ELWIN Productions Wild Blog Spot

Reel Earth Film Festival

2010-04-29T14:39:00.003+12:00

The 'Unnatural History of the Kakapo' has received a Jury Nomination for International Feature and NZ Feature at the Reel Earth Film Festival. I'm chuffed to bits and luckily I get back from Montana just in time to head up to Palmerston North for the opening night. Reel Earth gets bigger every year and after chatting with Warren the festival director this morning it sounds like this year's event will be awesome. The festival schedule has a full list of what's on and when.

Montana here we come

2010-04-22T08:38:00.002+12:00

Yesterday I had a phone call from the New Zealand Film Commission. An application for post production funding had been approved. It's a great help in getting the DVDs finished off but whats even more exciting is it means ELWIN Productions gets to mix and mingle with some natural history giants at the International Wildlife Film Festival.

A Quick Update

2010-04-11T15:38:00.005+12:00

Since the last post a lot has happened. The Kakapo film won Best NZ Director, Best NZ Sound, Best NZ Cinematography and Best NZ Feature at the DOC Edge Film Festival. It's been selected for the Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival in Palmerston North next month and on Friday we found out that it has also won a merit award for human-wildlife interaction at the International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, Montana. This is one of the biggest wildlife film festivals in the world. At the moment we are trying to find funds to head to Montana. Here's the link for the festival schedule. It really is an opportunity to good to miss.

The Film Release

2010-01-10T08:41:00.005+13:00

The Unnatural History of the Kakapo is finished. It's been selected at the DOC NZ festival and will be screening in Auckland and Wellington during Feb and March. The film also has a facebook page and there are clips on you tube too. Facebook will also have a few extras on it and it will keep everyone up to date with screening times and locations. The Kakapo page on this site will be updated shortly and you will be able to buy the DVD through elwin.co.nz from late Feb. We are also hoping to have a premiere in Dunedin in the not too distant future.

Dhow Time

2009-09-30T17:35:00.005+13:00

For someone like me who gets sea sick if he sits in the bath too long, the prospect of a sailing trip in the Persian Gulf gave me mixed feelings but I thought I could cope with a short excursion. We were on board a dhow, a traditional arab yacht, made entirely of wood, bamboo and rope. It was an awesome piece of work. The test drive round the harbor was a chance for the camera crew to see how it worked and what it did before we set sail next week to film pearl diving from it. I have to say our Qatari sailors soon had the sails set and with the gentle breeze and the sun setting behind us, it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant experience.

The Tree

2009-09-29T16:12:00.006+13:00

Today was my first trip outside Doha, the hotel's nice but my window looks out onto a building site come car park come sandy waste ground and I was itching to see more of the country. We set of at about 4pm and after an hour driving down the motorway I had seen little to improve on the view from the hotel window. It was a relief to finally turn off the road onto a dirt track and head into the desert. Our land cruiser bounced along dodging camels for about 20 minutes until we arrived at the oryx reserve, it was a pleasant surprise after the last 2 hours. The Oryx is a large antelope and the national symbol of Qatar, they're obviously very special because although their reserve is still mostly rock and sand they also have a tree (top left in the photo).

A New Adventure

2009-09-29T15:45:00.002+13:00

Bar a few last minute technical bits and pieces the kakapo film is finished and now entitled ‘The Unnatural History of the Kakapo’. It was finished last Friday at about 7 pm which gave me just enough time to pack some kit and catch a flight to Qatar. For those not sure where Qatar is it’s a large sandy peninsula sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and the sea. After a 16 hour flight I’ve joined a team from the UK, Australia and NZ filming some of the finest wildlife Qatar has to offer.

Codfish Island

2009-07-16T20:35:00.007+12:00

The best thing about filming wildlife in far flung places is you never really know what you're going to get and the last trip to Codfish Island was no exception. Snow, rain and hail was accompanied by earthquakes and a tsunami. We had a couple of great days filming the kakapo though.

