 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
What is Filming Support - At ESA we specialise in providing logistical support to international film crews travelling to southern Africa, with a special focus on the wilderness areas and people of Botswana. Over the past ten years the directors of ESA have assisted film crews from around the world in getting them the shots they want and providing them with the scientific advice they need. We understand the time constraints and in many circumstances the budget constraints involved and try to operate within these restrictions to maximise the film crews time within Botswana or southern Africa. Our Service – We can help you by providing the following:
Local Knowledge and scientific advice - As reputable and experienced scientists actively working within Botswana, we can provide you with the most up-to-date information on animal movements and seasonal behavioural patterns, accessibility and weather patterns, while providing advice on the best locations to film your specific subject. Locations – We have an extensive knowledge of Botswana’s wilderness areas and those of the surrounding countries. Depending upon the subject matter of your programme – wildlife, people or landscapes, then we can help you to find the right place. We offer a filming service and photographic service to present you with images of these locations if you don’t have the time to scout all of the regions yourself. Contacts - Having worked as field biologists and wildlife researchers in Botswana for the last 10 years, the directors of ESA have an extensive portfolio of contacts and friends in the research world. These contacts along with our own expertise, mean that we can provide you with, or put you in touch with, the right people to provide some of the best ecological advice in southern Africa. If you want to talk to, or get advice from, local experts in your field, then we can advise you as to whom these people might be and try to arrange for you to contact the best person. Logistical support - As experienced safari guides and field researchers we can also guide you to these locations and provide you with on the spot advice, while also offering a full logistical support service with our own mobile camp. Transport - We have our own fleet of vehicles that we can use to transport you in comfort on long-distance tar roads or along rough dirt roads to get to your filming location. Each car is driven by a local, experienced safari guide or one of the directors of ESA to provide on-route information and advice. If required we can arrange for the hire of 4x4 trucks to carry large quantities of equipment. We have our own boat to reach otherwise inaccessible filming locations in the heart of the Okavango Delta, and can hire further boats to supply and support large research teams working in remote water based locations. Accommodation - While offering logistical support in the form of our own mobile camp, we can also provide more long-term accommodation and support for larger research teams out of our own permanent camp near to Maun, a village that lies at the entrance to the Okavango Delta and serves as the hub of the safari industry in northern Botswana. Specialised filming - We have experience in diving underwater in the Okavango Delta, offering logistical and safety support and advice. We can arrange for underwater equipment to be made available anywhere in southern Africa. Man-power - If you need people to help you not only carry your equipment and help hold things, but to actually assist you with your filming, then we can organise for the right people to be there. Filming Permits - Filming in Botswana requires filming permits from the Department of Environmental Affairs, while filming within National Parks requires further supplementary permits. We can help you to get these permits by acting as the middle-man to expedite the process with face-to-face discussions with the right people in Gaborone. We make no guarantees that we can successfully acquire the permits for you, while we follow the correct application procedures throughout. These procedures can be slow depending upon the volume of applications at any time. |
