JASONHENWOOD CASE STUDY
was still a determination to head out into the countryside where this creature makes its home, to film the landscape and to capture footage of the local wildlife that’s such an essential part of the wildcat’s diet. “There was one day in particular,” recalls Jason, “where we were up at the crack of dawn to film red squirrels, then hiking up into the Cairngorms for almost three hours to focus on wild hares and rabbits before trekking back down again at sunset. “It was a long and strenuous day throughout which I was carrying a heavy ARRI Amira plus 45-250mmAlura lens and 2.0x Alura extender. However, as an assistant I’m lucky enough to have worked with this kit a lot, so I know it very well and was confident that its tough rugged design
to be enough to film these animals in the wild,” says Jason. “Other photographers and filmmakers have spent years trying to capture footage of the wildcat without much success, so we had to come up with an alternative way to work. This led us to make a decision to film the cats in two of the only enclosures in the UK that house them, the HighlandWildlife Park in Kingussie and The BritishWildlife Centre near Lingfield in Surrey. We spent a day in each location, filming these beautiful animals and working closely with the keepers.” Working in the wild While the assumption had beenmade early on that wild footage of the central character wasn’t going to be viable, there
IMAGES The ARRI Amira has been a great tool for shooting wildlife, including rare Scottish wildcats, which are extremely reclusive and hard to encounter in the wild.
and ergonomic qualities wouldmake life really simple for me out in the field. Our aimwas to output in 2k for viewing on streaming platforms only, and this camera’s ability at 2k is by far the best in its range. It has the ability to switch between 100 and 200fps at the flick of a switch, and the images it produces are beautiful. Overall it’s by far the best documentary camera I’ve worked with and it’s rugged enough to be able to take anything you’re ever likely to throw at it.” Given its weight, however, Jason needed the rest of his kit to be as light as possible, while still being solid and durable. Mike
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