A New Production

2009-07-04T23:13:00.004+12:00

Its funny how little things can hold you up. An absence of posts does of course mean i've been hiding in an edit suite working on the kakapo film, but that's not the only production that's been taking up my time. On the 2 May I became a Dad and Finlay arrived in the world, a bouncing baby boy weighing 11 pound 1 oz. Needless to say he takes up a fair bit of time but my partner does let me out the house now and again to work on the film. I think it's safe to say we're half way thorough the kakapo finecut and there's a definite light at the end of the tunnel.

I've a couple of other things in the pipeline but we'll see where that takes us over the next few weeks. Posts should be a bit more regular from now on!

Wendy Returns.

2009-02-04T09:51:00.002+13:00

And so it was. Wendy returned in the small hours, drawn by an uncontrollable urge to reproduce. She made her way closer and closer to the bowl, seemingly unable to resist the male’s charm. When she was within range he charged at her and in the moonlight they mated. His name was Manu and he’s the kakapo that lives next door to Felix. Wendy had been listening to them both but this year Manu had the edge. Felix and I sat there in the dark looking at each other completely unaware of the antics going on at the track and bowl 200 metres to our left.

Was I disappointed? A little, but at the end of the day (or night) I had spent two weeks sitting six metres away from an adult male kakapo and filmed a bizarre nightly ritual that only a handful of people have ever experienced. As I left in the helicopter I looked down on the forested island below and imagined Felix asleep in a tree, no doubt dreaming of female kakapo. Tonight would be his night.

The Flashing D

2009-02-01T15:32:00.004+13:00

930pm, I had half an hour until Felix arrived. I switched the tape recorder on but to my dismay wasn't greeted with the usual LED display. The 8 digit time code had been replaced with a single flashing ‘d’ and accompanied by a stubborn refusal to take a tape. The machine was trying to tell me something, 'd' was obviously a clue, all I had to do was figure out what it stood for. ‘Disconnect’. I checked the cables all was as it should be. ‘Delightful’. Perhaps it was a complement on my footage, nah. From the shortlist of potential ‘d’s’ I guessed the most likely ‘damp’. I had tried to keep everything dry but the moisture was hanging in the air and seeping into everything. I phoned NHNZ in Dunedin to check with the techs on a possible solve. They confirmed the problem was moisture in the tape deck, the solution; did I have a hairdryer? I wondered if they were having a laugh. I’m one of life’s folicly challenged individuals and a hairdryer is never high on my packing list. I sat in the dark in my little canvas box on top of the hill, an hour from the hut, an hours flight from the mainland and wondered where on earth I was going to get a hairdryer. I decided the best thing to do was let the tape deck warm up and hopefully dry itself out. After a few minutes I switched it off and back on (that always works) and too my delight the demon ‘d’ was gone, the time code was back. Tonight was going to be the night.

About a Bird

2009-01-31T17:37:00.004+13:00

I was getting frustrated. Several females seemed interested in Felix, but so far they were unwilling to commit to a serious kakapo relationship. Pearl had failed to return but Wendy was about 100 metres away, she was well outside her territory and clearly had an alternative motive for being this far up the hill. Felix, presumably unaware of her presence, kept booming. I wondered if he had lost his mojo. I wondered if I had chosen the wrong male.

In the late 70’s the kakapo recovery team found the last breeding population of truly wild kakapo on Stewart Island, what followed was a massive search and rescue mission, at stake the survival of an entire species. As teams scoured the hillsides, described as 100,000 hectares of hedge, they realised they had some serious competition. Feral cats had found the kakapos as well and were devouring the hapless parrots with cruel efficiency and alarming speed.

In 1982 the recovery team found a male kakapo that had somehow managed to evade the ruthless felines. If he remained on Stewart Island it would only be a matter of time before he too became an easy meal. His name seemed an obvious choice, ‘Felix’ was a popular brand of cat food at the time. Transferred shortly after his discovery he spent the next 27 years as a refugee on predator free offshore islands and fathered nearly a third of all kakapo chicks. If luck’s what I need I think Felix might have some to spare.

