SELF-SHOOTING DIRECTOR / CAMERAMAN

I have worked with - and learned from - some of the best cameramen in the business. and I regularly shoot main or second camera on my own shows, and as part of camera teams on larger productions.

Main camera credits include Michael Portillo's travels in Switzerland for Great Continental Railway Journeys (BBC2); First Man Out with Ed Stafford in the Tibetan mountains; shooting / directing across the six-part series Turn Back Time: The High Street (BBC1); filming across seven contiguous episodes of hit mining series Gold Rush (Discovery); and self-shooting a half-hour Newsnight Arctic special in Svalbard (BBC2).

My second camera work includes filming with the Bayaka tribe in the Congo for Earth's Natural Wonders (BBC1); filming both a Shinto fire festival in Japan and an Orthodox Christian fire ceremony in Jerusalem for Earth's Sacred Wonders (BBC1); filming with Denise Lewis, Ellie Harrison and Chris Hollins for Secret Britain (BBC1); being part of the camera team on Lucy Worsley's  historical re-enactment Victoria And Albert: The Royal Wedding (BBC2); shooting historical reconstructions for The Real War Horse (C4); filming actuality and wildlife for The Lion King: A Royal Safari (C4); embedding myself in hunting sequences for Survive the Tribe (National Geographic); being at the heart of multi-camera fishing action with Jeremy Wade in River Monsters (Animal Planet); and filming Giles and Sue going bonkers in The Supersizers Eat...1950s (BBC2).

I have also filmed many stand-alone shorts and interviews for broadcast shows including  Food and Drink (BBC2), Newsnight (BBC2); The House the 50s Built (C4);  Digging for Britain (BBC2) and Big Fat Quiz of the Year (C4).

My preference is for the Sony F5 / F55, and the FS7, closely followed by the Canon C300. I also have extensive experience with other cameras including the Sony PDW800, Canon 5D, and Sony DSR-500. Where time and budget permits I love shooting on primes. Otherwise I enjoy the flexibility of zooms, particularly the Canon CN7, the Canon HJ14, and the Canon EF range. I am also familiar with a range of auxiliary and rig cameras like the DJI OSMO, GH5 Lumix, GoPro, XF305, EX3.

In addition to hands on experience and working closely with some of the industry's best cameramen, I have attended a number of industry training courses for single camera shooting, sound & lighting and interview set-up.

