We’re lucky enough to get a glimpse into a wildlife cinematography work. In this case-study,  Seven Worlds, One Planet cinematographer Mark MacEwen gives us some essential tips on how to capture the power of nature by using high-end cinema cameras and lenses.

High-end wildlife filmmaking: Working in small teams

Director of Photography Mark MacEwen traveled thousands of miles to shoot selected sequences that feature in the BBC’s latest landmark wildlife series, Seven Worlds, One Planet. The series, which visits all seven continents to document the unique wildlife to be found in each, began airing in the UK in October 2019. Watch the trailer below: 

“The nature of high-end wildlife filming is a mix of collaboration and individual intuition,” said MacEwen. “Because we are filming animals, usually the fewer people present, the better; the chance to capture the behavior takes place individually and is down to the DP’s framing eye. The collaborative part is often in the planning and ongoing story discussions. Things develop and change all the time in nature and often the story you set out to film changes, or you find something better or different”. The tools chosen for this particular job were RED Helium and Cooke miniS4/i glass. 

Because we are filming animals, usually the fewer people present, the better

Cinematographer Mark MacEwen

The advantages of the “Cooke Look” in wildlife cinematography

According to MacEwen, the look of the Cooke lenses characterized by the unique harmony of subject, background, and flare. The traveling set included the 18mm, 25mm, 40mm, 50mm, and 135mm focal lengths. “For me, the 40mm and 50mm were the lenses I used the most,” MacEwen explained. “They give me enough of a focal length to create separation from the background and cut easier between the long lens and primes. Also, longer focal lengths are more useful for wildlife filming as often the problem is getting close enough to the subjects.”

For me, the 40mm and 50mm were the lenses I used the most…They give me enough of a focal length to create separation from the background

Cinematographer Mark MacEwen

Cooke miniS4/i

The miniS4/i’s were picked as they constitute a decent alternative, especially for wildlife cinematography, as the size and weight allowed using them for hours of hand-held gimbal work. “I have to hold the MōVI Pro rig for hours, following the animals waiting for the right moment or bit of behavior,” MacEwen described.

I have to hold the MōVI Pro rig for hours, following the animals waiting for the right moment or bit of behavior

Cinematographer Mark MacEwen

Dealing with natural light and massive contrast

Lighting conditions were extremely varied – from filming lowland gorillas in the jungles of the Congo to shooting elephant seals in Antarctica. That’s why choosing a high dynamic range of cinema tools is essential. As stated by MacEwen: “Heavy use of backlight is frequent. In jungles, there is so much contrast and low light, then solid shadows with bright sun patches – even the modern camera systems struggle with it, so if the lens can help with the contrast or artistically aid in the flare, it makes all the difference”. 

RED Helium advantages regarding wildlife filmmaking

The Red Helium was the weapon of choice to shoot the series due to its versatility.  “The frame rates, resolution and the size mean we can use it as a long lens camera, put it onto small hand-held gimbals or into larger helicopter systems,” MacEwen adds.

The cameras are not necessarily designed to be subjected to these environments, but with some care, they allow us to do so much more than we could with larger-bodied cameras

Cinematographer Mark MacEwen

Takeaways

Using cinema cameras and lenses on wildlife filmmaking is a very challenging task. The RED and Cooke combination indeed grants extraordinary cinematic results and possibilities. However, it might be tough to operate them within the uncontrolled environment and production, like in the wildlife. RED lacks autofocus, and the Cooke is manually operated. Moreover, the RED is not a fast camera that is locked and loaded to catch the moment immediately from many aspects. This kind of equipment works well when operated by a highly trained team. Nevertheless, the wildlife filmmaker works alone most of the time as one-man-band.

Y.M.Cinema Magazine reached out to Mark MacEwen to elaborate regarding how he managed to operate and shoot with the Helium + Cooke+ MōVi Pro combined. Let’s explore his answers:

Y.M.Cinema Magazine: Please educate our readers on how did you manage to operate the Helium, cinema lens, and the MōVI Pro as a one-person operation in the wildlife?

DP Mark MacEwen: Frequently, with the shoots I undertake, I will operate the camera, MoVi pro, and lenses single, as a one-person operation, setting a focal distance I want to use and controlling the movement and distance I stay from the subject. Or I’ll set a very shallow DOF and use the movement to bring into focus or more through the environment. I use the Teradek RT system as I can use the Thumb Wheel Controller to set my focus fast and work quickly. When I’m trying to cover animal behavior, I’ll generally train up the member of production I’m away with, to use the remote follow focus when possible, and have a live talkback system between us, so I can tell them where I want to focus and what I’m framing for so we don’t miss crucial behavior.

Y.M.Cinema Magazine: What are the challenges of documentary filmmaking with cinema cameras and lenses?

DP Mark MacEwen: The biggest challenge for Wildlife Documentary filming is reliability in the conditions we subject the equipment to. I took the camera and lens systems from -20 to +50 degrees from snow to sand storms, the humidity of 100 percent in the Congo. And Cameras and lenses really get pushed hard. I had several camera bodies go down on me during production largely due to humidity and extreme heat. But the cameras these days also give me extreme versatility, the frame rates, and the ability to build camera packages to suit all types of filming. I used the RED Helium as a long lens camera system with a Canon 50-1000mm lens, on a MoVi Pro with Cooke prime lenses and on Helicopters inside GSS 516 camera gimbals filming aerials for the series. The cameras are not necessarily designed to be subjected to these environments, but with some care, they allow us to do so much more than we could with larger-bodied cameras. Also, the larger sensor size these days, although I love it, makes filming wildlife where we use extreme focal lengths like 1000mm much harder for focus. We don’t get to take focus pullers on these jobs as budgets are smaller than in many other avenues of filmmaking. It’s all about time in the field – the more we can have, the more likely we are to capture the behavior. So all focusing is done by the DOP at the time, it’s quite an intense and personal way to work.

The biggest challenge for Wildlife Documentary filming is reliability in the conditions we subject the equipment to…I had several camera bodies go down on me during production largely due to humidity and extreme heat

Cinematographer Mark MacEwen

Wrapping up

Being a high-end wildlife filmmaker demands the ability to operate sophisticated cinema cameras and lenses independently. That cinema tools were designed to fit a team of operators in controlled production. That means shooting with cinema equipment in the wildlife unexpected surrounding and conditions is challenging and demands skill, creativity, and a vast amount of experience. However, when you overcome those challenges, a tremendous cinematic quality is granted.

Are you a wildlife filmmaker? What’s your equipment? Let’s know in the comment sections below.