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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

BBC Earth " Enchanted Kingdom" 3D

Jarred Land

Jarred Land

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From Neil Nightingale @ BBC :

"BBC Earth's "Enchanted Kingdom" 3D project had a very successful shoot in Ethiopia. We filmed for 3 weeks in the Simien Highlands at altitudes of nearly 11,000' chasing Gelada monkeys around the mountain. Very satisfying shoot, tough conditions and the cameras were bullet-proof.

We then took them out to the Dallol Volcanic region of the Danakil depression for a week. This place is like the Death Valley of Africa. Temperatures range from 115-122 degrees each day. Sulfuric gas everywhere, corroding metal and skin. Nice, huh?!!! Cameras shot for hours every day and performed faultlessly! Gloves were required to handle the gear it was so hot. Film crew suffered like dogs but the gear held up. So, great results and very satisfying to see our strategy pay off."


1323483566.jpg
 
So wonderful to see the rig so much bigger than the camera!

Perfect Camera for that and every job!
 
Eston Diaz said:
So wonderful to see the rig so much bigger than the camera!

Perfect Camera for that and every job!
Click to expand...

haha, it's kind of funny. as soon as the cameras get smaller, we find bigger rigs to place them in. maybe bigger is better, then ;)

effectively, that's the same size setup as they would have been using years ago... but now they are doing a lot more awesome things with a system that ends up being the same size.
 
Fantastic shot, thanks for posting Jarred. :)
 
They should put a REDF 617 in space! That would be truly EPIC!
 
I wondered how the Epic would hold up in Dallol, as I have been planning a potential shoot there. That place is insane, because it has the heat of Death Valley, with the thermal features of Yellowstone. Glad to hear the Epic held up.
 
BBC is TV done right. Incredible its a state run channel. How I wished my local broadcaster at least had a glimpse of their vision and brilliance. Have to say I am a big fan of the BBC and the way they "respect" the medium- in fiction and in documentaries. A very good endorsement for Red, too. Really looking forward to seeing those moving pictures!
 
OK, this is impressive! I have filmed in Dallol and throughout the Danakil last Dec and that is a serious environment to battle test in. Heat is not so bad this time of a year sitting at around 35- 47c (sorry don't know the conversion) but it still oppressive. Just getting in there is a challenge too, the area is land mined, and you have to drive a submerged road that if you make a mistake the car sinks into the salt. I'd like to see you guys get that rig up Erte Ale the old fashion way without helicopters.

Tom, the area is incredible film in, but also challenging for what you want to do because of the politics. In order to go to Dallol, you need to arrange it through the local military, and they don't like anything out of the norm. We had great difficulty to get the army to stay for several hours, and it took a lot to get them agree to go back in the afternoon. There we 5 in my group, and we had to take 6 army, 6 Afar security, plus our guides etc. So you need vehicles to accommodate all the help, and getting them there is difficult. Staying overnight is impossible do to security threats in the area. It's the closest point to Eritrea.

Hotels? There are not really anything around, you can rent an outdoor bed for 2 dollars a night... There are no bathrooms, just a field where you'll squat next to mom and kid. How ever if you are like me and love coffee, they have ample little places in the salt mining town near by where you can get a cup for about 2 cents. There is one place that sells cold drinks, which you can go 5-10 days without if you go via Erte Ale. It amazing at days end when the camel caravans carrying salt pass through the town.

I have travelled all over the world to exotic locations filming stuff that airs on National Geographic and Discovery etc... and crossing the Danakil for 2 weeks ranks as my all time favourite. I'm writing this from Hawaii where I just camped beside some incredible lava flows flowing towards the ocean... too bad my scarlet did not arrive yet.

some images from the area. http://www.digitalcrossing.ca/gallery.htm
 
I had the chance to meet Neil Nightingale for the first time back in 1999. He is a very smart guy and an innovator. I was wondering why BBC NHU haven’t taking the lead in using Red.
Maybe the answer is that Neil moving from Head of the NHU back to Production again, now he has the freedom and ability to try new things.
 
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