BBC 1 : Primates
18.7669° S, 46.8691° E
In 2018 I travelled to a wild corner of Madagascar with Vicki Buckley to film Blue Eyed Black lemurs for the BBC Primates series. This was the first time this species of lemur had been filmed before which was very exciting, the males are visually very striking being jet black with azure blue eyes.
We stayed in a field camp very close to the patch of forest where the lemurs regularly foraged for food. Every day we would trek into the forest and find the lemurs as the sun started to break across the sky. We would stay with them all day and film their daily routines and witnessed unique behaviour that has helped inform further scientific study of this special species of lemur.
Travelling to the patch of forest where the lemurs were took two full days of driving across the Island, multiple small car ferry rides were a highlight.
Our camp on the high point.
Our field team looked after us so well in the field and it was always a highlight of the day hanging around the camp seeing them laugh and chat about the day.
This was my trust MoVI rig that I carted around the forest following the troop on their daily movements. The zoom lens, although not optically the best, gave me the flexibility to work quickly as the encounters where often short. This rig allowed me to add subtle movements to shots and quickly reset again and again.
Our kit stash in the forest, luckily the forest was fairly arid so the floor was a safe space for kit and to sit down. Not always the case.
Camp at night, the stars were incredible due to the lack of any light pollution.
The team behind the sequence.
Pushing record is such a small part of the experience, getting to work with dedicated teams who's passion and knowledge enable you to do what you do is part of the humbling experience working in this industry.