Serengeti: The Adventure | Free Documentary

endless planes that's what Serengeti means in the Masai language 30,000 square kilometers of African savanna shared between Tanzania and Kenya [Music] wildlife filmmaker Reinhard Radtke spent two years in this wilderness in the hunt for spectacular images [Music] it's the first German cinema film about the serengeti since Banhart timox work fifty years ago the most recent technology is being used footage with up to 2,000 frames per second opens up new worlds [Music] shooting the film in the Serengeti was a difficult task full of surprises and adventures [Music] [Music] [Music] the day starts early in the Savannah you need to use the first light as many animals only hunt in the cool morning hours today the filmmaker wants footage of a pride of lions he's following them in the hope of capturing a hunt Reinhard Radtke is a biologist and has been coming regularly to the Serengeti for 30 years first he came on field trips then for television and now a film I still enjoy driving out here into the East African savanna you can experience unbelievable things that you can't find in any script the Lions don't feel like hunting bad luck for the filmmaker [Music] to get better footage a 4x4 has been converted into a camera platform the roofs been strengthened and there's a filming balcony every camera angle should be feasible [Music] the vehicle has not yet been tried out in the field [Music] with such a large number of wildebeest the Predators cannot be far away the difficulty is finding them [Music] today the filmmaker appears to be in luck he got footage of an extraordinary hunt now it's time to think about his own food supply despite the vehicles idiosyncrasies it proves to be a jack-of-all-trades there's a compartment for everything the cars been equipped with everything that may be required for an impromptu overnight stay in the wilderness in case it's too far to drive back to base camp [Music] the filmmakers not alone he's assisted by a lookout his job is to spot the film's main characters you have to know the animal's behavior patterns very well for this job and Peter Blackwell does first part of the day we get up as early as we can so it's still dark lines usually tend to head for the bushes first thing as soon as it starts to get warm so we need to be out here before sunrise to try and catch them as they move into cover we listen here listen for them roaring maybe they're on a kill and after that and we have the help of the toe piece the topes a great indicator so where the lines might be often they'll be up on a tube on a mound and they can indicate point where the Lions might be and so it is the Sun is not yet risen and Blackwell has found the first lines [Music] a little later the team witness and extraordinary hunter [Music] the lioness knows every hiding place in her territory but her uppity neighbor isn't allowing her her curry [Music] [Music] storm clouds gather in the evening [Music] the overnight rains have turned the sandy tracks into deep mud even an off-road vehicle can get stuck but help can be found even in the remotest areas [Music] next destination ol Doinyo Lengai for the messiah the 3,000 meter volcano is the seat of a god [Applause] the volcano is occasionally active but for the filmmaker it is peaceful providing images of extraordinary beauty [Music] the volcano is part of a mountain Massif which shelters the southern Serengeti from the humid monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean [Music] only a few months later Lengai demonstrates its powers large volumes of ash are blown into the air which the wind carries for huge distances over the plains the basis for a unique natural spectacle the world's largest gathering of ungulates every year the huge herds attract over a hundred and twenty thousand tourists to the National Park the money helps fund nature conservation but the visitors also use large amounts of a valuable resource water there are also debates on the disturbance they cause to the animals they certainly disturbed one individual Reinhard Radtke has constant difficulties obtaining images without tourists in the frame again there are signs of a hunt but because of the tourists filming has to be abandoned again and again no footage without a tourist after the fluffed hunt the filmmaker moves to the river Grumeti amongst other things he wants to film crocodiles [Music] a hide by the shore will be his office for the next few days [Music] it's Andy nice organic I don't much like sitting in a hide because you can't go anywhere else should something interesting happen elsewhere you have to stay in it all day long and wait for something to happen on the other hand you sometimes get footage that you otherwise never would because the animals come so close good camouflage can be risky you globally he goes through and heals you wouldn't believe how large such an animal is up close you can't do anything apart from sit tight and keep calm which is quite difficult the elephant obviously hasn't noticed the hide he comes closer step by step an extremely tricky situation which works out all right [Music] reinforcements from Germany wildlife filmmakers Oliver Goodsell and Evo Nordenberg are bringing really special technology to the wilderness using a new high-speed camera they want to record in extreme slow-motion a baptism of fire for the high-tech camera will it work despite the heat and dust [Music] all three are curious to see the first images [Music] the wildebeest are expected to cross the Grumeti as part of their migration in the next few days every year there