Underdogs

I worked on two sequences for Underdogs, and both involved animals that are often overlooked.

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Episode 4: The Unusual Suspects

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The first was for Episode 4, The Unusual Suspects, following jackals in Hwange National Park. I did two shoots for the sequence, spending long days with these tenacious, fearless little animals, and it completely changed the way I saw them.

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Jackals are abundant in this part of Hwange, which meant there was always something happening. From first light until after dark we followed them as they hunted, scavenged, stole, chased one another and played. They are incredibly opportunistic and endlessly busy, which makes them brilliant animals to film.

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By the end of the shoots, I had a completely new respect for them. In fact, jackals have probably become my favourite animal to film. They have so much character, and you never quite know what they are going to do next.

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Episode 4: Total Grossout​

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The second sequence was for Episode 5, Total Grossout, filming vultures in both South Africa and Zimbabwe.

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This was a very different experience for me, particularly filming nesting vultures on the cliffs around Hartbeespoort in South Africa. The birds were soaring above us and nesting below us, which meant we had to think carefully about position, angles and how to use the terrain to get the shots we needed.

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The feeding sequences were less glamorous. We spent days around rotting carcasses, often crawling with maggots, waiting for vultures to come in and feed. It was definitely one of the more unpleasant environments I’ve filmed in, but it was worth it for the behaviour we were able to capture.

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It was also a genuinely enjoyable production to be part of, with a brilliant team including Kim Bartholomew, Olivia Mills-Frost, Luke Cormack and Duncan Rowles.