UNDERWORLD: SLOVENIA   (Curiosity Stream / ZDF / Off The Fence / 2022)
Above ground I shot main observational camera following a team of expert cavers and scientists on an expedition to one of Europe's largest ice caves. This involved crampons and rope work descending ice walls and rock faces in the cave, where I worked alongisde specialist cameraman Rob Franklin who oversaw lighting and technical filming. I filmed and directed vox pieces / interviews below ground with the caving team; and directed, lit and shot all interviews with scientists, geologists and guides above ground and in other cave systems; landscape GVs and time lapses; museum exhibits and rostrum.  Camera: FS7.
EPIC ADVENTURES WITH BERTIE GREGORY: BATTLE OF THE BEASTS
(Disney / National Geographic / Wildstar / 2021)
Producing and directing the episode on the ground in Zambia, I shot main camera following in the footsteps of wildlife cameraman Bertie Gregory as he went in search of one of the epic African battles: lion vs buffalo. As he  and Sam Stewart recorded blue chip images on Red / CN7 / drone /  M1 Shotover I followed the entire adventure on the FX9, real time reaction and more considered PTCs.  It was a tough gig with 30 days in the field in temperatures reaching 40+ Celcius,
FIRST MAN OUT: ZOIGE MARSHES, CHINA    (Discovery / Beachhouse / 2020)
I was one of two cameramen following a three day and night footrace through mountainous terrain on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau before descending into the notorious Zoige marshes where the Yellow and Yangtze rivers rise. It was a gruelling shoot for contestants and camera ops. Accompanied by an ex-Royal Marine battlefield medic and mountain guide, this cameraman and contestant - ex-PSYOPS and US Marine  Hakim Isler - crossed mountain passes in thick cloud and waded through marshes,  waist deep in cold water, eating on the go and sleeping out in the wild. There was just about time to capture something of thenatural  beauty of this region during the race, but mainly this was about raw human experience. Shot on Sony FS7.
EARTH'S SACRED WONDERS (BBC1 / BBC Scotland / 2019)
Directing stories in Japan and Jerusalem for ESW, I shot second camera whenever we needed additional coverage that DoP Alistair McCormick simply couldn't get on his own. Both events were dramatic fire festivals involving huge crowds and action spread over large distances. In Japan, I followed the procession on foot down the hillside, before embedding myself in the crowd for slow-mo scenes shot at 150fps.  In Jerusalem I spent nine hours standing on the spot in a dense crowd, filming the build-up and waiting for the climactic moment of fire leaving the tomb of Jesus Christ.  Shot on Sony FS7 / Canon C300.
VICTORIA & ALBERT: THE ROYAL WEDDING (BBC2 / BBC Studios / 2018)
A hugely ambitious project involving a cast of hundreds, I was flattered to be invited to join BAFTA winning DoP Andy Muggleton's camera team on the bigger set-piece days. Employing a mixture of primes and Canon zooms, on a tripod and handheld, I shot crowd scenes, cutaways and faces, to ensure we had the full colour and detail for the rich historical tapestry that director Ian Denyer had envisaged. Shot on FS7 / Primes.
EARTH'S NATURAL WONDERS (BBC1 / BBC Scotland / 2018)
Ep. 3 'Living With Animals'
During the ten day shoot with the Bayaka / Pygmies in the Central African Forest in the Republic of Congo, I shot second camera with cameraman Danny Etheridge for bigger scenes including village discussions, spirit dances and community net hunting. Additionally on the five day journey into the heart of the forest, I part shot the 'Making of...'  film with Danny.  Given we then 'lost' a boat with our filming kit, all the food and the local translators, Danny and I also became the stars of our own BTS film which made the cut. Filming on C300 / 5D / OSMO / GoPro.
GREAT CONTINENTAL RAILWAY JOURNEYS: SWITZERLAND (60 mins / BBC2 / Boundless / 2016)
Sole cameraman on the hour long show. Over the five day recce, I shot much of the B-roll of trains, stations and locations without the presenter. A week later I repeated the same journey with Michael Portillo, where I shot all his PTCs and actuality as we journeyed by train from Zermatt to Geneva, via the Matterhorn, a watch making factory, a piano recital, a dungeon, a flight in a biplane, a micro vinyard and a Swiss bank vault. I was tethered to a sound recordist for the main shoot.  Filmed on FS7 / Sony 18-110 / Canon Primes.
FOOD & DRINK SERIES III     (8 x 5 mins / BBC2 / BBC Bristol / 2015)
I self-shot many of the five minute insert films on this revamped Food & Wine series, fronted by Tom Kerridge. Out and about with presenters Oliver Peyton, Arabella Weir and Andy Bates, I made weird and wonderful films about ugly molluscs, well-hung Cornish sausage, hedgerow infused beers and some of the most expensive sandwiches in Britain.  Shot on F55 / HJ14.
Series Producer: Hannah Corneck
Executive Producer: Robi Dutta
SURVIVE THE TRIBE (3 x 60 mins / National Geographic / Icon Films / 2014)
Given the fluid and unpredictable nature of hunting scenes, I stuck with presenter Hazen Audel and shot second camera and recorded sound on the big days. This involved me being embedded with him and the San bushmen in an exposed hide, where we were eventually charged by elephants; racing through thorny scrub as Hazen pursued a porcupine; embarking on a monkey hunt in the Ecuadorian rainforest, picking up the chase but getting lost in a swamp;  and filming additional surface and underwater camera as Hazen went spear fishing, and ultimately hand-lining for sharks from a dug-out canoe. See:
Kalahari Hunters: Embedded with presenter and san bushmen in hide 10:33:30 - 10:42:23
