I worked as a field director for the Forest episode, joining scientists, cinematographers and an ingenious rigging expert to get unprecedented access to mammals living in forests across the world.
Producer Justine Allan invited me to direct shoots for three of her sequences: chimpanzees foraging in Gabon, the largest gathering of fruit-bats in Zambia and flying squirrels gliding in the forests of Japan.
Below are some photos I took on location.
If you'd like to know more about how cameraman Domenico Pontillo got those amazing shots of flying squirrels in super slow-motion, I wrote an article about our experience in Hokkaido with fixer Mai Nishiyama. Cameraman Tom Ross also shared some of our challenges filming chimpanzees though dense forest. And BBC Earth put together a very inspiring clip with cameraman John Aitchison about his experience filming millions of bats in Kasanka, a spectacle I'll never forget.
The series, narrated by David Attenborough, first aired in April-May 2024 on BBC1.
Chimpanzees in Gabon
Fruit-bats in Zambia
Flying Squirrels in Japan
