How To Be A Wildlife Presenter - Research, Positioning and Scripts

Chris Packham enlists the help of a superb male turkey to show you his top tips for presenting and narrating. He focuses on proper research, camera angles, and writing and performing a script in an attempt to encourage you to try your hand at it in your Eden Shorts film.

Chris Packham's Guide To Presenting

Enthusiasm and passion are paramount when it comes to communicating about wildlife, but if you're already heading out to make a film on the subject there's a good chance that you already have it in droves! So let's put it to good use.

I spend a significant part of my time working as a television presenter which says to me if I can do virtually everyone can.

It's obvious, but if you're communicating about a certain topic you need to know your subject. Make sure you have at least one takeaway fact that surprises and intrigues your audience. But make sure you take extra effort in your research and don't rest on your laurels - double check all your facts! You don't want any pedants ripping holes in your masterpiece. Pouring through relevant books and respectable websites on the internet will help to convert a simple passion into expertise.

Enthusiasm and passion are paramount when it comes to communicating about wildlife. You can really tell that Chris Packham loves the animals he introduces.

Enthusiasm and passion are paramount when it comes to communicating about wildlife. You can really tell that Chris Packham loves the animals he introduces.

So, how do you get yourself on film?

You can either present to camera or narrate your film, but a mix of both is always good. After all you need to make sure your subject gets pride of place!

However, filming yourself can prove quite tough: you either need to go handheld - an all too familiar sight in today's selfie-age - or set your camera up on a tripod, although you should try and get a bit of movement in to prevent it looking too stationary.

Voice-over narration that you can record later is a great way of describing behaviour and other aspects of lifestyle that you may not necessarily be able to demonstrate while you're on camera. Although you can always seamlessly cut from presenting to narration of your subject, you may want to get your subject in shot with you - and that's when a friend may come in handy.

Hopefully you're able to put some of these tips into practice in your film - experimenting with different techniques is a great way to find the right way to communicate your subject.