Shark Hunters: Underwater shots during shark fishing 17:05 - 19:45
Rainforest Masters: Monkey hunting, lost in a swamp 09.05 - 12.35
EDWARD VIII: THE LION KING      (60 mins / Channel 4 / Tigress / 2013)
Taking full advantage of our time in the Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park and around Lake Nakuru, we had two cameras going on wildlife / GVs throughout, on foot and from Land Cruisers. Wildlife filmed included elephant, giraffe, lions, zebra and wildebeest. Some actuality scenes, notably the tourists stalking wildlife with cameras on foot, had an air of unpredictability about them, so I shot second camera to Mike Todd's first to ensure that we didnt miss any human or animal reactions. Shot on C300.
THE REAL WAR HORSE (60 mins / Channel 4 / Testimony / 2012)
For the reconstruction scenes we had a troop of World War One cavalry re-enactors on horseback. Given limited time and complicated choreography, this required maximum coverage, so I shot second camera with main cameraman Mike Todd. We set up a number of cavalry charges across farmer's fields, all of which were a little flat given the cloud cover and winter light. And then the sun burst through for a glorious fifteen minutes at sunset which we milked for some of the most spectacular images I have ever shot / directed. Shot on 5D.
SUPERSTORM: HURRICANE SANDY     (60 mins  / Discovery / Darlow Smithson / 2012)
Caught in New York during Hurricane Sandy - the largest storm ever to hit the city - I turned a badly timed holiday into a filming opportunity. I was Darlow Smithson's sole operator on the ground in the city for the first few days after the storm, capturing GVs around the city and lighting / shooting / sound recording interviews, including what became the first in the show -  a tough New York Mom who gave birth during the storm, after her hospital was evacuated due to a power cut and then her ambulance was struck by a tree! (See clip below 02:24)
CAMERA SHOWREEL 2005 - 2012
Clips and highlights from shows I have shot including Voices of the Great War; Churchill's Secret Bunkers; Newsnight's Arctic Adventure; Supersizers Eat... 1950s; Turn Back Time: The High Street; Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition; Gold Rush. I'm proud of the projects but the images haven't all aged well, some of it even being SD. Yes, I'm that old.
GOLDRUSH (7 x 60 mins / Discovery / Raw TV / 2012)
One of a team of five cameramen on location, I shot a great many two-header scenes on my own, but often found myself cross-shooting larger 5-10 man scenes with BAFTA winning cameramen and shooting APs barely out of nappies. We reacted quckly to events on the mine as they unfolded, shooting rough and ready sequences with a gritty bunch of wannabe gold miners in one of the toughest landscapes I've ever worked in. Tethered to a sound recordist at all times. Filmed on PDW-700.
TURN BACK TIME: THE HIGH STREET (6 x 60 mins / BBC1 / Wall to Wall / 2010)
One of four self-shooting directors, I was responsible for filming roughly a quarter of this six-hour prime time series for BBC1. Each week / episode I would follow one shop and family through their travails, as they learned how to operate old fashioned technology, interacted with the families in other shops on the High Street, and engaged with local modern day customers who came to buy their wares. We also conducted interviews with the general public and together shot big set pieces with the presenters. Tethered sound recordist. Shot on EX3.
SUPERSIZERS EAT... 1950s    (60 mins / BBC2 / Silver River / 2009)
I filmed the opening and closing sequences as Giles and Sue went to the doctor's surgery 1950s style. This included a physical check-up for both presenters and a sit down three-way discussion about not only their own wellbeing but also the health of the nation.  I also shot second camera during the trip to and activities at the fifties holiday camp. My element were shot on the Z7.
NEWSNIGHT'S ARCTIC ADVENTURE    (2 x 15 mins / BBC2 / BBC NEWS / 2008)
I was the sole shooter, sound recordist and producer for Newsnight on board the sceintific research vessel James Clarke Ross for a full calendar month. Documenting the various projects being conducted on board in Arctic waters, out on the sea-ice an in the deep water fjords, I shot the bulk of the film before I was joined for a couple of days at the end by presenter Susan Watts and a senior BBC producer who came out to shoot PTCs, interviews and bookend the film. I also hastily edited a 'mockumentary' from my rushes to amuse the ship's crew and the scientists on the last night of the expedition. Shot on Sony Z7.
EDWARDIAN FAMILY ALBUM    (3 x 5 mins / BBC4 / Lion TV / 2007)
I shot all the 3-5 minute insert films for the main 'as-live' show presented by Peter Snow at Manderston Country House in Scotland. This included a film on 'Black Edwardians' shot in West Ham and Canning Town, London; one on the arrival of the electric tram, shot at Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire; and one on Edwardian Music Hall, shot in the glorious setting of Wilton's Music Hall in the East End. Picture and sound recorded on Z7.
VOICES OF THE GREAT WAR   (60 mins / Discovery / Lion TV / 2005)
Under pressure to maximise limited location filming time, I shot second camera - mopping up landscape and cemetery GVs - as my main cameraman, Neil Robertson, set up a jib and/or dolly for tracking and crane shots. Filmed on and around the WWI battlefields of France and Belgium, we took in a number of British, French, German and American cemeteries, where I also took responsibility for all timelapse filming. Shot on DSR500 and Z1.
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