Conceptual Planning

GENRE

Short Documentary - Nature - Expository

DURATION

5 Minutes.

TARGET AUDIENCE

People of all ages who are interested in the outdoors, nature and wildlife. People who are interested in travel to Pembrokeshire, South Wales or the UK.

SYNOPSIS

A short documentary outlining what makes the Brecon Beacon mountains unique and my personal relationship and experience with them.

CHARACTERS

1. Puffins

2. Josh Knight

3. Various species of Skomer Island

AUDIO

Voice Over - Scripted voice over.

Foley & SFX - Environmental foley captured on location and SFX from Motion Array.

Music - TBC from Motion Array. Ambient.

RATIONALE

I plan on creating a five minute film while visiting Skomer and the surrounding area with University in May. The video will be filmed entirely within the three days on location and it will be an expository nature documentary exploring the reasons why so many people visit Skomer Island to see the Puffins and highlighting the other species found on Skomer island which don’t seem to get attention that the Puffins do.

Skills and techniques I have that will be useful:

-Previously visited and have a good understanding of the location and wildlife that inhabit the island.

-Experience and practice with wildlife photography should inform good composition for shots

Moodboard

I intend for the visuals of the film to be very natural in terms of colour and grading. The film itself I expect to be similar in style and mode to the below examples.

These films, as well as the one I plan are all of the expository documentary mode, meaning that a voice over is used to explain and give context to the visuals of the film. They all utilise a “voice-of-god” narration, where the voice over speaker is never seen in the images (Nichols, 2017 pp.121-122). This is similar to that of BBC One’s Wild Isles (2023) in which Attenborough’s narration acts as the “voice-of-god” or often the “voice-of-authority” when he is shown in the visuals of the film as the presenter. As with other examples of expository documentary, the primary aim of my film is education. I want to make a particular and well researched argument that informs the viewer about the other species that are very interesting on Skomer Island (Selway, K. 2017) but often overlooked in place of the Puffins.

 

Research

According to Pembrokeshire Island Boat Trips (2023) Skomer Island is most famous for the Puffins that inhabit the island. The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales (2023) report a count of 42,513 Puffins at Skomer on the 28th March 2023.

Pembrokeshire Island Boat Trips (2023) also acknowledge that “Puffins account for just a small portion of the wildlife who call this island their home. The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales (2023) support this statement by drawing attention to other species that can be found on the island, such as:

  1. Manx Shearwater (possible the largest colony in the world)

  2. Storm Petrel

  3. Guillemot & Razorbill

  4. Kittwakes, Fulmar and various species of Gull.

  5. Short-eared Owl

  6. Peregrine

  7. Skomer Vole

  8. Grey Seal

As well as many other species that are found throughout the UK but have a strong presence on Skomer.

Following on from the airing of BBC’s and Attenborough’s Wild Isles a recent article by The Guardian (Morris, 2023) predict “Scores of tourist” arriving at Skomer.

With this in mind I believe that it is important to create a documentary that, while appreciative of the Puffins, highlights the other and sometimes under appreciated species of Skomer.

Rabbits:

“Rabbits were introduced to the island in the 13th century and were farmed for their food and their fur.  Since the island became a nature reserve the population has reached high levels, with an estimated 10,000 present in recent years.” (The Wildlife Trust, 2022. p.22).

Being a non-native species, there is much debate when weighing up the positive and negative affects the rabbit population has on the biodiversity, as identified in the Skomer Island Vegetation Management Plan (Wildlife Trust, 2020) and so I was originally uncertain about choosing them as a key species to highlight. The Skomer Island Vegetation Management Plan (Wildlife Trust, 2020) identifies negative impacts; “Serious decline” of vegetation that is palatable to rabbits i.e. heather Calluna vulgaris, soil erosion and some damage to seabird burrows in more exposed areas of the island. However, the benefits of the presence of rabbits is also noted. Puffins often take over rabbit burrows, despite being able to make their own; rabbit grazing ensures that tall and dense vegetation does not grow up around seabird colonies; the grazing and bare ground is good for some invertebrates and their predators, including Chough and Wheatears; and rabbits provide a food source for predatory birds.

