The #1 SKILL every Wildlife Filmmaker needs!

[@abrahamtomahawk]

As an ecologist, I have spent my fair share of time looking for wildlife that doesn't turn up. Proving (beyond a reasonable doubt) the negatives always takes longer than actually finding stuff. Although spending weeks going up and down rivers in chest waders looking for freshwater pearl mussels that may or may not be present in the river is quite a fun way of doing it.

[@buchmann1986]

Thank you for this! Great seeing behind the scenes, not least the not-perfect shots from the top professionals -and of cause the beautiful ones as well! Just inspiring to see how you plan the shot, take chances on composing while trying to figure out where the animal will go. I know that struggle! Thank you again :)

[@BenTutton]

Yeah, sometimes you have to frame the shot you want and hope the animal has read the script! Most of the time they haven’t! 🤦‍♂️

[@workcabinfilms]

Ben, wow! Incredibly engaging video about what is the real reality!

[@BenTutton]

Glad you liked it! Sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes you aren’t! It was still great to see the Wolverines, and just be out there watching.

[@soulcards]

Great instructive video indeed! Thanks for sharing it! Also nice to see the FX6 in action and performing with such a low level of light.

[@BenTutton]

Glad you enjoyed it. It is incredible how well that camera can see in the dark. I really need to make a video showcasing what can be done with it.

[@soulcards]

@@BenTutton Great theme for a next video indeed Ben... It's great to see some interesting and professional content here on YT, such a need for this...

[@FilmingTheWild]

I’ve been there. 15 days waiting to film some of the big Kalahari male lions. We had plenty of other wildlife sightings to keep us occupied, but it came down to our final days before we finally found them. My other nemesis are the Mexican gray wolves we have here in Arizona. I caught them once but they were way too far for anything worthwhile. They still have eluded me with anything of good quality! But that’s what keeps me going up there….

[@BenTutton]

If it was easy everyone would be doing it! I think it’s the challenge that makes it interesting.

[@FilmingTheWild]

@@BenTutton Absolutely! That's what I love about it!

[@love4wildlife]

For me, 8 days waiting for coastal wolves here in British Columbia. Getting to the blind and waiting - I call it hurry up and wait because that's just how it is. ;-). In your case, I'd say getting the wolverine coming by is a pretty nice offset. But of course if you're sent to get bear footage, well, you want bear footage. Nice vid, Ben. Really shows some of the work that goes into all of this.

[@BenTutton]

Wow! I would love to film the coastal wolves. Yeah, lots of waiting but it's all worth it when you see the animals. Definitely should have appreciated the wolverines more than I did at the time. I had a little bit of bear tunnel vision. Wolverines are rarer than bears across Europe so it is amazing to see them!

[@BenTutton]

Also, if these animals were easy to film they wouldn't be as special! and oftentimes spending the time in their habitat is really rewarding just to experience it.

[@love4wildlife]

@@BenTutton Well said.

[@mr.firdoesh1648]

Amazing, Wondering never seen something like this such a riveting points 🎉

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

Love the ASMR. Have never seen a wolverine but they kind of remind me of our honey badgers. I once spent 3 weeks searching for a caracal with no success, and it turned up on the day we left 😭

[@BenTutton]

Yeah, the wolverine and the honey badger are pretty similar I think. Both big mustelids with attitude! Weirdly, they’re considerably rarer than the bears in Finland, so it’s really nice to be able to see them. Just unlucky with the bears! The small cats are so tricky and elusive. I spent time filming a serval, and even when we knew where it was(thermal spotting scope to look for heat through the grass) it was impossible to see! I’d love to see a Caracal out doing its thing!

[@MovingPicturesAfrica]

@BenTutton serval are also really tricky. I've got a few shots of them from a distance and with camera traps. The only real success I had with a caracal was with a habituated cat that was being reintroduced to the wild - they are amazingly hard to capture even though they are reasonably common everywhere in southern Africa.

[@erikaoates]

Great video Ben! I wonder though, what would spook a bear? It’s probably a daft question, but would they not be the apex predator in that area? Or are they generally much more nervous than we think? He definitely looked nervous! Loving the ASMR interlude 😂

[@BenTutton]

Hey @ericaoates glad you liked it. They’re hunted in both Finland and Russia, and so are pretty nervous of humans. This one is only young too. Quite different to the populations we normally see on TV which are usually from Alaska or Canada and are in national parks and very habituated to people.

[@erikaoates]

@ aw so sad that they’re hunted. Such beautiful creatures x

[@ukwildlife]

Some great footage for a 'failure' Great to see the Wolverines And I did laugh at yiu insulting the fox when it didn't cooperate - reassuring, as Im always swearing at wildlife that does that, sometimes I forget Im with someone when I do it though!

[@BenTutton]

Yeah, it’s easy to get fixated on one species - wolverines are rarer than bears in Finland. So it’s amazing to see them, but the lack of bears definitely clouded my thoughts! That’s generally why we turn the microphones off on blue chip docs, as they’d just pick up the swearing!

[@mickjenner136]

Hi Ben, p;leased you posted as it show's "the warts and all" other side of wildlife filming, well done. Great to catch up with you at Wildscreen. Is that Lex Jones there with you?

[@BenTutton]

Hi Mick, lovely to see you at Wildscreen too! Yeah, it’s a side that isn’t often shown. It doesn’t always go to plan! Nope not Lex Jones.