Beyond Borders Wildlife Film School, situated in the Kruger National Park of South Africa, just had another very successful 25 day day course with two students who produced, directed, filmed and edited two great short documentaries.
This time the course was based at Nyati Safari Lodge, also in Kruger park with a 8500ha property to explore on safaris! We had wonderful sightings and due to the rain the insect life was also amazing! Sometimes even a little bit too overwhelming for Brent Clements coming all the way from the UK and first time in Africa! We also had some amazing storms which gave us the opportunity to play with our cameras and get some creative long exposure shots!
Our camera traps revealed a beautiful female leopard and a brown hyaena (very rare sighting) and Brent Clements, whose quest was to film a leopard in the flesh, managed to get his money shot after a few long all nighters waiting patiently for the leopard to come out!
As a whole it has been an incredible course with a lot of special moments, great fun and long hours of work which paid off with two beautiful short documentaries that they can be proud off! Beyond Borders certainly is!
Brent Clements from United Kingdom produced Spotted
Wildlife filmmaking can be a very difficult and frustrating industry, even for the professionals. This film shows the highs, lows, excitements and frustrations of a young budding filmmaker tackling one of the most challenging missions as a wildlife filmmaker: Filming the African Leopard in flesh in it’s natural habitat!
Brent Clements is a great example of a young, enthusiastic filmmaker who is new to the scene but determined to succeed. Coming to South Africa for the first time from the UK, he is completely out of his comfort zone finding many aspects of life in the bush difficult, in particular the insect life found here! But he finds ways to get over these obstacles to achieve his goal of finding, and filming the secretive leopard.
This film is interesting and unique as it is shot and presented through the eyes of Brent himself. It follows his every move, every hurdle to overcome and every emotion he feels. This allows the viewer to feel his pain when he is frustrated, share his excitement when he has no idea what to expect, and feel elated with him when something amazing happens in his favour. This style will help the viewer join Brent on his journey and feel the emotions with him.
Janet Kleyn from South Africa produced New Beginnings (Basically a Behind The Scenes of "Spotted" - Don't miss the extras after the credits...)
Many people dream of a better life, one in which they pursue a career following their dreams and passion. For most the dream remain just that, a dream, but a few courageous people take that first tentative step towards making them reality. It is not always an easy road and they are faced with many challenges while acquiring the skills required. There are highs and lows including frustration, exhaustion, fear of the unknown, satisfactory moments when it all falls into place, fun while learning and of course the reward at the end.
We will be following Brent Clements’ journey to Africa as he follows his dream of becoming a wildlife filmmaker.
Brent comes from the South London, where things are chaotic and busy. This is in complete contrast to the Wildlife areas of Africa where he’ll be learning the trade. We’ll be with him as he arrives and capturing his first impressions.
We stay with him throughout the course, documenting his progress. The viewers will not only get a glimpse into the skills required for wildlife filmmaking, they will also accompany Brent on his personal journey as he gets out of his comfort zone tries to break the mold to pursue his dreams.
Sometimes pictures talk more than words...
Our next course will take place at the amazing location of Mkuze Falls Tented Camp in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa...an eden for rhinos and cheetahs! You can view our course advert here: facebook.com/beyondbordersfilmschool/posts/716785608473742
Dates are from 09 March to 02 April 2017 and we are very excited about this new location and what it has to offer in terms of photography and videography opportunities!
Beyond Borders Wildlife Film School wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2017 filled with dreams coming true!
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