Look: The Fulmar
(1958)
Also known as: Programme 41
On the remote Fair Isle off Scotland, ornithologist, renowned wildlife producer and co-founder of the BBC’s Natural History Unit Tony Soper explores the extraordinary world of the fulmar petrel.
To obtain close-ups of nesting behaviour with telephoto lenses, Soper constructed numerous hides to habituate the birds to his presence, which also allowed him to capture impressive footage of their feeding, resting and parental behaviour. Tony enlisted the help of close friend and renowned producer Chris Parsons, furnishing him with a microphone to record the distinctive loud, guttural, cackling noises of the colony.
Soaring and weaving with effortless grace, his patient cinematography captures the birds amid their artistic aerial ballet. The Fulmar was the first full length film Soper produced for the BBC’s Look strand, described by renowned producer Jeffery Boswall as the “best-known, longest-running and most-watched television nature series in the world”.
Written by James Fisher, Look: The Fulmar is an atmospheric study of these fascinating birds as they master the air currents and make their homes on the isolated crevices and ledges of the island’s sheer cliffs.
Look: Foxes (1955)
Tony Soper
