AV Specialist - Africa Edition Vol 92 - (Page 8)

Larger than life: the mighty lions roar Celebrated photographer, sculptor and Emmy award winning filmmaker Tim Liversedge thunderously applauds the African landscape with his wildlife drama, Roar, Lions of the Kalahari. Beverley Sigamoney reports that the feature, in its compelling portrayal of lion’s behaviour, further emphasizes the growing concern of their diminishing numbers across the continent. n addition to the awards garnered for Best Large-format Film at the International Wildlife Film Festival, Roar Lions has been hailed as a groundbreaking wildlife feature from a technical and educational perspective. “My mission with Roar was not to adhere to the pure strictures of documentary filmmaking. I never intended for it to be a documentary but rather a wildlife drama. I wanted to move my audience both emotionally and intellectually, like a novel, while staying true to their behaviour patterns,” says Liversedge. With four decades of experience he is regarded as one of Botswana’s most foremost naturalists and is the recipient of numerous awards, among them the coveted Emmy as well as the prestigious Golden Panda. Despite the multitude of accolades and the freedom I and diversity of choice in subject matter, Liversedge nevertheless, felt “confined” by the television screen, longing to break away from the mould. But the ultimate decision to take that plunge into big screen theatres involved enormous sacrifices and it wasn’t until a decade of carefully researching the possibilities that he finally succumbed. Updated digital technology The glimmer of hope came in the wake of an updated digital technology that would enable specific conversions from smaller film formats, seamlessly blending film into acceptable images for giant screens. This meant that Liversedge would be able to incorporate other film formats and not be restricted by the financial implications of shooting in large film format. 8 “At the time there was little interest in the distribution of a wildlife documentary so it was considered a huge risk, particularly as an independent film maker. One 3-minute reel of IMAX film is US $3000 so everyone thought I was crazy, but it was the only way that I could take the wildlife film into theatres,” he added in retrospect. It was Tim’s way of defying the odds, yet again. Soon after his marriage to June, he designed and built Sitatunga, a riverboat, on which he hosted floating safaris along Botswana’s Okavango Delta. An innovator in his field, he was among the first to originate his television films onto 35mm film and High Definition video for TV in a quest for superior quality films. Looking back, one cannot ignore that most of the milestones in his life were unknowingly in preparation for what he

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AV Specialist - Africa Edition Vol 92

Larger than life
Mediatech Aftrica shines bright in local market
HD camcorder runs with the wild dogs
Divers Down pursues tapeless workflow
Broadcast industy feedback

AV Specialist - Africa Edition Vol 92