Whilst a non-native species, the rabbits are a notable species on Skomer and so I would like them to feature in my film. As they are so abundant, there is a high possibility of seeing them and as they are a relatively slow-moving animal that are used to human activity it will increase my chances of getting high-quality footage. As the Rabbits and the Puffins are often found in the same areas, I plan to film a clip that includes a focus pull from a Puffin and to a Rabbit in the foreground background (StudioBinder, 2020). As a wildlife photographer/videographer I also believe it is important to highlight complex conservation issues such as the ones posed by rabbits on the island.

Bluebells:

My visit to Skomer in May, will be the peak season for Bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scripta on the island.  It would be good to film the Bluebells as they are a highlight of nature’s calendar for many, and the lack of tree cover or taller vegetation produces carpets of Bluebells on the north-eastern side of the island. This location is close the farm house and should be easily accessible for ample opportunities to film the Bluebells.

Small Birds:

Skomer is home to a number of resident and migratory birds.  Amongst the small birds present are Skylarks, Linnets, Meadow and Rock pipits Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats. The Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe is a summer visitor (arriving here in early March and leaving in September for its African wintering grounds), found especially around short grassy areas along the coastal edge, particularly where the rabbits graze.

I am confident that there is a relatively high possibility of seeing this bird as Skomer provides the ideal habitat for it and a number nest there every year. However, its UK conservation status is Amber (RSPB, 2023) so it is not very abundant and it is a fast moving small bird which may make filming it technically challenging. I am going to focus my attention in the South-West of the island, near the Rabbit enclosure and West Pond to look for the Wheatear, however, if unsuccessful in capturing the footage I will make my way to the central points of the island to try to capture other small birds on the more vegetated parts of the site i.e. near the North Pond and bird hide there.

Fulmar:

Included in the many species of seabirds I am likely to see on Skomer is the Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis. According to ‘Skomer, Maps, trails and information’ the Fulmar nests on individual hollows on upper cliffs and so the Wick and the High Cliff, along with the Neck are where I’m likely to view these birds. The Fulmar is described on the RSPB website (RSPB, 2023) as being “almost gull-like” flying “low over the sea on stiff wings”. Related to the albatross, the fulmar spends most of its life out at sea, and like the puffin only comes in to land for breeding so there is a high probability I will find these on the cliffs amongst the other sea birds.

Video of Fulmar behaviour: Fulmar on Vimeo – the typical species behaviour I may get the opportunity to film on Skomer Island.

Gannet:

I would like to capture footage of Gannets Morus bassanus whilst on Skomer. Whilst they do not breed on the island, the third largest Gannet colony in the world is situated 12km west of Skomer at Grassholm Island, with 39,000 pairs of breeding gannets (Visit Pembrokeshire, 2023).  ‘Skomer Maps, trails and information’ indicates that the best place for me to try to capture Gannets in flight would be at Skomer Head, looking out to sea. They are another species which have a UK conservation status of Amber as they breed at very few places so I feel these are an important species to include. They have very distinctive feeding behaviour, “flying high and circling before plunging in to the sea” (RSPB, 2023). “Diving from heights of 30m, they can hit the water at speeds of up to 60mph” (Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, 2023). I would like to capture this feeding behaviour and consider it to be relatively achievable given the size of the bird (Wingspan: 165-180cm) and my 800mm lens and ability to film in 120 frames per second.

Gulls:

There are a number of Gulls on the island including Herring Gull, Greater and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Kittiwakes. Of these, Kittiwakes are listed as UK conservation status Red; Herring Gull - Red; Lesser Black-backed – Amber; and Greater Black backed – Amber. I think it is important to show the Gulls of Skomer to educate people about the variety of ‘seagulls’ and inform them that, surprisingly, they are in decline and at risk.

I think it is important that the voice over script and the visual images highlight the interconnectivity between each of the species I have focussed on, and that they are not viewed in isolation but as part of the wider ecosystem on Skomer.

