FEATURE

FEATURE

DOUG ALLAN:

FREEZE FRAME
BY RACHEL HAWKES
All images Doug Allan

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BLUE ISLANDS' INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

ISSUE 26

ISSUE 26

BLUE ISLANDS' INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

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FEATURE

FEATURE

POLAR BEAR

Scottish-born Doug Allan is a wildlife film-maker of international acclaim. You will undoubtedly have seen some of his work in documentaries such as The Blue Planet, Ocean Giants and the one that has most recently had the country enthralled, Frozen Planet. Doug started his career as a diver, marine biologist and base commander for the British Antarctic Survey in the 1970s. Photography was simply a hobby at that time, however his break into film-making came in 1981 when he made a rather fortunate connection whilst stationed in the Antarctic. I helped David Attenboroughs film crew when they were on base for a few days doing some filming. I remember thinking, look at these guys, theyre travelling, having a good time, enjoying each others company and theyre doing something worthwhile. It just involved so much of what I enjoy, with photography and diving, I wondered how I could do it. The next time Doug travelled to Antarctica, which happened to coincide with the Emperor penguin breeding season, he took his 16mm movie camera. When I went back to the UK I sold the film to the BBC and then on the strength of that I got asked to go down to another little bit of filming. That was the beginning of my career in film-making. The 60 year old is an environmentalist at heart who truly loves what he does. If you ask him what his career highlights are over the years, its not winning awards, being given honorary professorships or even publishing a book. Its the time I get to spend with the big sexy animals, mammals in particular, where you have the chance to build up a really special relationship. Getting up close and intimate with polar bears, killer whales and humpback whales is a very exciting privilege. Frozen Planet, a six-part series presented by Sir David Attenborough, aired on the BBC in the last part of 2011. It took three and a half years to make from inception to transmission and its incredible footage and insights into our frozen world had the country talking every week. The final episode in the series focused on the impact climate change is having on the poles, and consequently what it means for our future. A subject Doug feels very strongly about, and raising awareness of this issue is one reason he finds so much job satisfaction. Were filming animals in their own environment, which we call behaviour sequences. I would hope that in bringing back these sequences we give people a bigger and better sense of wonder about the animals that we show, and that gives them
All images Doug Allan

EMPEROR PENGUINS

a better sense of appreciation. We live in a society that is so separated from nature. I think people have lost sense of the fact that were connected to the environment in the same way as the wildlife that we show on these programmes. There was an incredible moment in Frozen Planet where a pod of killer whales made a wave to overturn a block of ice and knock a seal into the water. In the behind the scenes at the end of the show, you see the same pod of killer whales making a similar, but smaller, wave on the crews dinghy. Doug is responsible for capturing those amazing scenes. Did he have an intake of breath when watching his colleagues in the small and easily overturned inflatable boat? Hardly. Killer Whales are so intelligent and so aware. They are also very prey specific, it was probably just some of the juveniles having a bit of practice. If you were to go in the water with killer whales in great visibility while they were hunting, they would come and check you out but you wouldnt be in that much danger of being consumed. Good to know.

Over the last year, in between filming trips, Doug has been working on his first book, Freeze Frame, which is published this February. Its a collection of still photographs from the Antarctic, the Arctic and the Himalayas stretching back to the start of his career. Each picture in the book tells a story, giving insight into the behaviour of polar bears as well as into what makes wildlife film makers like him tick. For all his work capturing incredible scenes of the biggest mammals in the world, there is one ocean giant that still eludes Doug. The narwhal, a whale with a unicorn-esque tusk that lives in the Arctic. Doug says, They are very difficult to film, especially the male ones with the tusks. Ive had fleeting, distant encounters but Ive never spent a huge amount of time in their company. Somewhere there is a friendly male narwhal floating around, and Id give anything to spend 20 minutes in his company. Lets hope he does. You can catch Doug around the country on his Life Behind the Lens tour from 19th February to 29th March 2012.

DOUG FILMING IN THE ARCTIC

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BLUE ISLANDS' INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

ISSUE 26

ISSUE 26

BLUE ISLANDS' INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

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