Rain and Seabirds

2009-01-30T15:58:00.001+13:00

The wet weather seems to have settled in, an incessant, morale sapping drizzle. With the exception of the camera kit, everything’s soaked. The wind’s died down but it only takes a moment for the lens to gather a collection of tiny water droplets. This simply means I stick the camera out the hide as little as possible. Timing is everything at the moment as I try to coordinate the exposure of the lens with the arrival of a female. The good news however is that Felix has an admirer. Last nights visitor, a young lady called Pearl, spent most of the morning at a safe distance listening to his - not so moonlit - sonata. At a guess I would say she came to within 50m of his bowl. It’s not unusual for a female to inspect her chosen male the night before she mates, so fingers crossed (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again) tonight will be the night. Felix aside, Smoko his neighbour got lucky last night, although the unsuspecting seabird Smoko grabbed and mated with may not see it that way. The trail of feathers tells the tale; a night of one sided passion.

Night 6

2009-01-29T15:16:00.004+13:00

Straining under the weight of batteries in my pack, i struggled to keep up with my camera assistant. This was a little strange as I didn’t remember bringing a camera assistant, and I’m sure I would have remembered this one. She was about 5’8, blonde with legs up to her armpits, she wore denim hot-pants like Daisy Duke in the TV show the ‘Dukes of Hazard’, and a skin tight camouflage t-shirt, she stopped and turned around. Stretched over an ample bust were the words ‘Wildlife cameramen do it in the woods!’ An attire, I thought, not terribly appropriate in the field. However there are only a few things wildlife filmmakers complain about and this clearly wasn’t one of them. I was struggling to remember her name. ‘Hi’ she said ‘My names Fushia’. What a remarkable coincidence, she had the same name as the female kakapo ……hang on. I forced my eyes open and saw an all too familiar green glow. It was 3 am and blowing a gale outside. The hide was firmly tied to the vegetation, but the battering from the weather was testing its seams and poles. It felt like I was inside a giant tumble drier that was blowing cold air rather than hot. Outside Felix was still in his bowl, puffed up like a balloon and booming his heart out. Only the strongest gusts would knock him off balance, otherwise he was unstoppable. I watched the receiver flick through the female kakapo frequencies, There was no sign of Fushia, 3 nights ago she had come close but not close enough and I hadn’t picked up her signal since.

Night 3

2009-01-27T10:09:00.004+13:00

Sitting inside the hide I could imagine how Jonah must have felt inside the whale. It’s cramped but at least it felt bigger in the dark. The only light came from the scanner receiver sitting next to me. It cast an eerie green glow and emitted a steady hum of static as it sifted through the channels looking for female kakapo’s transmitters. I’d perfected the art of finding my way round the hide in the dark but had still to master the art of pouring my flask into my mug. My right leg was warm and damp and the air filled with the smell of coffee. It was the third night on watch and Felix was on form but had so far failed to attract another admirer, still his tenacity was inspiring. Every night he arrived just after 10 and from then on he spent every moment either calling for a mate or expecting one to arrive. I knew he was on a hiding to nothing at the moment. I watched the scanner flick from one channel to the next, Ruth, Solstice, Kuia, a steady hum of static, Wendy, Alice, Flossie, more static. The minutes turned into hours and the night plodded on but Felix never gave up hope. It was just after 4 am when an unfamiliar sound caught my ear, a faint bleep cut through the static. I glanced down at the receiver. Fushia was approaching.

