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WildFilmHistory » Home » Films » Unarmed Hunters

Unarmed Hunters  (1963)

Filming Unarmed Hunters

An intriguing, behind-the-scenes look at wildlife filmmaking, Unarmed Hunters covers 3 days in the life of the BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU). Touring the library, cutting rooms, and editing suites of their Bristol headquarters, Unarmed Hunters reveals the hours of patient work, and numerous difficulties involved in making a thorough and accurate wildlife documentary.

Following as voice-overs are recorded, work is edited and reams of footage are shot, the production features some of the unit’s top directors, producers and cameramen. Founders of Oxford Scientific Films, Gerald Thompson and Eric Skinner are seen studiously filming in their macrophotography studio, and renowned BBC producer Richard Brock is shown on location during his latest documentary, Exe Estuary.

An engaging account of early days at the BBC NHU, this half hour special is an interesting insight into the ‘unarmed hunters’, that work within the varied world of wildlife cinematography.

Copyright holder

Copyright Holder: BBC - Natural History Unit
Address: c/o BBC Motion Gallery
Room E251
Woodlands
80 Wood Lane
London
W12 0TT
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8433 2861 / 2
Email: motiongallery.uk@bbc.co.uk
Website: http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com

Film credits

Appearance: Richard Brock
Appearance: John F. Burton
Appearance: Jeffery Boswall
Appearance: Gerald Thompson
Director: Christopher Parsons
Producer: Christopher Parsons
Appearance: Leslie Jackman
Appearance: Michael Kendall
Appearance: Eric Ashby
Appearance: Nicholas Crocker
Appearance: Maxwell Knight
Appearance: Johnny Morris
Appearance: Peter Markham Scott
Appearance: Eric R. Skinner
Appearance: Winwood Reade
Appearance: David Aliband
Appearance: Sheila Fullom
Narrator: Derek Jones
Appearance: Jim Saunders
Appearance: Betty Block
Appearance: George Pagan
Appearance: Paul Khan
Appearance: Eileen Maloney
Appearance: Douglas Thomas
Appearance: Robert (Bob) Wade
Appearance: Valerie Pitts
Appearance: John Davies
Appearance: Howard Smith
Appearance: George Inger
Appearance: Ronald Peggs
Appearance: Michael Aldridge
Appearance: Geoffrey Goddard
Appearance: Jean Alvey
Appearance: Jean Cooke
Appearance: Pam Everett
Appearance: Brian Inglethorpe
Appearance: Jan Marshall
Appearance: Mary Priddle
Appearance: Judith Chalmers
Appearance: Sheila McCarthy
Appearance: Jim Tobin
Appearance: Anne Deane
Appearance: Peter Healey
Appearance: Charlotte Gibbons
Appearance: Johnny Rickwood
Appearance: Peter Manius
Appearance: Mary Spain
Appearance: John Chantrill
Appearance: Richard Adams
Production Organisation: BBC - Natural History Unit
Clips
Early days at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol
Early days at the BBC Natural History Un...
The patient workers of the NHU
The patient workers of the NHU
Painstaking work for a single shot
Painstaking work for a single shot
Stills
Filming Unarmed Hunters
Filming Unarmed Hunters
Recording sounds of grey herons for Unarmed Hunters
Recording sounds of grey herons for Unarmed...