Wildlife filmmakers Deeble and Stone partnered with 3D production specialist Inition to produce a 3D wildlife project in Africa, Distant Thunder. The shoot took place in Kenya and was produced in association with equipment manufacturer P+S Technik.

	Visit Deeble and Stone's Web site for news about Distant Thunder.

Set against spectacular Kenyan landscapes, the film follows a family of African elephants as they struggle to survive when drought strikes their homeland. Filming took place in Kenya's Tsavo East and Amboseli national parks and features a variety of filming techniques, from macro to handheld gyro-stabilized to scenic time lapses while following the elephant family on their epic journey.

P+S Technik supplied a Silicon Imaging SI-2K camera, a 3D standard mirror rig and a OneBox DIT workstation. Silicon Imaging supplied an SI-3D camera system and a Stereotec side-by-side rig. Initial post and stereo adjustment were conducted on Iridas SpeedGrade at Inition; post was completed in Spain at Apuntolapospo. The sound design and mix were produced by Wounded Buffalo, with original score by Guy Michelmore.

Andy Millns, 3D producer and director at Inition, says, "It was a real privilege to shoot in Africa with such experienced wildlife filmmakers as Mark and Vicky. We all learned a lot and have come away as a team with a unique understanding of how to shoot natural history in 3D."

	Click for more images

Vicky Stone, producer and director, says, "It was a first for wildlife filmmaking and it proved the power of the medium. Digital 3D is so immersive and experiential that it is perfectly suited to natural history storytelling. We were delighted that it was possible to achieve so much in such a short time. What started out as 'proof of concept' rapidly evolved to become a short film. It was an extraordinary and very successful collaboration."

Anna Piffl, communications director at P+S Technik, says, "This was the first use of P+S Technik's stereo 3D rigs for capturing wildlife in 3D. The results are very impressive, beautiful images. The shoot proved the usability of P+S Technik 3D rigs in rough back country conditions with a lot of traveling, dust and wind."