The Seal Whisperer, BBC1 Our Lives
Posted on: August 29th, 2024
Producer/ Director Nathalie Grace writes about her experiences making her first film.
That’s a wrap!
I am very excited to share that we have just completed production on our latest BBC Our Lives programme, ‘The Seal Whisperer’. The film follows the story of GP, Ben Burville, and his special life, studying the seals of the Farne Islands.
Filming underwater in Northumberland, during the first six months of 2024, presented its challenges, but it was made all the easier by a fantastic team of people.
The Location Crew
My right-hand man and camera extraordinaire, Josh Tarr, captured the beauty of the islands and the wildlife that call it home, perfectly. Those island puffin shots truly are everything I hoped they would be. Underwater camera and dive safety guru, Nicki Meharg, shared with us her experience filming puffins to allow us to capture some awesome shots on the water. Safety team James and Tom from Freedom Diving kept us all safe and adhering to HSE regulations. Boat team, William, Micky, Oliver, Dan and Kieron shared their many collective years of working in these waters, allowing us to always be in the right place at the right time for the birds and seals of the Farne’s.
It is not always possible to combine personal and professional life in the TV industry, but this project was a unique opportunity to get all involved, and I am so unbelievably grateful for that. My wonderfully talented sister, Amanda Fairey, accompanied me on my first ever shoot as researcher and second camera, helping capture pup season which we filmed from a boat with skipper Micky Craig. And then my husband, Dan, and children, Heidi and Isaac, were able to see me in action as they joined me to see the seal pup ‘Ian’, rescued by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) be released back into the wild. What a special day that was.
The Big Wave Team
And then to the people behind the scenes. Exec Producer Sarah Cunliffe wanted as many of the production team as possible to step up and get the experience of taking responsibility for our own show. So Production Coordinator, Harry Harris become a Junior Production Manager for the first time. He, ran the production back at our Brighton base and what a phenomenal job he did.
Researcher and the cleverest person I know, Bobby Cross, kept us in the know with all the best seal facts. He joined Big Wave while still an undergraduate at Sussex University as an intern. I am yet to find an animal, he doesn’t know a cool fact about! Editor and fabulous, long term buddy, David Fricker, was able to take my mumblings and our rushes and finesse it into the masterpiece that it is now. The Edit team in Brighton gave it the cherry on top with the finishing touches.
And Then To The Final Three.
Diana Hare
Our BBC commissioner, who saw our vision and trusted us all to execute it effectively. It is always such a pleasure to work with Diana, and even better this year as she was able to join us in the Farne’s for one of our dive shoots. A fantastic addition to the crew for the day.
Sarah Cunliffe
Our exec producer and founder of Big Wave Productions. Not only an extremely talented and inspirational woman who is always happy to share her years of experience in the industry, but a fantastic person to have alongside me for my first shooting producer director venture. I will forever be grateful to Sarah for her story-telling skills and for trusting and supporting me with this project.
Dr Ben Burville
And lastly our contributor, Ben Burville. What a man! Not only is he saving lives day in and day out, being a Dad of two girls and contributing to important seal research, he was also able to take time out to help us make our film the best it can be! He was unbelievably accommodating and happy to share all his seal secrets.
What a dream come true this project was. Working as a shooting producer director for one, and then being able to do that, whilst combining it with my number one hobby, scuba diving. And then with seals added on top…what more can a girl ask for! That moment, seeing seals underwater for the first time, will remain one of the best experiences of my life. So many stars aligned for me on this project, and I had a blast. I can’t wait for you all to see it!!
Available to Watch on BBC 1 – OUR LIVES STRAND – 30TH AUGUST 2024 & ON BBC I-PLAYER NOW
To Read more about The Seal Whisperer, see THE SEAL WHISPERER on our website