Atomos wants to see the best wildlife footage you can capture without breaking any government social distancing rules. Get creative at home and win a Shogun 7!

With much of the world in lockdown this spring, few of us are lucky enough to get out into the wild – so Atomos is encouraging its users to stay creative in their homes, or wherever they may be, exploring the nature around them. The backyard might not be the first choice for filming wildlife,  says Atomos, but they want to see what they can capture there. The video used as an example, shot over the Easter weekend in the small garden of a London home by Atomos staff member Dan Chung, reveals that life and creative potential is nearby.

In fact, although my own experience is mostly with stills I’ve shot video, on my third floor balcony, of flowers being caressed by the wind and the bees and other insects that sometimes choose the patch of nature a series of pots allow us to keep on our balcony. I recently wrote here about the Meet Your Neighbours project, which invites photographers to photograph the small creatures close to home, and this is another example of so much that can be done close to home.

Use the gear you have

The video shot by  Dan Chung was created entirely in Apple ProRes RAW in 4K at 100fps using the Atomos Shogun 7 HDR monitor-recorder and an old, yet still highly capable, second-hand Sony FS700R cinema camera, says Atomos. The lens was a Sigma 180mm f3.5 Macro on a Metabones EF-E mount adapter. The entire setup (apart from the tripod) was purchased for around $3500 USD.

Don’t give up if you don’t have the same gear. Any camera with video, a close-up or macro lens, a tripod and the  means to edit the final moving images will do. In fact, Atomos stated in the announcement of the Atomos Lockdown Safari Competition that the participating video can be created using any video gear at hand.

The competition runs from Tuesday 14th April until midnight PST on Tuesday 21st April 2020, so there isn’t much time left. Atomos is looking for the best wildlife footage users can capture without breaking any government social distancing rules – in their own garden, on their balcony, or even inside their apartment.  This is feasible, as I’ve experienced, photographing and filming small flying insects that landed on my windows – on a third floor! –  in a make-shift studio, sometimes following the Meet Your Neighbours protocol.

Can this be the start of new projects?

Although I’ve captured the whole metamorphosis process of a Common Swallowtail Butterfly, which is an exciting experience, following it from larva through chrysalis and then butterfly, I am afraid you don’t have time for that now, as the whole process can take up to 10 weeks.

But maybe the challenge from Atomos will make you think about a project like this, which takes a bit of time but can work for both stills and video, and offers unique options in terms of images captured. A time-lapse project, for example, will allow you to create a unique series of animated images of a magic moment of nature that happens all around use and we, so many times, never see.

For now, just explore your balcony, if you’ve one, or your own garden, which in many cases can reveal itself as a complete wildlife experience if you take the time to discover the little creatures living there. The video by Dan Chung  should give you an idea. Once you’ve captured some video, you’re ready to enter the competition. There are some rules to follow to participate:

• Shoot a new wildlife video 1-2 minutes long in your garden, backyard, from your window or even your home. This must be done where you live (so if local social distancing rules say you can’t use your outside space, please stick to filming inside your house or flat).
• The film must be created specifically for this competition and cannot be part of a larger project.
• No people should appear in your video. Please ensure no copyright is infringed and that you have rights to use any imagery or audio submitted.
• Upload your video to YouTube with the hashtag #atomoskeepcreating and post the link in the comments box on this video: https://youtu.be/z6bfTPI2aL4
• Follow and like either our Twitter, Facebook or Instagram pages
• You can enter as many videos as you like.
• The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. No cash alternative is provided.
• All entries must adhere to YouTube community guidelines. YouTube is not a sponsor of this contest and requires users to release YouTube from any and all liability related to this contest

The prize: a Shogun 7 HDR monitor-recorder-switcher

As an incentive to all participants in the Atomos Lockdown Safari Competition  the company will be giving away a Shogun 7 HDR monitor-recorder-switcher (value of $1299 ) to one lucky entrant whose work is deemed to be the most creative by Atomos and wildlife cinematographer Ben Cherry.

Atomos will announce the winner of the Shogun 7 HDR on the company’s social media at the end of April 2020. The video entries will remain the property of the creator and all rights with them. Atomos reserves the right to embed entries and post them on our social media accounts.