The Wonder List: Behind The Shot first 6 BTS episodes

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These aren’t the BTS videos put a playlist of additional clips for the show

The Wonder List is a new original documentary series for CNN that airs from March the 1st at 10pm EST in the US. It’s also available on CNN on demand. Other platforms and especially international I don’t know yet, but as soon as I do…

It’s a series about going to special places around the world that are on the brink of change, for whatever reason. We travelled to 5 continents and 8 countries for the 8 episodes over a period of around 6 months. It was truly epic.

I also chose (rather insanely!) to really put a huge amount of production value into shooting the series, despite shooting this more or less as a one-man-band (apart from the B camera and occasional C camera operated by the two producers.) We are talking Sony F55/ FS7 including lots of super slow motion, Sony A7s with Movi was also used a huge amount and, when permitted, I used a “drone” as they are now pretty much officially called, for better or worse. I used a Phantom 2 with GoPro first then switched to the DJI Inspire 1.

 

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BEHIND THE SHOT EPISODE 1

VANUATU: DRONE VS VOLCANO

As part of the additional online content for the show, I have made a series of videos with CNN called “Behind The Shot”. The premise is simple: I take a key shot from each episode and explain the background and thinking behind it. The first episode is about a specific shot I did with the Inspire One that is the debut episode filmed in Vanuatu, which is in the South Pacific.

The Wonder List: Vanuatu "Band Photo"
The Wonder List: Vanuatu “Band Photo”

The Inspire 1 at the time hadn’t been announced. I was use an early pre-production one. It worked pretty well, but the gimbal tilt wasn’t working so I could only point straight, and there was no ability to tweak the picture profiles. Other than that it was an absolute joy. So stable in the air and could take wind that would have blown my Phantom 2 away! I loved the way it sat in the very windy sky angled at 45 degrees (the gimbal of course keeping the camera level) as it was effectively accelerating hard into the wind to keep it in the GPS position!

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Here are some frame grabs taken with the Inspire 1 in Vanuatu

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It’s the below frame in particular that is the subject of the first episode of “Behind The Shot.”

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Click the image below to be taken to see the the first episode of “Behind The Shot”

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BEHIND THE SHOT EPISODE 2

INDIA: WAITING FOR THE MONKEYS

Episode 2 is about the time we were out on safari in India looking for the very rare tigers to film and how I divided, foolishly, to film monkeys flying through the trees at 180fps! They made me wait! Click below to see that one! This is very different from the first episode of Behind The Shot! That was about an epic shot…this is about when things don’t go to plan! 🙂

 

The Wonder List: India "Band Photo"
The Wonder List: India
“Band Photo”

 

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Producer Julian Quinones who put together these videos. Famed for being asked in India “HOW are you so good looking?” 🙂

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Super slow motion is of course wonderful, but my god, it eats up data. With no cache recording in either the F55 or FS7 (unlike the internal slow motion of the FS700) it’s all continuous. This is good and bad. Good because you are unlikely to miss a moment, bad because you eat up SO MUCH DATA!! Let this be a cautionary tale for you! 😉

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BEHIND THE SHOT EPISODE 3

THE DEAD SEA: THE BAT CAVE

In the third (and final for now, we are hoping to shoot 5 more next week) episode the focus shifts onto using the Movi M5 stabiliser with the A7s and how, after one particular experience in the Dead Sea episode, I know this combo was going to be essential for the look and feel for our show. It was damn hard work and bloody exhausting after a while but totally worth it.

 

The exceptional Sony F55 with VOCAS gear on it. Superb add ons to make the camera more user friendly handheld
Filming with the F55 at the Dead Sea
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Setting up the Movi M5 with the A7s at the Dead Sea

In later episodes I took this up a level. A three hour walk/ climb through a sea water mangrove swamp in the Galapagos and in Florida, again surrounded by salt water, I went Kayaking with it on my lap for a few hours. Dicing with gear death maybe…but the results speak for themselves when you see the episodes!


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BEHIND THE SHOT EPISODE 4

THE GALAPAGOS: Mangrove swamp

 

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BEHIND THE SHOT EPISODE 5

IKARA: Keeping up with the some of the oldest people on earth

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BEHIND THE SHOT EPISODE 6

VENICE: Filming the floods

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I hope you enjoyed those! If you want more, then don’t miss the series Sunday’s at 10pm (Eastern)  only on CNN and CNN Go and  on demand. International broadcasters to be announced.

Oh…in the meantime here are the trailers and two personal edits!

The Wonder List: Fernandina Island, The Galapagos in 4K from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

The Wonder List: Yakel Village, Vanuatu from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

 

CNN’s “The Wonder List” Trailer from Philip Bloom on Vimeo

“The Wonder List” New Year Teaser from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

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