So I know with large animals like lions they just record from far away and I’ve even saw one that uses a crab robot to record crabs. But how about those little animals or insects? There was that one video about a caterpillar that can disguise itself as an ant queen and would eat the ant’s larvae inside the nest and was really baffled by it. Like how did they even record that?
In: Technology
They just go out and find one and record it until it does something cool. it’s nothing really special i don’t think.
For small animals, there may be multiple videographers stationed for hours/days in an area where those creatures are known to frequent.
A lot of insect footage is staged using insects in captivity, which are housed in clear glass terrariums. This footage may be spliced with b-roll footage of the insect’s natural habitat to make it feel like you’re venturing into their world.
A combo of tracking prides and individuals with trail cams, establishing behaviors and patterns. Which can mean surveying said animals for months to over a year depending on the type of footage and location etc. From there the cameramen are highly trained to not only be mindful of their surroundings but to essentially be invisible to the animals and other fauna. They have high grade cameras, I believe they have similar for the NFL and other sports, that can capture quick movement with crisp colors and images. Often times it’s not just one cameraman on an assignment but 2-4, which creates more opportunities for exciting footage. Then after they get what they need they spend another few months editing, splicing, and tweaking the footage to fit the timeframe. Then, boom. A Nature Documentary is born.
If you’re interested in seeing the answer to your question firsthand, the docuseries Planet Earth had some “making of” footage that shows in great detail how the nature photographers got their best footage.
Spoiler alert: mostly, absurd patience.
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