When executive producer/director of photography Thomas Winston geared up his company Grizzly Creek Films for a new series of National Geographic Expedition Wild specials he knew he was going to face rugged terrain and he chose his equipment accordingly. He selected a line-up of three Sachtler support systems including the Video 25 Plus the Video 15 SB and the DV 4 II for the seven episodes. Winston is a longtime Sachtler fan. “Filming wildlife is tough – both on the people and on the gear. We have come to rely on our Sachtler equipment as the always there always reliable and always crucial elements of our field production kit” he says. “Simply put the equipment lives up to its reputation as top-notch and durable— even in adverse conditions.” The Sachtler Video 25 Plus with two stage carbon fiber legs became the perfect solution for long lens shooting with the Varicam 3700/Fujinon 42X lens set up. “It was lightweight enough to carry into the deep backcountry and also stable enough for long lens blue-chip wildlife shots like filming wolves in Yellowstone Park or brown bears catching salmon on Kodiak Island ” Winston explains. The Sachtler Video 15 SB with two stage Speed Lock carbon fiber legs was also used extensively for the series. “As the lightest sticks for the Varicam 3700 which was paired with the Canon wide angle zoom HD lens it was a fantastic option for getting set up at lightning speed ” he says. The Sachtler DV 4 II with two-stage aluminum legs relatively speaking the smallest of our supports — was employed for time-lapse photography and HD video with various DSLR cameras. It also proved useful for star Casey Anderson to carry on his solo missions into the wild. Expedition Wild is a seven-hour original series that showcases wildlife expert Anderson and his charismatic animal companions on an action-packed odyssey through North America’s diverse wild places. The show reveals a rare glimpse of the beauty and complexity of the natural world from the inside out. These first seven episodes following Anderson and his best friend Brutus (a nine-hundred pound grizzly) are now airing on the National Geographic Wild channel.
