It is 2am in the Okavango Delta, in the heart of the Kalahari Desert. The temperature has plummeted to freezing, and a biting wind is whipping sand against the lens. The film crew is cold, tired and miles from civilisation, but the atmosphere is electric.
On their monitors, glowing with crystal-clear detail is an African lioness hunting in the pitch black. The scene shifts from the intense, silent hunt to a moment of astonishing closeness, when the lioness glances toward the thermal screen, momentarily locking eyes with the BBC Studios Crew.
This groundbreaking moment was captured by the dedicated crew, and engineers working at Leonardo in Southampton and Basildon have been proud to witness the new series, following discussions with BBC Studios to adapt infrared camera technology to help the crew to cope with some of the planet’s most hostile environments.
The Leonardo team has been able to reflect on the incredible feats of cinematography achieved by the BBC Studios camera and production crews, a journey that has sparked a renewed sense of purpose within their own work.
Leonardo Manufacturing Engineering Graduate Apprentice Jake Disbury was a new Technical Apprentice when he first got the opportunity to manage the design and manufacture of bespoke camera mounts for the BBC Studios Crew, after visiting them at their base in Bristol.
Jake said: “Seeing the BBC Studios night-time footage is incredible. In our discussions with the crew, they described the tough terrain, but seeing the capability perform in the real-world extremes of the Kalahari Desert has left me with an unforgettable picture of what they can achieve.”
The current series of Big Cats 24/7 was filmed in the Okavango Delta in Botswana in the Kalahari Desert and provides a vital habitat for lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, this series follows the cats around the clock over six months to document their lives in unprecedented detail.
Adam Greenen, Leonardo’s Capability Manager, IR Detectors and Advanced EO Systems, is also amazed by the ingenuity of the BBC Studios crew who have bridged the gap between technical thermal capability and cinematic skill.
Adam said: “The crew wanted thermal footage that mirrors the depth and feel of traditional film cameras, so that viewers can see the heat signatures of big cats with unprecedented clarity against the cold desert floor.”
The Leonardo team adapted the thermal imaging camera to allow it to handle the transition from sweltering daytime highs to sub-zero desert nights. Enhanced settings allowed the BBC Studios Crew to operate the thermal cameras with the same intuitive control that they’d apply to standard 4K kits.
The complete new series of Big Cats 24/7 can be found on BBC iPlayer.