Although the weather has taken a colder turn today, the Winterwatch production is building up quite a head of steam as we approach the live shows, which are suddenly only 12 days away.
With most of the pre-filming done, the editors’ fingers are furiously dashing across their keyboards to cut the glorious final films - but there is one film left to make, and we are shooting that today.
This one has been a labour of love for a large proportion of the team over the past few months, and it’s the latest in our ‘vs.’ series that we have been doing over the past few Watches.
Game of Crows: Chris and Martin prepare for battle.
"Nothing could be better than trying to inspire people with the natural world and all the inherent drama therein – whilst hopefully providing a little touch of entertainment and education at the same time."
Martin inspects the studio with producers Jake and Sophie
So following on from ‘Barn Owl vs. Kestrel’ in Springwatch and ‘Swan vs. Goose’ in Autumnwatch – I am pleased to announce that the third film in the trilogy will be coming to a screen near you this Winterwatch– as the Raven’s intelligence goes up against a Crow’s craftiness, in the Game of Crows.
Clearly, for Chris and Martin the most important thing is that it gives them an excuse to dress up again, but for the rest of the production team it has been a case of begging props, building a set to look like interior of a castle, coming up with challenges to test the birds, and working out how to fit all of that into two short films.
When I went to the set earlier things seemed to be more of less under control; Chris was having a slight issue with his armour but Martin’s long flowing cloak certainly made him look the part. The birds were all over the experiments and, touch wood, it looked like it might just work…
Of course, away from the fun of the set - the real point here is that it gives us a chance to talk about these extraordinary birds and how their intelligence makes them supremely adapted to their lifestyles.
And that, for me, is the point of what we try to do at the Watches. Nothing could be better than trying to inspire people with the natural world and all the inherent drama therein – whilst hopefully providing a little touch of entertainment and education at the same time.
Chris and Martin in full costume on set
So this Winterwatch the Game of Crows will be joined by a host of other short films that we have been busy creating over the past few months. There’s the story of a sanderling struggling to survive on a wind-swept beach, a hedgehog trying to make it’s way through the urban sprawl, an unusual look at a kingfishers in Ramsgate harbour, and as ever, showcases of our great British wildlife and the people that know and love it best.
My only hope is that when things like the Game of Crows come on next week, we manage to convey a healthy dose of fascinating fact and beautiful imagery – as well the huge amount of fun we have in making the series for you.