AV Script

Shot List

Considerations

Visual

Resolution - 4k, 8k. 4k output but some parts filmed in 8k to allow for cropping. This will imitate multiple cameras in interviews etc.

Frame rates - 24 fps, 120 fps. 24 fps output but some parts filmed in 120fps (such as wildlife) to allow for time remapping to slow motion in post production.

Colour - N-Log and graded in post production. - Shooting in N-Log will allow more data to be captured in the camera and allow for more information to work with when colour grading in post production. (Adler, D. 2016). This may not be entirely necessary for this type of documentary as the colours need to be natural but it will allow for a greater dynamic range to be captured and avoid any clipping in the footage.

Audio

The interview will be captured with two microphones on different devices, one channel will be recorded with radio mics in to camera and the other will be with a shotgun mic in to a zoom sound recorder. Recording on two different devices with different microphones allows me to have a choice of sound options as well as offering redundancy if there are any issues with audio on one of the devices.

Foley will be captured on location using a Zoom H1N, or downloaded on licence from Motion Array.

Ethical

While on the island I must follow all established paths and avoid leaving these paths. This is to protect the wildlife of the island, particularly the Puffins, Manx Shearwater and other species that rely on burrows.

PBS (Publishing Broadcast Service) a US public broadcaster, within their editorial standards, state that “The Objective of the editing process is to collect and order information in a manner that fairly and accurately portrays reality. Producers must ensure that edited material remains faithful in tone and substance to that reality; they should not sensationalize events or create a misleading version of what actually occurred” (PBS. 2022). To me this means that when filming and especially when editing my interview with Josh I must show Josh’s responses in an authentic way which portrays the reality of his thoughts and feelings on the issues or subjects brought up.

In order to ensure I portray Josh in a way that is authentic I show him the edit of the interviews for approval before completing the project.

Reflections

From Location

The first segment I filmed was the first interview with Josh, before we visited Skomer I prepared some questions for Josh that I hoped would help convey his excitement to see Puffins for the first time. I also asked him about other species of Skomer to explore if that was something he had knowledge on or was also excited by, I believe this exploratory question helped with setting up the remainder of the film and to show a journey or that Josh had gained knowledge during his trip, later on in the documentary. I was glad that I had planned to record two channels of audio as the wind noise was a challenge to deal with, while I did everything I could such recording with a low-cut in order to ignore the frequencies generated by wind noise, using a dead cat on all mics and taking cover from the wind, we still couldn’t avoid all wind noise on the lavalier microphones. Fortunately the shotgun mic had picked up less wind noise as we managed to shield this one from the wind more effectively.

The day on Skomer was difficult. The weather itself was challenging and meant that I was unable to capture as many different scenes and clips as I’d hoped for. I also believe that given the time restraints it was quite ambitious to plan on filming a number of species in one day, as I would have needed to spend a lot more time with each animal to capture the different behaviours and shot types I had planned in my shot list. As the weather forecast changed I decided that, as plan B, I would film some scenes that could be used in a film about the weather on skimmer and how it can be a difficult environment for these animals to live in, however, the weather wasn’t as dramatic as I’d expected and proved difficult to capture. This resulted in me sticking with my original plan, but it did mean that I had to re-use a few shots and didn’t manage to capture some of the footage I had planned for in my pre-production.

The final interview with Josh took place the day after we visited Skomer. I think the framing and audio are both good, making both my interviews with Josh the stronger segments of the film. I again recorded audio to two channels for redundancy. I am pleased that I was able to time the interview with the boat leaving in the backdrop, this helps fill the space on the sea and adds interest. I also decided to ask the questions two times to Josh, the second set of questions were filmed with a closer crop as the frame out the boat in the background so that I could better deal with continuation between clips. I also filmed this interview in 8k to allow for further cropping in post, helping me create the illusion of multiple cameras.

On The Final Film

I believe that the final film itself is an acceptable example of an expository documentary. It conveys the message I intended and I believe it does inform the viewer of the other species of Skomer, their importance to the ecology of the island and why they should be appreciated as well as the Puffins.