The Booming

2009-01-25T16:35:00.002+13:00

I haven’t heard a bird call as unusual as the kakapo’s. Evolution follows no prescribed track, it twists and turns like a rollercoaster with no definite destination. The difference is that the carts are not connected to each other and at any moment the one you’re in might take an unexpected turn and leave the main track behind. The only guarantee is that one day, the track you're on will run out. Kakapo left the main parrot track hundreds of thousands of years ago and set out on a ride all their own. They became flightless, nocturnal, giants. In their midnight world voice became the all-important factor and the call that carried the furthest attracted most mates. Like all birds the kakapos ancestors had air sacks to help their lungs oxygenate bodies during flight and it was two of these air sacks the kakapos found an alternative use for. As I watched, Felix began gulping in air. Two huge air sacks in his chest began to inflate. He grew and grew until just when I thought he would surely burst (no wonder he removed the sticks) he stopped. For a moment, eyes bulging, he held his breath. Then he exhaled, a short, forceful BOOOOM. He used every ounce of effort he could muster and each burst of air was filled with energy. BOOOOOOM. The sound hit my stomach before my ears. BOOOOOM. It was of such intensity that I could feel the air vibrate around me. Again and again he called for a mate. He was determined and focused. Nothing could distract him. He clearly expected a female to arrive, clearly had no idea that there were only 38 breeding females left in the entire world and clearly had no idea how close his kind came to the end of their rollercoaster ride.

Meeting Felix

2009-01-24T17:09:00.002+13:00

By 9.30 I was tucked inside the hide awaiting the arrival of my bashful star. Every kakapo carries a small electronic backpack transmitter that emits a specific electronic signal. I had tuned in to Felix’s signal and by 10 pm the repetitive bleeps were definitely getting louder. He was on the move and heading towards me. I switched the lights on and pressed record on the camera. The infrared image looked moonlit, eerie and other worldly. The gusting wind gave it a cold and unwelcome feel. It was a prehistoric scene. Felix’s bowl was centre stage and at 10.12 pm, the usual time he arrived, a parrot shaped figure emerged from the shadows. He wandered over and inspected his bowl before he turned in the direction of the hide. For a moment he stared, his expression said it all, ‘where are my sticks?’ The night had begun.

A Visitor

2009-01-23T15:29:00.002+13:00

I figure kakapo probably have a sense of humour. I think Felix definitely does. Not only is he happy with the small substation that now surrounds him, I think he’s enjoying the new kudos it’s given him, but he seems keen to show it off to others. It appears that last night he had a visitor. This morning when I arrived to set up the last of the equipment, the sticks had been chucked out, as I expected, but beside the bowl was, rather unexpectedly, a patch of downy feathers. If you need a human analogy it’s like finding a bra under a bachelors pillow. Last night Felix got laid.

The Gear Arrives

2009-01-22T22:16:00.003+13:00

The dull thudding of rotor blades grew louder. A moment later and a helicopter appeared above the skyline, its underslung load saved me at least 2 days work. 250kgs of cameras, lights, batteries and cables carried from the hut to the hill in about 5 minutes and I hadn’t even broken a sweat.

It was an afternoon of running cables, placing infrared lights and checking cameras. The camera, on loan from NHK in Japan, is one of only 2 in the world capable of capturing the high definition infrared images we’re after.

Whatever Felix made of the strange bushes last night will pale in comparison to the small media circus that now surrounds his stage. Kit secured, I left Felix in peace to settle in and stuck a couple of sticks in his bowl for good measure. Tonight will be his last night alone, for the next week or so, I’ll be keeping him company.

Sticks and Hides

2009-01-22T22:12:00.002+13:00

The last bit of the walk up to Felix’s track and bowl system’s a bit gnarly. It was waterlogged after last night’s heavy rain and my feet were already wet. It was over an hour since I left the hut and as I walked I wondered, had Felix been booming or had the two perfectly shaped bushes that sprang up the day before while he was sleeping put him off.

Yesterday, before I left his patch, I had stuck 2 sticks in the middle of his bowl. Male kakapos are very very fussy about their bowls and they take great pride in their appearance. The minimalist look seems to work best for them; no sofa, no TV, no coffee table and defiantly no sticks. In fact sticks are so despised that upon discovery they’re unceremoniously tossed out.

