Life Force Down Under
Our massive new series exploring the mysteries of evolution is now completed and has recently been launched at MIPCOM. NHNZ crews have been tasked with filming two of the six hour long episodes which focus on remarkable tales of evolution in New Zealand and Australia.
Camera assistant Lindsey Davidson describes her first time in the field as "absolutely amazing" - not only because of the interesting wildlife she filmed but also the technology used to capture their behaviour.
From arid semi-desert lands, to the cold winds and snowy peaks in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain, the Life Force team experienced first-hand the climatic extremes that some of Australia’s best known and most bizarre animals have evolved to thrive in.
Wedged into a heavily loaded 4x4 and trailer, the team under the leadership of director Rory McGuinness spent three weeks travelling around three Australian states with six different camera rigs. This included NHNZ’s new Phantom HD high-speed camera, a tiny HD Iconix camera for filming inside a marsupial pouch, and a Polecam jib system.
The main characters of the Australian episode of Life Force are the extraordinarily varied marsupials that have dominated evolution across the continent. Filming in the arid Sturt National Park in New South Wales focussed on the tough Red Kangaroo. Lindsey says the crew was amazed at how these animals could find enough to eat amongst a landscape of “rock, dust, heat and very little else”.
But, within a week the environment changed completely to the chill winds and threat of snow in the Tasmanian mountains. Cradle Mountain was generally cloaked in cloud with the exception of one day when the clouds parted treating our crew to stunning views of its craggy peaks. The stars of the Tasmanian shoot were without doubt the Tasmanian Devils which Lindsey describes as “tough little carnivorous marsupials with their own set of special survival adaptations”. The crew spent several evenings surrounded by feeding devils and the sound of their ferocious, eerie vocalisations.
