Filming in South Africa with Tyson Mayr for the South African Tourism Board
A production trip across South Africa documenting conservation, anti-poaching operations, and the field work that tourism dollars quietly fund.
When Tyson Mayr reached out to shoot with the South African Tourism Board, we knew this one would be different. It wasn't a typical content piece — the focus was authentic storytelling about conservation, sustainable tourism, and the people doing the work every day.
We chose the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K Pro over RED for this one. Faster start-up, solo-operator friendly, smaller files, and better suited to wildlife. Animals don't wait for you to roll again. If you miss it, you miss it.
Kruger National Park
We started at Kruger to acclimatise and get some early footage in the bag. Busy with tourists, but the self-drive access made it a great warm-up before the more demanding shoots.
The Kalahari
The airline lost the camera kit on the way to Upington. Once we tracked down the baggage, we moved on to the Kalahari Research Centre where the meerkat scientists are based. Early morning tracking sessions revealed family dynamics and the research methodology up close.
Tswalu
With gear finally in hand, production moved to Tswalu — a private reserve and a masterclass in tourism funding conservation. Scientists, anti-poaching units, the lot. Golden-hour rhino encounters, jackal research, lion mating, and tracking a cheetah coalition on foot.
Phinda
At Phinda we filmed a rhino dehorning — a poaching deterrent. Vets dart the animal from a helicopter, then remove the horn quickly with a chainsaw. Brutal to watch, but it directly protects these animals from poaching.
Care For Wild
Our last stop was Care For Wild, the world's largest orphan rhino sanctuary. They raise rhinos whose mothers have been poached until they're ready to rewild. Full veterinary and anti-poaching operations on site. We filmed baby rhino feedings and a few success stories.
From Joburg we flew home to Australia.
A note on the kit
The Blackmagic earned its spot on this trip. For single-operator wildlife work where you only get one take, reliability is everything.