are then spectacular crocodile attacks that is what the filmmakers want to shoot is this my father guitar nets it's about instep job occupied camouflage is everything [Music] the wildebeests are still distant so at first the bird life along the river is filmed evil Nordenberg is setting up his camera because here we have our brand new HD high-speed video camera which will hopefully open up new opportunities conventional technology allowed us to film a hundred and fifty frames a second using this technology we can film up to 2,000 frames a second we are hoping to be able to show sequences of animal movements that were not possible before easy to setup needs of war booty [Music] the first few recordings are promising a good start for evo nuremberg the new arrivals do not stay undiscovered for long even though the ville de beasts aren't here yet the gametic caca dials are getting into position the human eye can't see this but the camera reveals astonishing footage there's the catfish it really stands out now it's in the jaws it was strange to see how he grabbed it you could see clearly how he tried to jump away even in the air there he is oh no pan over to the right are still in the frame the fish is getting away oh no it's being grabbed by somebody else yes and now it rises again we got that footage to that's a really great sequence and in the end the fish even escaped wow that's good really perfect an incredible scene I can't keep called joy amongst the filmmakers and time for a snack first the Crocs had some food well now it's our turn that people don't you meet us in the lake Chanukah you're happy with the catering ever done better than frozen apple juice in Russia the crocodiles in the Serengeti can reach a ton in weight they can go without food for up to six months there's no need for the wildebeest to hurry [Music] the herds are still a few days walk away from the Grumeti the filmmakers will have to wait a while [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] next morning the team want to film hippos with their high-speed camera there are signs of hippos everywhere the animals can be dangerous if they feel threatened they attack without hesitation I'll get the tripod head and then stay on top because of the stragglers so they don't surprise you with the hippo trail behind them the filmmakers wouldn't notice if one approached there's a few more today a few could still come before 10 o'clock so I'll continue my watch in the water the hippos feel safe there's no danger from therefore filmmaker Yvan Orenburg the digital technology needs elaborate preparations the special camera is not appropriate for everyday use there could still be a few coming along yes I know good luck I'll take care oliver Goodsell keeps watch from the bank site vegetation from up here he can see the approaching hippos from afar and warn his colleagues there is nothing worse than being surprised here yes that one would be good but we have no light hang on Yvan nieuwenburg is hoping for a good battle it image the most difficult part is catching the right moment watch out this one will come up again in ammo let's see what it looks like he didn't blow but it was quite fun the way he pushed the water aside the water falling over his ears great shot and how he's blowing will use this energy that's great I would never have imagined it it was such a banal movement it looks great when this wave comes like a storm surge that was very nice it's the same thing again please then we're doing well once more the early morning was worth it [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] finally the herds arrived on the banks of the Grumeti the team get into position [Music] at first the ville de beasts are nervous they can smell the water but the shore is a terrifying place full of unknown smells and strange sounds perhaps the filmmakers will manage to get the extreme slow-motion images for which they've been waiting so long it should be a ground level or water level they also want to film the wildebeest in close-up with their remote-controlled camera Oliver gürsel is testing whether the screen and focus are correctly set for the wildebeest yes that's good the filmmakers are ready now the animals can arrive from their hiding place the to watch what the remote camera is recording after a while the first builder beasts up here the antelopes don't seem to like having their private lives peered into that looks quite good I hadn't dare to hope yes if it didn't kick the lens and it should be okay great it's dirty but it's okay everything's okay the microphones were stuck on right it doesn't look too bad but the antenna there it is Oh over there that really caught it okay shall we open it we were lucky boys I think we were lucky yes all okay just the battery it looks okay at the moment well that was close [Applause] the wildebeest have retreated from the moment still no footage with the special camera time is passing boredom creeps in tiredness wins out an African Fish Eagle wakes them up it's quite noisy unsleep by a bird we should be in a crocodile first forces the wildebeest back to the water every day more animals arrive at the Grumeti the long wait is over the attack lasts just one second far too fast for a normal camera the special camera is ideal for such moments [Music] 2,000 frames a second pin-sharp to the smallest detail [Music] [Music] [Music] you can't see him well-camouflaged came straight out of the water that was an uproar goodnesses did you see he gave that one a punch as it came up just under the head of the wildebeest calf sequences of movement that