Bristol Wildlife Filmmakers have teamed up with Avon Wildlife Trust to offer a rare chance to learn wildlife filmmaking skills in the peaceful setting of the 250-acre nature reserve at Folly Farm between Bristol and Bath.

The three-day Introduction to Wildlife Filmmaking course is open to all – we welcome complete beginners and those who have some experience of filmmaking but want to learn more about the challenges of filming wildlife. Our tutors all work in the internationally acclaimed natural history film industry and there will be specialist camera people, producers and editors teaching on each course.

Working on location in small teams you’ll learn about the field craft that will help you get closer to animals in the wild. You’ll gain hands-on filming experience under the watchful eye of expert tutors and learn about different camera techniques. Workshops will introduce you to the importance and practicalities of research and storytelling, and to the ethics and legal considerations of filming wild animals. And finally, working with your team alongside professional editors you’ll produce a short film, which will be transferred to DVD for you to keep. Tutors are on hand at all times and there’ll be an opportunity for you to have a one-to-one to discuss your own film projects.

Evenings are for enjoying good food and good company and for hearing Tales from the Bush. Guest speakers from the world of natural history filmmaking share their tales of filming from the Antarctic to the Kalahari, the highest peaks to the deepest underground caves and with fearsome predators to some of the smallest creatures on Earth …

The Mid-Summer course from June 23rd to 25th is based around Folly Farm’s wildflower meadows. Unspoilt by pesticides and fertilisers, they brim with flowers such as heath spotted orchid, betony and ox-eye daisy, bees and butterflies such as the rare marsh fritillary, small tortoiseshell and marbled white. We may see the resident barn owls in flight.

On the Late Summer course from September 1st to 3rd you will be filming in and around the ancient woodland of Folly Farm’s Nature Reserve and at nearby Chew Valley Lake – an important site for waterfowl and waders.

You’ll stay in highly rated accommodation at Avon Wildlife Trust’s Folly Farm Centre. Comfortable and spacious bedrooms, carefully restored using traditional construction methods and materials, overlook the nature reserve and beautiful Chew Valley Lake. Meals are home-cooked using organic, locally sourced ingredients.

Feedback from our previous courses has been outstanding. One student found it a ‘life-changing, inspiring experience, something that will stay with me forever. It’s re-established my passion and inspiration for wildlife filmmaking, nature, wildlife and conservation’.

To watch a short video about the course:
http://youtube.com/BristolWildFilm

For more information contact Folly Farm Centre
E-Mail: info@follyfarm.org
Tel: 01275 331590
Website: http://follyfarm.org or visit Bristol Wildlife Filmmakers

Who are Bristol Wildlife Filmmakers? …
Bristol Wildlife Filmmakers is a group of professional wildlife filmmakers with a wide range of experience in producing natural history films for television channels around the world. We include producers, directors, camera-people and editors and we want to share our skills and inspire people of all ages to engage with nature through filmmaking.

We work on location and our courses are timed to coincide with a variety of wildlife events, enhancing the likelihood of close encounters with animals. We offer training in camera techniques and field craft, hands-on filming experience, workshops designed to give students the skills and understanding to approach, make and deliver a wildlife film, and the opportunity to work alongside an award-winning team of professionals.

Bristol Wildlife Filmmakers believe that learning more about the craft of wildlife filmmaking enables individuals to share with others the joy of close encounters with nature and also to document the threats and challenges that face the natural world. We aim to equip our students with the knowledge and skills they need to tell wildlife stories most effectively. Communication in the digital age offers many opportunities for everyone to showcase their work on a whole variety of different platforms.

http://bristolwildfilm.co.uk

Why Bristol …
Bristol is a world-class base for wildlife filmmaking. The internationally acclaimed industry began with the creation of the BBC Natural History Unit in the 1950s and has grown to include many highly regarded independent production companies and freelances. Producers, directors, camera people, graphic designers and editors as well as composers, sound designers and post-production specialists make Bristol’s wildlife film community vibrant and exciting.

Bristol Wildlife Filmmakers are able to draw on this vast wealth of skills and experience for the courses we run, offering our students the opportunity to learn from some of the most respected and talented individuals working in natural history filmmaking today.

Avon Wildlife Trust is a Bristol-based charity dedicated to inspiring people of all ages about wildlife, acting as a wildlife champion, creating wildlife havens and encouraging sustainable living in Bath, Bristol and the surrounding areas. With 17,000 local supporters, it is the area’s largest membership-based organisation.

http://avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Folly Farm is a 250-acre nature reserve in North Somerset owned and managed by Avon Wildlife Trust. More than 100 acres of the reserve is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of the national significance of its wildlife habitats and species, especially its ancient woods, wildflower meadows, bats, butterflies and barn owls.

The Folly Farm Centre opened in May 2008 after a £3m restoration and redevelopment of the Georgian farmhouse at the heart of the nature reserve and associated outbuildings. The Centre offers high-grade, climate-conscious, facilities for day and residential courses, corporate team building, conferences, weddings and other events.

http://follyfarm.org