Filming With Wildlife Boxes With Nigel Marven

Getting shots of great behaviour is the essence of a fantastic wildlife film, but it can be hard to capture. Wildlife boxes make it much easier to get hold of intimate interactions with birds, bats and moths.

Filming With Wildlife Boxes With Nigel Marven

Gardens are great places to make short wildlife films but you don't have to stick to the obvious and concentrate on staking out bird feeders and squirrels - there are other ways to get hold of incredible wild interactions.

To record those intimate behaviours you have to think outside the box, or in this case: inside the box.

There are hundreds of options for wildlife box camera kits online that allow you to sneak a peek into the secret world of animals. Each one comes with a radio transmitter or cable to allow you to hook the camera feed to your TV or laptop, giving you your own private Springwatch! This will also give you the ability to not only watch the action, but also record!

Nigel Marven and Chris Packham both contributed to Eden Shorts with their guides to wildlife filmmaking.

Nigel Marven and Chris Packham both contributed to Eden Shorts with their guides to wildlife filmmaking.

One animal you can record with boxes that you may not have thought of are bats. With a specially adapted box you can record the comings and goings of these night flying mammals.

Be careful to protect your kit, you don't want a heavy downpour to ruin your precious new gear! Likewise, protecting the welfare of your animal subjects is equally, if not more, important. Set up your filming equipment before the animals take residence and don't disturb them once it's set up.

Other fly-by-nights that you can attract with a box are the many different types of moth - simply fit a box with a light, give the moths somewhere to settle and wait for darkness. While some claim dislike these cousins of butterflies, a closer look reveals a rivalling variety and beauty.

With all of these techniques come considerations of filming practicalities. Infrared or low-light cameras may be needed for filming inside boxes, while you may need to consider how you light a subject - or yourself, if you'r presenting - while filming at night.