Animal - Dogs

I worked on the Dogs episode of Animal for Plimsoll Productions, filming bat-eared foxes.

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I absolutely loved this sequence because we witnessed behaviour that was both unexpected and incredibly moving. After heavy rain washed out one family’s den, they abandoned the site and left a pup behind. Another family group then adopted the pup, and watching that unfold in front of us was fascinating.

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The weather made the shoot challenging in its own way. We spent a lot of time filming in the rain, often working under raincoats and umbrellas while trying to keep the camera protected and the shot steady.

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We followed the foxes from before dawn until after dark. They were far more active during the day than we had expected, which meant long hours in the field, but it also gave us much more behaviour to work with.

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I shot primarily on the Blackmagic URSA with the Canon CN20 so we could keep our distance initially. Over time, though, the foxes became surprisingly relaxed around us and eventually allowed us to work within just a few metres of them.

They are incredibly charismatic little animals, and it ended up being one of the most enjoyable sequences I’ve filmed.

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Adrian Seymour, our producer working remotely, was fantastic throughout. He was incredibly supportive and, importantly for me, he was the first international producer to take a chance on me despite us never having worked together before. I’ll always be grateful for that trust, and he was genuinely wonderful to work with.

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Camera setup: Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro · Canon CN20