Secrets of the Elephants

I worked on two very different sequences for the Savanna episode of Secrets of the Elephants.

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Episode 1 - Savanna - Chilojo Cliffs, Gonarezhou

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The first was in Gonarezhou National Park, filming elephants descending the Chilojo Cliffs.

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This was one of the tougher shoots I’ve done. Every day we hiked roughly 5km up the cliffs carrying our gear — or at least the equipment we couldn’t safely leave hidden halfway up overnight. The route involved crossing a river, pushing through thick mopane woodland with buffalo and elephant around us, and then climbing into the cliffs themselves.

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Once we were in position, we had to squeeze between rocks and stay completely concealed from the herds moving down. We would sit in absolute silence in temperatures of more than 40°C, hoping the wind held in the right direction. If it shifted, the elephants could smell us and the whole sequence could disappear in seconds — or, worse, they could decide to come and investigate.

 

We were incredibly fortunate to work with outstanding guides Ant Kashula, Mitch Riley and Blade Bester, who kept us safe throughout. I also worked with a brilliant crew — Nicola Tremain, Amber Beattie and Freddie Claire. It was physically demanding, uncomfortable and at times pretty intense, but also an extraordinary experience.

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Episode 1 - Savanna - Nzou, Imire​

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The second sequence couldn’t have been more different.

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We filmed an elephant named Nzou at Imire Private Game Reserve. Nzou was rescued as a young elephant and raised alongside a herd of buffalo. Over time she formed incredibly strong bonds with them and, remarkably, became their matriarch.

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She is a huge personality and definitely not an elephant to take lightly. I had one or two warning charges from her while filming, which was a useful reminder that habituated does not mean tame.

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Because she was comfortable around people, though, I was able to get very close and capture intimate detail shots that would be almost impossible with a completely wild elephant. It gave us a very different kind of access and made the sequence visually quite special.

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I worked with Micaela Hamilton on the Nzou sequence.

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Camera setup: Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro G2 · Canon CN20 · DJI Mavic 3 Cine · DJI Ronin 2 · Black Arm