Trinidad an Tobago Closing Statement
Wild T & T was shot over a period of ten months during which time the crew spent 45 days in the field and videotaped over 30 hours of material. All images where shot with the Canon XL 1S mini dv camera. Lenses included the Canon XL 5.5 – 88mm manual zoom with image stabilizer and, using the Canon EOS lens adaptor, the Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro. Extreme telephoto capability was achieved by using Canon’s 400mm 2.8 EOS with a doubler. Coupled with the XL 1S this resulted in the equivalent of using a 5,760mm lens with a 35mm still camera.
The logistics of shooting a wildlife documentary vary from locale to locale. For Wild T & T the closeness of habitats helped to some extent but access to several of the locations was extremely difficult. At the top of El Tucuche, Trinidad’s second highest mountain, lives the golden tree frog. This is a unique species. Found nowhere else in the world it makes its home in the hearts of the bromeliad plants that occur in the elfin forests just below the summit of the mountain. The first attempt had to be abandoned when torrential rain made the trail impassible. On the second occasion there was success and this most beautiful of frogs was captured and videotaped before being released. A team of eight was need for the five hour trek up the mountainside, lugging equipment and supplies