nobody has been able to see before suddenly become clear a joy even for experienced filmmakers it's great how the water rises like that in front of him [Music] the next trip takes the team back to the open savanna [Music] by taking back with them Peter Blackwell [Music] [Music] evil nürnberg wants to film cheetahs with his special camera oh it's heavy Blackwell's off-road vehicle is ideal for this expedition this car also has a camera balcony a car doesn't bother the animals as long as the people stay inside they can get within meters but the filmmakers have to wait a long time to capture a hunt finally something seems to be happening [Music] emo is that it's the male Tommy you can see the male Tommy right huh I think it's the male Tommy let's go you ready yeah I ready go the filmmakers don't just want to film the sequence in super slow motion but in normal time - that's why Radtke is also getting into position great quick I think they're up and doing yep they're moving forward [Music] the cheaters approach the gazelles unnoticed because they're going they're going they're moving oh [ __ ] it's not working they're moving either they're moving yep they're off they're off and running Eva they're moving they're running they're running yes again they've got it they've got it even have to wait for again every time come on every time yeah right now yeah no we missed it again Oh what happened give me evil please the camera yeah fine you can talk to either yeah well we didn't manage unfortunately it's not possible that's the fourth or fifth time what's the problem I just had a black image and then I had to restart the camera that takes 20 seconds and then it was all already over than the killer had happened so that means the only solution is to get a new camera they have to send it to us from Germany as quickly as possible it could arrive in Kenya in 3 or 4 days and then we still have three days left and hopefully we'll get something then be nice to the Cheetahs because they'll have to play ball from unbelling be pardoned and even selfish in the meantime the cheaters play together on their own without the filmmakers a female cheater with six young an unusual sight normally a mother will give birth to two or three cubs [Music] [Music] without the special camera the three used the break to get other important footage for the film with the help of a crane they want to portray the strain a wildebeest is under during its migration [Music] the animals regularly fall down the riverbank when they cross the river Reinhart Radtke wants to bring this exhausting route to life with his camera he needs a good eye to find the right perspective yeah but that's a good that would be the trophy mission accomplished [Music] [Music] in Basecamp there's good news for the team the replacement camera has finally arrived from Germany there's the baby I hope it works let's exchange and see if it works only the casing is exchanged the lens and the monitor have to be screwed onto the new kit over the next few days it becomes clear what kind of images the camera can capture when it works finally nürnberg even gets his long-awaited hunt [Music] [Music] did you get it yes edit hey evil nürnberg also succeeds in getting a few more impressive shots [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the filmmakers have now traveled north to the river Mara to film the highlight of the wildebeest migration I want to get out the creatures could arrive any minute every year in early June the rains end in the south and the grass withers then the wildebeest have to cross the river to find food in the north a spectacle that promises dramatic images can you give me the catch Radtke has special permission to film from the river bed a unique angle he puts up with the hardships just getting quite warm in these long trousers and thick shoes and the river is rising the river couldn't be much higher and I hope it doesn't rise any more but it was worth wet feet to get this angle and the crocodiles don't know what to do with the hide anyway [Music] the Mara is the most important water course in the region so far it hasn't dried out even during the worst drought for hundreds of thousands of creatures its waters are literally life-giving and at the same time it's a deadly barrier the ville de beasts face the biggest challenge of their journey [Music] the filmmakers get ready in many places the bank is 15 meters high [Music] thousands want across the river today [Music] [Music] in the brown waters are crocodiles waiting for their opportunity [Music] but the masses move on hundreds of bilder bees will lose their lives today eaten by crocodiles breaking their necks as they fall or trampled to death however thousands managed to make it to the other side now the ways of their rich grazing grounds is clear Africa's biggest migration will always fascinate Reinhard Radtke so shipment moments such as these are still what makes my work in the field with the camera so special after two years the filming is finished the filmmakers had unique experiences they bring home many images never before filmed in this way they will never forget the Serengeti the endless Plains [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 2,595,179

Keywords: Free, Documentary, Documentaries, adventure, explore, develope, countries, animals, nature, Serengeti (Fictional Setting), Serengeti, wildlife, wildlife adventure, nature documentary, Wildlife (Broadcast Content), Tanzania, Save the Serengeti, wildlife documentary

Id: sKafQbM0J_8

Length: 44min 32sec (2672 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 12 2013