Logistics

Costs include:

• Full accommodation on shared basis at Centro Madrono
• All meals while at Centro Madrono
• Airport transfers
• One night of hotel in Panama City
• Film making instruction
• Guides and touring whilst at Centro Madrono

Costs do not include:

• International airport departure tax
• International airfares
• Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
• Health & travel insurance

Instructors

Jeff Morales
Jeff’s affiliation with National Geographic Television dates back to 1992.  As a staff producer in the natural history unit, he crafted award-winning films, garnering four National Emmy awards and ten National Emmy nominations. His innovative 90-minute film chronicling the violent struggle for survival between South Africa’s great carnivores, “Predators At War”, won the prestigious New York Festivals Gold Medal for Directing and the Emmy for Outstanding Nature, Science and Technology program.   Today, based out of his home on Bowen Island, British Columbia, Jeff researches, develops, produces, directs and shoots a wide range of wildlife and human subjects for National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet and The Nature Conservancy among others. He is currently in production on a blue chip saltwater crocodile film that will air on the National Geographic Channel in 2010 and is co-instructing a Scientific Filmmaking course at the Bamfield Marine Science Center on the west coast of Vancouver Island. A native of Southern California, Morales received his degree in Government & International Studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1986. After spending several years abroad, at various times supporting himself as a factory worker in Detroit, first mate on a sailing yacht in the Bahamas and a bluegrass musician in Paris and Rome, Jeff pursued his interest in the natural world. As a research assistant and bio-technician, Jeff spent several seasons conducting field research on the Alaska Peninsula, the Chesapeake Bay, the Channel Islands of California, and the rainforests of Queensland, Australia.

Colin Bates
As a biologist, videographer, photographer, musician, and polar expedition guide, Colin Bates has used both art and science to explore the human connection with the natural world. Colin has studied marine science from the west coast of Vancouver Island to the Bay of Fundy, and he has a Ph.D. in biology from the University of British Columbia. He is now an adjunct professor in the Botany Department at UBC, and lives and works out of the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. In 2007, Colin was hired as the head videographer for Peregrine Adventures, and he has produced videos in the Canadian High Arctic, Greenland, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica. Colin’s photography has been published in countless books, newspapers, and magazines, and adorns the walls of thousands of happy citizens worldwide. As a professional musician, Colin is also enthusiastic about recording and editing audio. Colin is the ‘science and technical’ half of the team, and he looks forward to sharing his knowledge about nature and filmmaking with you. 

Location:  Mamoní Valley Preserve

The Mamoní Valley Preserve was created in the watershed of the upper Rio Mamoní by Earth Train in partnership with Rainforest Capital, LLC, a socially positive investment company. The now 10,000-acre Preserve is being transformed into an internationally recognized campus for research and education in the fields of Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology, and serves as a practical model for sustainable community design and socially positive investment in the technologies, services, and products of sustainable development.

Conservation Partner: Earth Train

Earth Train is a non-profit dedicated to the development of new leaders, new networks, and new tools that catalyze a new paradigm in sustainable environmental and cultural practices.  At the heart of Earth Train’s mission is the encouragement of youth leadership, activism, and team building in the service of creating a sustainably healthy and just world.  Earth Train works in collaboration with the indigenous peoples of the Americas to help ensure their future. Earth Train believes that cultural renewal is key to inspiring the sustained engagement of young people. Music and the arts also provide a powerful tool set for effecting public policy. Earth Train is currently working to develop Junglewood, a center for performing and visual arts, to be located at the entrance to the Mamoní Valley Preserve.

Film & Computer Equipment

Guests are encouraged to bring their own video camera, because it is best to learn how to use equipment that will be available to you after the  ends. For those who do not have a video camera, we will have several cameras that can be shared between guests.  Guests should also bring their own laptops. We recommend a Mac-based workflow with iMovie HD as the editing software standard. Guests with PC laptops are encouraged to acquire Adobe Acrobat Elements software. As a minimum hardware standard, we recommend 2Ghz Intel-based Mac with 2 GB of RAM. We also recommend that guests bring an external hard drive to backup footage and edit files. Make sure to bring all required cables and chargers for your equipment.

Recommended Reading

Making Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries by Barry Hampe
Filmmakers Handbook 2008 Edition by Steven Ascher
Wildlife Films by Derek Bouse 

Flights

Please schedule your international arrival into Panama City.