One of the most time consuming things about filming outdoors is the walking shot. Speaking to camera interview style is mostly achieved easily after just a few takes. But the seemingly trivial and non-technical activity of filming me walking takes an inordinate amount of time. Yes, walking. From all angles and directions. Walking into shot, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Out in the field
Notes from a small volcanic island
Early start from Gatwick to Tenerife, but greeted on lading with warm sun and blue skies. We are here for three days to film a documentary for the Weather Channel on volcanoes and their effects on the earths climate. Apparently the US meteorological community and weather watchers in general have got a taste for volcanoes … Continue reading
Whisky on the rocks
No trip to Aberdeen would be complete without incorporating Scotland’s most famous export (apart from shortbread and Andy Murray). Luckily, we had a valid geological reason too – the link between whisky and geology is well known. Continue reading
Driving Curiosity
How do you drive a rover on Mars? The latest rover to land on Mars, Curiosity, represents a huge leap forward in technology for exploring the planet. At 875 kilograms and ten feet long, it is about twice as long and five times as heavy as NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which … Continue reading
Survivors: Nature’s indestructible creatures
An ex – President of the Geological Society is bound to be one of the survivors. But starting on Tuesday 24th at 9 p.m. I am fronting a BBC4 series about different kinds of survivors – animals and plants whose relatives are known deep in the fossil record. “Living fossils” was how Charles Darwin described … Continue reading
Farewell to the Antarctic
Seeing the huts of these early expeditions and experiencing in a slight way what the weather can be like here, even at the height of summer, brings a new dimension to, and a deeper appreciation of the achievements of the Scott and Shackleton expeditions. Continue reading
The Ross Sea Ice Shelf and beyond
Extending east from Cape Crozier, the front of the Ross Ice Shelf is a 30 metre high vertical wall of ice. It’s a remarkable feature, especially when you realise that it’s fresh water, it’s floating, and about 90% of it is underwater. With an area of 487,000 square kilometres, the Ross Ice Shelf is the … Continue reading
The most southerly ship on the planet
On Friday, back in our harbour in the fast ice between Capes Royds and Evans on Ross Island, we realised we are the most southerly ship on the planet. To get here this early in the season we’ve had to crunch our way through 900 miles of pack ice. The previous day, we landed on … Continue reading
Scott’s hut on Cape Evans
So far, the geology on this trip has faced some stiff competion from history and penguins, but on tuesday it came into its own. We moved across McMurdo Sound overnight and into the fast ice on the west coast, ready for an assault on the Dry Valleys. It was a lovely sunny day on the … Continue reading
Reaching Shackleton’s expedition hut
Taking a circuitous route through the pack ice, we finally made it to Frankin Island at 76 degrees south. We got the ship to within 5 miles, then flew in by helicopter, landing on the sea ice at the southeastern end of the island about a mile and a half from a colony of Emperor … Continue reading
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