Having said that, I don’t believe the film is up to the standards I set for myself. The footage captured is sometimes shaky and I had to reuse the same clips a number of times in the film. This is due to a combination of issues I had, such as rushing to try and capture enough footage for the whole film and the weather putting a premature stop to effective filming. The weather forecast was looking promising up until the day before we departed, I have since learnt that it is always a good idea to have a back-up plan in case of the weather conditions not being as expected.

There are a few things I think are good about the film. I am pleased that I was able to create an end result that is acceptable and conveys the message and story I wanted to tell. I think that the audio I captured on location as well as the licensed sound effects helps immerse the viewer in to the film and goes some way to making up for the visuals that aren’t so good. My planning on recording audio to two channels paid off, if I had recorded audio to only one I may have had to contend with audio issues as well. This would have been detrimental to the project given the time constraints on post production.

Reference List:

Adler, D. (2016) Understanding Log-Format Recording. Available at: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/tips-and-solutions/understanding-log-format-recording(Accessed: 30 April 2023)

Caters Clips (2020) Seagull Swallows Rabbit Whole [video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq9bi11Pqk (Accessed: 2 May 2023)

Morris, S. (2023) ‘Scores of tourists arrive at Skomer thanks to Attenborough effect’, The Guardian, 2ndApril. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/02/tourists-arrive-skomer-attenborough-wild-isles-wales (Accessed: 29 April 2023).

Nichols, B. (2017) Introduction to documentary. 3rd edn. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

PBS (2022) Ethically Editing an Interview. Available at: https://www.pbs.org/standards/blogs/standards-case-studies/ethically-editing-an-interview/ (Accessed: 8 May 2023)

Pembrokeshire Island Boat Trips (2023) Skomer. Available at: https://www.pembrokeshire-islands.co.uk/islands/skomer/#:~:text=Skomer%20is%20most%20famous%20for,call%20this%20island%20their%20home. (Accessed: 1 May 2023).

RSPB (2016) Fulmar [video]. Available at: https://vimeo.com/145408426 (Accessed: 2 May 2023)

RSPB (2023) Fulmar. Available at: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/fulmar/(Accessed: 2 May 2023)

RSPB (2023) Gannet. Available at: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/gannet\(Accessed: 2 May 2023)

RSPB (2023) Wheatear. Available at: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/wheatear/ (Accessed: 2 May 2023 

Selway, K. (2017) Bill Nichols’ 6 Modes of Documentary. Available at: https://liftoff.network/bill-nichols-6-modes-documentary/ (Accessed: 1 May 2023).

StudioBinder (2020) The Rack Focus: Creative Examples of Camera Movements & Angles. Available at: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/rack-focus-shot-camera-movement-angles/ (Accessed: 1 May 2023 

Visit Pembrokeshire (2023) Grassholm Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Available at: https://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/explore-pembrokeshire/wildlife-and-nature/grassholm-island (Accessed: 1 May 2023)

Wild Isles (2023) BBC One Television, 3 April.

Wildlife Trust (2023) Northern Gannet. Available at: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/seabirds/northern-gannet (Accessed: 2 May 2023)

Wildlife Trust (2023) Puffin numbers on Skomer soar in 2023. Available at: https://www.welshwildlife.org/news/puffin-numbers-skomer-soar-2023 (Accessed: 2 May 2023).

Wildlife Trust South and West Wales. (2022) Skomer Maps, trails and information. Oxford: Oxford University Press 1998

Wildlife Trust (2023) Skomer Island. Available at: https://www.welshwildlife.org/nature-reserves/skomer-island#:~:text=Apart%20from%20the%20seabirds%2C%20breeding,Rock%20Pipit%2C%20Whitethroat%20and%20Dunnock. (Accessed: 2 May 2023).

Wildlife Trust (2020) Skomer Island Management Plan Vegetation. Available at: https://www.welshwildlife.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Management-Plan-Vegetation-Skomer-revised-2020.pdf (Accessed: 2 May 2023)