The early days of filming in the Falklands really took our breath away. We had an inkling of what to expect from our research. But no amount of photos can convey the essence of these islands. It’s amazing here. And of course, that’s where video production comes in. Our job is to to capture what these islands offer visitors. And there’s a lot to capture.
Our journey began in Oxford, England with a flight from Brize Norton. Although a military base, the plane was equipped like any passenger jet, and it was a comfortable flight. We enjoyed a taste of Portuguese coffee in Cape Verde – where we stopped off to refuel (us and the plane!), before arriving in Stanley, the capital.
Gareth up high to get those spectacular shots
Stanley
After a warm welcome and rest, we began filming military sites in and around Stanley. There are a number of museums, memorials and battlegrounds on the East Falkland, reminders of the 1982 war which followed the Argentine invasion.
Our first few days in Stanley also meant we had a chance to taste what life is like on these Islands. We drank the local ‘Rockhopper’ beer and ate ‘Smoko’ (all in the name of research of course). And it’s strange for a Devon video production company to be nearly 8000 miles from home and come across red telephone and post boxes.
Long way from Home!
Extraordinary Wildlife Encounters
Magallenic penguins Yorke Bay
Close to Stanley, you can stand on the cliffs and see penguins in Yorke Bay. But for a close encounter we headed to our next location:Sea Lion Island. Sea lions (it lives up to its name), Rockhopper, Magallenic and Gentoo penguins plus enormous Elephant seals abound here. Just a wander through sand dunes and you can come across nesting Magallenic, known locally as Jackass. In fact at one point a curious Gentoo pecked at our camera, nearly knocking it over. After a full day’s filming, we fell asleep to the sound of penguins who live just outside of the lodge.
Elephant Seal, Sea Lion Island
Next Stop: West Falklands
Rockhopper penguins
The approach to this island was breathtaking. Pristine beaches, vertiginous cliffs and fewer than 100 people in an area the size of Cornwall. It was like flying into the Scottish Islands. A spot of fishing and bird watching (black neck swans, black browed albatross) later and we were off to the attractively named Pebble Island for more wildlife. Perhaps one of my most memorable moments was standing alone on a beach, watching two commodore dolphins surfing a beautiful break.
Nesting Black Browed Albatross, West Falkland.
What next…
We’ve had a great time and been looked after by our hosts really well. Another week or so to go and we will be on the look out for Sei Whales, Orcas and King penguins. We have seen a few Kings hanging out with the other kinds, but at Volunteer Point they have a massive colony. Can’t wait.
What’s great about filming destinations is the spectacular places we get to visit. We’ve been filming everything in super quality 4K, as well as using our drone to capture aerial video (it overcame its initial confusion when it didn’t recognise all the new satellites really quickly). The 360 VR cameras have also had an outing (for expos and cruise passengers to the islands, to get a taste of what’s on offer when they get here). We are really looking forward to editing the films, using the fantastic footage we’ve captured. See these blogs to find out what else we have been up to recently:
Talking Tourism and 360 VR for your business marketing
