Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Bob Poole reveals how the FUJINON Duvo HZK25-1000mm, paired with the ARRI ALEXA 35, enabled respectful wildlife filmmaking while delivering unprecedented intimacy in his elephant documentary. From vehicle-mounted setups to large-sensor advantages, here’s what it took to capture elephants in the wild without disturbing them. Wildlife cinematographer Bob Poole spent decades developing his approach to filming elephants, an approach rooted in respect, patience, and maintaining proper distance from his subjects. His recent work on an elephant documentary for PBS Nature combined his lifelong passion with cutting-edge technology, specifically the FUJINON Duvo HZK25-1000mm box lens mounted on an ARRI ALEXA 35. The result demonstrates how professional wildlife filmmaking balances technical capability with ethical responsibility, where the right gear becomes essential for both image quality and animal welfare. We initially spoke with Bob Poole at NAB 2024, right after he tested the Duvo lens on safari in Kenya with support from FUJIFILM North America’s Vice President, Victor Ha. At the time, the 28kg / 61.7lb lens seemed like an ambitious choice for unpredictable field conditions, requiring Bob to “chop up and re-design” his vehicle to accommodate the massive setup. However, that initial safari confirmed what has now become evident in the finished documentary: the Duvo HZK25-1000mm delivers capabilities that simply weren’t available to wildlife cinematographers before. Credit: FUJIFILM The challenge of filming elephants Bob’s approach to wildlife cinematography prioritizes animal comfort above all else. Elephants are unpredictable subjects, sometimes approaching within meters of the camera position, other times remaining at...
Published By: CineD - Today