A glimpse into my job- behind the scenes on making documentaries.

Hi Everyone!

I thought it would be cool to give you guys a little peek into what I do for a living.

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(A picture of me writing is far more boring than one of me holding an iguana- her name is Prometheus and she's a sweetiepie)

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While I've primarily posted about food for the blog, I work for an incredible production company called African Film Company.

After years working with animals in reserves and sanctuaries (hence the iggy) , and writing freelance pieces for local publications, by sheer luck I landed a job with AFC. (but that's a story for another time!)

So now, I'm the researcher and script writer, but also help manage the social media accounts, and figured this is as good a platform as any to share some of our work and a little behind-the-scenes tasters on who we are and what we do.

First and foremost, our company's ethos is to help preserve our natural heritage.
Our last series, 'Deadliest South Africa' on Animal Planet featured Kurdt Greenwood demonstrating that even the deadliest snakes are often misunderstood.

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Here's the Trailer for Deadliest South Africa

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We also did a tribute film to our lovely editor and co-founder, Naudene Leisegang's, father and uncle: Dr,s Chris and Marius Barnard, called 'Change of Heart: The operation that changed the world'
We were blessed to have the film selected for screening at the Cape Town International Film Festival at the end of last year.

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Here's the trailer for Change Of Heart:

Featuring a cameo perfoRmance from me (not an actor at all) as Ann Washkansky, and Matt (A brilliant, professional actor you may have spotted in previous posts) as Luis Washansky

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So that's a bit about what we've done, but what few people get to see is what happens behind the scenes.

With this in mind, our co-founder, film maker and cinematographer Hansa Winshaw and his co-star, Marine Scientist Ryan Johnson have decided to give viewers a glimpse of what goes into making a wildlife documentary.

A couple of hours of television is the accumulation of weeks filming in the field, looong distances travelled and many nights spent sleeping on a bed that isn't yours. (it doesn't sound too bad, but documentaries are rarely shot in 5 star hotels.)

Our new series under the working title 'Chasing Tails' features the guys travelling to East London in search of one of the last massive sardine baitballs. The fish have become vulnerable with overfishing and Ryan believes new legislation to regulate commercial fishing might give the greatest shoal on earth a lifeline.

We've set up social media accounts to allow viewers to see what goes into making a series before it airs.

Here's a little teaser on what they've done so far:

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Ryan showing kids how to work a drone

Hansa , Markus and Ryan gearing up for a day at sea

Hansa demonstrating that one can catch 40 winks on a swaying boat

Ryan under the interview lights

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Ryan shares a swim with a seal

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They've been filming for a couple of weeks now and we've been uploading their daily antics on social media.

If you guys are keen to see more- including how to combat wet-suit rashes and how to make friends with Traffic Cops, check out their posts here:

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook- African Film Company
Facebook-Chasing Tails

For behind the scenes of my blog and cooking endeavours, check out the Viral Crowd pages
Instagram

and my personal Instagram

So that's what we do! Let me know in the comments if you'd like to learn more about the film making industry and I'll do more posts in the future.

As always, if you'd like to give any of the recipes in my blog a try, drop me a comment or DM on Instagram and I'll Skype or Whatsapp you and help walk you through it!

Have an epic week steemians!