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Public Affairs

Wildlife Filmmaking 101: Lessons from Born


When “Born to be Wild” started in 2007, I did not know what to do.  I was a writer/associate producer for a political program, “Debate with Mare at Pare”, for five years when I was offered to produce for Born.

Politics and the environment were on different sides of the world for me: I’ve never climbed a mountain; I don’t even know how to swim.  But since I got excited by the idea of travelling, I accepted the challenge.

Producing Born to be Wild, the first and only environment and wildlife show in the country, entailed a lot of preparation.

The core staff attended a series of seminars; from basic mountaineering to environmental laws, to first aid. Our hosts and crew also took formal diving lessons.

Many in the team were unfamiliar with the different schools of thought on conservation.  We needed to study everything, including the geography of the Philippines—where the richest and most biodiverse islands in the country are found.

We had to memorize the ranks and categories of conservation status; the difference between “endangered” from “vulnerable”, to “nearly threatened.” We needed to be familiar with terminologies such as “sustainability,” “eco-friendly,” endemic, the list goes on and on.

Scientific names like Naja Samarenis, Varanus Bitatawa, and Crocodylus Mindorensis became part of the daily discussions. Most of us were Communication graduates so these were tongue twisters and  “nose-bleed” terms.     
 
 
 
 
 

In a dog shelter in Tarlac, shooting the first few episodes of Born in 2007
 
 

 But what was common to the pioneers of the program was passion, interest and curiosity.  After all, who would want to leave the comforts of an air-conditioned office and trek for hours to film wildlife in their natural habitat?  Or brave the angry waves of the Babuyan Channel to capture the magnificent breach and flipper slap of the Humpback Whales—and stay in remote areas for weeks?   

But the challenge does not stop there.  Six years and counting, researchers and producers still learn something new every time they go out on the field.  Most of the time, they come home bruised from the long days of shooting, but still wearing the same smile I had back when I was still a field producer.

As I was writing this article, I unearthed a number of shoot photos that brought back a lot of memories—how a particular shot was captured and a lot of behind-the-scenes stories that did not make it to the script.
 
I am also sharing with you my Top 5 lists of the lessons I learned from wildlife filming.

1.       You cannot fake the original
It is not our program’s practice to “pre-capture” the animal that we are looking for.  Several times, locals offered to capture the animal days before we arrived on site because they said that was what other international channels did. We always refused.
 
We did not go for what is easy but for what is real.  We were, and still are, always after the genuine reactions of our hosts, the actual feeling of finally seeing an animal after all the hardships they have been through.

 
 
Doc Nielsen and the crew’s reaction when they finally saw the Ibid walk on water
 
 
 
2.       Patience is a virtue. It really is.
Last March, the team stayed in the Babuyan Islands for 14 days to film the Humpback Whales but were only able to shoot for two of those days since the weather was unpredictable.

Still, hearing the whale’s song and witnessing how they fluke left the team in awe, a story they can surely tell their grandchildren.
 
3.       Sometimes it’s a matter of sheer luck
In 2009, Doc Ferds and the team went to Palanan, Isabela to look for a newly-discovered species of monitor lizard, the Bitatawa. They stayed in the forests for two weeks but did not find it.  When they went home, the local Agtas were able to capture a juvenile Bitatawa on video.  And two years after, Doc Nielsen accidentally found the same species in a poacher’s house in Aurora.
 
 
 

Doc Nielsen’s first story for Born: Rescuing a Bitatawa from poachers
 
 

 
4.       Be prepared and be safe—always
Nature can always surprise you.  It is best to be prepared physically, emotionally and even psychologically. In the middle of a seven-hour trek to film the Tamaraws in Mindoro one summer,  the rain started pouring—heavily.
 
"Safety first” is our motto. The team takes anti-malaria medicines if needed. We flew in anti-venin for the King Cobra from Thailand when we did a story for that specifc species in Bukidnon.       
 
5.       Enjoy and live out the advocacy
Not everyone is given to the chance to see the magnificence of the environment.  Being part of this kind of show has been a privilege.  It is always a fulfilling moment when you meet people who watch the program and they express their admiration at how a story was filmed.    
 
Because of the program’s thrust, many of our staff have started their own little projects.  Some quit smoking, others have stopped using plastic bags. It is always good to practice what we preach.    
 
 
 


 Doc Ferds’ underwater selfie in Surigao
 
 
Richelle Joy Figueroa was a segment producer and now the executive producer of “Born to be Wild”.
 
 /JDS, GMA News