Description: Already listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act, Julia Barfield with The Nature Conservancy says the Greater Sandhill Crane has also recently seen a sharp decline in numbers. Learn more about how these creatures of habit rely on rice fields as an essential part of their existence.
My Role: I was originally consulting an independent production company on the best practices and techniques of filming sandhill crane. I was eventually hired by them as a long lens camera operator for a joint project between The Nature Conservancy and the California Rice Commission. My aim was to capture certain behavior of the sandhill crane (i.e social display, feeding, and flight), as well as their physical characteristics (i.e wingspan, plumage, and profile features), all within the environment of rice fields. I worked within the boundaries of the local land restrictions, and was supervised under the guidance of a Nature Conservancy employee. Having 4 hours to document the experience starting from early sunrise, to the ending of their morning meal, I created a video guideline and shot-list to keep me visually and technically prepared. Once production was complete, I off-loaded media to the team that hired me, and provided production notes (i.e shot preferences, timestamps, edit suggestions) to help with the post-prodution process.
Description: The Woodland Regional Park Preserve is located east of Road 102, and south of Road 25. It was once a landfill, and is now turned into a sanctuary that serves as a haven for nature. The park is 160 acres, with a vision that includes enhancing the wetland, plant, and wildlife resources, along with improving access for public visitation, and being a place where educational programs can be offered.
My Role: This film was created to be used as grant proposal material for funding a environmental non-profit preservation project. I corresponded with the client over a couple of weeks, and gained access to a local location that is not accessible by the public. In a span of a 3 hour shoot, I captured enough footage that allowed me to tell a story in post production via voice over, and narration written from research I conducted utilizing public information regarding the park and its ongoing project status.
Description: Flooding season marks a special period of time in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. Discover a slice of its natural history and wildlife by taking a ride on the 6 mile auto-loop tour where birds of all kind can be found, from Great Egrets hunting, to hundreds of migrating waterfowl flying in flocks along the Pacific Flyway.
My Role: I created this film as part of a capstone project for a California Naturalist Certification Program created by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resource. The goal was to create a deliverable that would benefit the conservation work of a local non-profit, and the environments they are stewards of. Utilizing the education I gained from the course, I wrote a script, and narrated my findings by making objective observations paired with inferences made by research. Filmed on two separate days, with a whole month in between during the Winter season.
Accolades:
Wild & Scenic Official Selection 2023
Wild & Scenic 2023 Q&A Filmmaker Panelist for “Education” category