I arrived at Felix’s bowl and relaxed, the sticks had been ejected. Felix was on a mission and no strange bush or out of place stick was going to stand in his way.

The New Office

2009-01-21T15:46:00.004+13:00

Today was one of the most important days of the shoot, task number one, selecting the talent. The two birds earmarked were Waynebo and Felix. They were absent for the audition but I had it on good authority that their singing talents were about equal, what mattered most today was the position of their ‘stages’. The kakapo’s ‘stage’ is called a track and bowl system and their bowls are the equivalent of bar stools. Males arrive shortly after dark and turn into the parrot equivalent of Barry White. Waynebo’s stage was a little rough around the edges, it gave the impression he was more of a pub act than an artiste and his barstool was tucked under a bush. Felix however had the Royal Albert Hall and from here he could sing to the world, all he needed was a few spotlights. I booked a seat in the balcony and set up my new office.

The Arrival

2009-01-20T19:05:00.003+13:00

I was sitting in the front seat of a very small plane with a stack of camera kit behind me when the pilot received an urgent message, I heard mutterings of wind and bumps and beaches, he looked worried, but nodded, he nodded some more and closed the flip phone, the latest report from the island was bad, in these conditions we would not be able to land. Luckily we were still on the ground at Invercargill Airport.

The weather conditions were too rough for the plane but not for a helicopter. We unpacked and repacked and eventually made it to Codfish Island. The kakapo recovery team were there to greet us at the helipad. Their smiling faces an obvious indication they were loving their work. Excited chatter soon confirmed that the inclement weather was having no impact on the kakapos. Even more mating sign had been found and many more female kakapos were out and about looking for love.

The Preparation.

2009-01-19T11:02:00.002+13:00

Kakapo don’t get it on very often but when they do they go for it big time. The reports coming back from the Recovery Team on Codfish Island are that the breeding season is shaping up to be all they hoped for and more with Kakapo activity expected to peak over next 3 weeks.

The kit for the shoot is packed, clothes have been disinfected, boots scrubbed, seeds picked off socks and cameras wiped down. For the next 2 weeks I'm under contract to Natural History New Zealand, one of the largest producers of factual TV in the world, filming for a series called Weird Edens. I leave tomorrow morning with over 300kgs of camera kit, bound for Invercargill. From there, weather permitting, we’ll catch the flight to Codfish Island.

The kakapo breeding season begins on Codfish Island.

2009-01-06T10:04:00.003+13:00

The first mating of 2009 has already happened. The recovery team have very very high hopes for this season. If the early indications about the size of the rimu seed crop prove correct this could be the biggest breeding season ever.

A Return to Codfish Island

2008-12-23T12:04:00.004+13:00

Filming begins next year for a major new television series called Weird Edens. Produced by NHK and NHNZ Kakapo will feature quite highly in the New Zealand episode and I have been hired to return to Codfish Island to film them. I leave in Jan and it looks like this could be a huge season for the kakapo. Once again NHK in Japan have supplied the latest in Infra Red cameras to capture more remarkable behaviour.

Kakapo Film Roughcut now complete

2008-12-23T11:58:00.004+13:00

The first roughcut of the film, The Unnatural History of the Kakapo, is complete. The expected completion date for the entire project is late April 2009.

Code of the Kakapo name change

2008-12-23T11:54:00.002+13:00

The film, Code of the Kakapo is getting a name change. At the moment it looks like ‘The Unnatural History of the Kakapo’ might win out but things can change very quickly in filmmaking! I’m always open to new ideas so if anyone’s keen to put forward a suggestion for a title let me know.

Focused on the Wild Side of Life

2008-12-11T21:04:00.002+13:00

The natural world is a fascinating place - I hope my natural history filmmaking and photography will inspire, amaze and intrigue, ultimately encouraging others to one day see it for themselves.

"We will never get back what we have lost but we can do our utmost to keep what we still have."