Wildlife Cinematography is a craft that can take many years to master.
If you are interested in learning more about wildlife cinematography, here's the best way to get started:
- Watch Our Planet on Netflix or for free on YouTube: 2021, Netflix posted all six episodes of its landmark series Our Planet on YouTube free to air. This series was produced by Silverback Films out of Bristol in the United Kingdom and features wildlife sequences (mini-stories) produced, directed and filmed by the very best in the industry.
- When an Image Moves You, Pause Playback and Take a Mental Picture of the Still Frame: This act of intentionally focusing on a still image within a film is a great way to train your eye. This practice creates a database of reference images in your memory that will positively influence the way you frame when you are shooting yourself
- Become conscious of the different shot sizes that are used to construct the sequence: Shot Size is loosely determined by how large or how small the subject is in the frame. In a Wide shot, the subject is small relative to the frame. In a Medium shot, the subject makes up roughly 50% of the frame. In a tight shot, the subject dominates the frame. Developing a feel for this variability in shot size and how it is used to tell the story is key to developing your craft as a cinematographer.
I ran this exact process fifteen years ago using the BBC's Blue Planet as my series master. Ten years later I was working on Blue Planet 2.
Think like the Cinematographer, Become the Cinematographer!
