Tracking the Wild Wildebeest

Project:

Sony Alpha 7 Commercial with Manuel Neuer

Shot By:

Rob Weidner

The Challenge

Film a close-up shot of a wildebeest running in the African bush.

The Setup

Wildebeests are wild and skittish, so it was going to be difficult to get a high-speed tracking profile shot of one. After three days of attempting to film them from vehicle and on foot, but not being able to get the exact shot, it was time for a backup plan. The team decided to fly Alta 8 alongside a quad bike at full speed to produce as much natural dust as possible and then Framestore was able to composite in a wildebeest in place of the quad bike, alongside Manuel Neuer. The hardest part of executing the shot was the speed at which Alta had to fly, especially through all of the dust!

The Result