I was wondering if anyone had any tips for those of us just taking our first steps in the field of wildlife filmmaking. For those with little (or no) experience it can be pretty daunting breaking into a world full of camera pros and filming buffs.

Are there are any things we can do to begin to experiment with camera work (for example, as lame as this may be, I have spent the past 3 nights filming my cats!) or ways of teaching ourselves the basics. For example would you suggest filming anything and everything just to get the hang of it?

(Indeed it might be nice to have a section on this site with mini-projects for members to have a go at, just a thought.)

You could try a Wildeye course.

I agree with Dave. The wildeye course would be a great place to start!

However if you can't manage that for what ever reason then I highly recommend purchasing Piers Warrens book Go Wild with Your Camcorder as it is packed with plenty of camera techniques and ideas for making shorts!

Cat. Okay, how about filming your cat without it catching you? Is the cat strictly an indoor cat, or does it make outdoor excursions? A good challenge would be to film your cat outdoors without the cat seeing you, or noticing your filming. Indoors might be even harder - remote camera? Shoot through a window from outside? (careful, the neighbors might call the police - good luck explaining you are filming your cat! Ha Ha Ha!)

Yes, filming your cat can help you learn, but not much if that just means "from the couch" or "following it around the house" type shooting.

This is MUCH harder than many people might think.

Beside the wildlife book you can get this DVD: http://www.wildlifefilmmaking.co.uk/
It's only available in PAL format but it will play on your computer.

Yes, forgot about that video! Very interesting! With loads of useful information!

I think the training video could have used a little more field work, showing how to actually videograph wildlife in the wild IMO.

What kind of wildlife do you have in mind, e.g. birds, platypus w.h.y.?

If birds than I suggest a trip to a local reserve, preferably one with hides, where you can set out your stall, tripod levelled etc etc before having a go at what comes by. Always try and get the eye at least in sharp focus.

I don't know what gear you have but you could try a mix of wide and tele shots, not much if any at all zoom, and also try tracking birds that are moving. Keep your clips short as well.

Have a close look at any wildlife stuff on TV. Note how little panning and zooming, lots of static shots with mainly short or very short even if repetitive clips. No camera movement either!

Don't ignore sound particularly with birds which are generally vocal. Bods chattering is though a perennial problem in hides at least where I live.

Ron