted to be more intimate, more involved in their life's and to film it in such a way nobody had done before.
We came up with inverting a steadicam and putting the new red epic on the bottom, so that we would be operating an inch from the floor in their world.

We were using prime lenses with a wee depth of field so with wireless gearing , Sophie was in charge of aperture and focus. It was a real team effort and we practised on stuffed toys being dragged around on strings and pulling focus between Colman's mustard tins and marmalade jars placed around the room.


All good practise but nothing to carting that lot around in 40 degree heat for 6 hrs.

the buggy

Sophie's ingenious solution was 'the beach buggy' , yes we looked like very lost golfers, but it worked !

It was a five week shoot and just the two of us, so fairly full on. Luckily  I'm very funny and charming which helped a lot !
We were based in the southern Kalahari near the Botswana border. The meerkats have been studied for over twenty years so Completely habituated.
We would be up at 4.30 and finished downloading and cleaning at 8 ish every night.
It was a lot of graft but huge fun as well.


Our meerkat project guide became a good friend called joff. Soph and him were both meerkat experts so as per usual I felt like the dunce in the corner.

the experts

We had some amazing moments. Filming an adult teaching a pup to disable a scorpion with the steadicam at 240 frames a second and being in the middle of it  as thirty five meerkats mobbed a cape cobra was such a buzz.






The meerkats are such social interesting, entertaining creatures, you never tire of them and just hanging out with them in the middle of the day gave such pleasure.
And if you sit still long enough you'll get a look out on your head.

Really looking forward to working more on this impressive series.Definitely my favourite shoot for a long time.
Can't wait to get back out there for planet earth live 

Meerkats

This was my second shoot for the animal Einstein’s series.

only a week but what a glorious one.

We were based in South Africa up on the Botswana border at a long term Meerkat research project.

clear rippled dunes rose from bleached grass and scrub.

Here the little guys were completely habituated and ignored us completely, which I found a delight.

Rich was again doing sound, Jo the wonderful series producer was here. Sophie was directing and liz was ‘da talent’.

Soph had worked at the project for a couple of years which ment she knew the ‘wee folk’ inside out. Coupled with ‘Jof’, our man who knew and could, we were in capable hands.

The first morning we were gathered outside their Den before sunrise, all speaking in hushed tones and keeping our respectful distance. We didn’t have to worry, the merkats were bomb proof  and within 5 minutes of the first little sentinal scurrying out and standing ramrod straight in the early Kalahari light I was lieing next to him at a distance of about 30 cms!

Surely alongside cheetah cubs they are designed to be filmed back lit. They’re soft fire lighting up like angelic auras.

The pups were the size of a healthy samosa and too cute for words. They bundled along like balls of fur blown by the wind, continually demanding food in a most undignified fashion.when the unit of about 30 moved off, they did so at a surprising speed and you can suddenly find yourself lieing prone with a camera, with nothing to film but the remains of a scorpion they’ve just demolished.

There skill with the dispatch of scorpions is astonishing to behold. They must have an immunity, as I really can’t believe their wee black noses don’t get hammered. When they’ve pulled them from their holes they dance around the deadly insects and nip off they’re stings, before carrying them to the pups. The pups then learn how to tackle the scorpions and get a scrummy lunch as well.

One evening we followed the group home to their den and before they all descended below ground, they had a mass hug/groom/love in. A huge puddle of meerkats all creening in pleasure tangled in a delicious knot.

Lieing next to them, the familer feeling of honour and privilidge at witnessing something magical pouring through me.

On another evening we were able to capture a world first.

Right outside the den, a subordinate mother gave birth. Few have witnessed this and none have filmed it.  It felt somehow sacrosanct to witness the arrival of the minute pink beastie. Sadly its chances are slim at best. but I wish it well.

our last evening was spent around the fire with steaks on the bar b and lovely chilled wine. The dazzling Kalahari stars wheeling overhead.

Stunning place, stunning animals, stunning crew.

Joy