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If you are a budding filmmaker and enjoy exploring the best cinema cameras used in productions, then you’ll love this new documentary series.
Guards showcases the valiant efforts of anti-poaching rangers in Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta. Produced by Conservation Film Company for EarthXTV, the 7-episode, 23-minute docuseries highlights the daily challenges these unsung heroes face as they work to protect endangered wildlife in one of Africa’s harshest environments.
Shot through breathtaking cinematography with a Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro 12KAlong with countless other bodies from the Australian manufacturer, director and cinematographer Sean Viljoen’s intimate story offers viewers a rare glimpse into the lives and dedication of these remarkable individuals.
Below is a behind-the-scenes look at how this amazing docuseries was filmed:
“Guards is a character-led factual series that goes beyond the headlines to show audiences the hard work it takes to protect wildlife in Africa, through the eyes of local people on the front lines,” Viljoen explains. “We wanted to tell their story in the most cinematic way possible.”
The series is set against the backdrop of a country recovering from civil war, where wildlife populations had fallen by 90%. While conservation efforts had led to a gradual recovery, the resurgence of poaching has brought new threats that rangers are fighting tirelessly.
To film Guards required versatile and robust equipment to capture high-quality footage in challenging conditions. The production team, along with 19 rangers, patrolled the 2,000 square kilometres of the Coutada 11 safari concession. They relied on a comprehensive set of digital cinema cameras, including the Ursa Mini Pro 12K, Ursa Mini Pro 12K OLPF and Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2, along with several Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Benefits.
“Most of the content we were shooting was handheld,” Viljoen notes. “We were often jumping on the back of motorbikes with the anti-poaching guys, so that limited the amount of gear we could take with us.”
The harsh filming conditions, with daytime temperatures of up to 104°F / 40°C and high humidity, tested the durability of the camera gear. Viljoen was impressed with the performance of the Ursa Mini Pro 12K, particularly when processing highlights and natural light outdoors. “There’s a lot of headroom within the Blackmagic RAW codec to work with.”
The production also made use of DJI Mavic 3 Aerial drones and LUTs used by DP Garth de Bruno Austin ensured consistent, high-quality footage throughout the series.
“We wanted to get the most out of the image and take advantage of the downsampling benefit of shooting in 8K,” says Viljoen. “We were really happy with the images and the amount of information we had to work with.”
It’s amazing to see some of the best video cameras and the best camera drones They are put to the test in a realistic environment, which shows that you can have multiple camera setups, all tuned to give you the best overview of certain products.
They may be out of reach for many of us, but for any aspiring filmmaker, it’s a real eye-opener to see how they’ve been used to produce the docuseries.