NETFLIX Our Great National Parks - Eps.5 Mt. Leuser: Sumatran Slow Lorris
I'd say I'm incredibly lucky to have landed this gig, especially since it's my first in the wildlife film industry. I started out as a camera assistant, working alongside the legendary Indonesian camera operator Alain Compost. This all happened thanks to a call from one of my best friends, Kelvin Morris, who was working for ASA Film as a camera assistant/fixer on location back then.
The team during the first phase, December 2020: me in a yellow coat, alongside the porters and Loris trackers on the last day of filming.
We conducted the shoot in two phases with almost 7 weeks in total. It was because we wanted to capture the unique behaviour of the Sumatran Slow Loris during their breeding season. Although the contract said that they brought me on board as an assistant camera, it was only last for a week. The Producer/Director decided to put me as a main camera for some reason after given me a chance to film for the rushes.
The first phase took place in early December 2020 and lasted about three weeks. And it was quite mental because I had never filmed a Loris before. So I had to observe their behaviour, which took me about a week to understand. It was during the rainy season, and the area we worked in was mostly on a muddy slope, which made everything much more difficult. Moreover, since the Loris is a nocturnal animal, we had to adjust our circadian rhythms accordingly. We went out to film at 5 PM, stayed out all night, and then went to bed around 6 AM every day. We essentially became the Loris ourselves.
We returned in April 2021 for the second phase of filming. This phase felt easier and more relaxed because we started the shoot with clarity about our priorities: getting the shots, capturing specific behaviours, and improving our approach. We had earlier discussions with the teams which helped set this direction. Despite encountering a few days of rain, the weather eased towards the end of the shoot. We also had a couple of rest days due to Eid Al Fitri, though this coincided with the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Road blockades were in place nationwide as the government sought to minimise mobility and reduce cases. This prevented our teams from returning home to celebrate Eid, so we opted for a mini celebration by cooking Eid meals at our base camp and continued filming.
Canon CN20 50-1000 on a Sony FX6 against a beautiful dawn sky.
Mariadi (who's holding the light) and Farid (in the blue shirt holding the ladders) were trying to set the light as high as possible to mimic the moonlight.
Talking about the kit, I mainly used the Sony FX6 for this sequence because its low-light capabilities are just incredible. I also had a RED Gemini as my second camera. To get the perfect shots while keeping a safe distance from the lorises, I paired it with a Canon CN20 lens (50mm-1000mm).
The biggest challenge was the lighting. This sequence tells the story of lorises living near a village, so we had to replicate the light reflections from the moon and nearby houses. Using direct spotlights wouldn’t work—they’d look fake and could disturb the lorises, which have super sensitive vision. That would ruin any chance of capturing their natural behaviour, which was essential for the story.
I teamed up with two others to set up the lighting equipment. We had two small Godox lights and a 5-meter-tall light stand, powered by a bunch of V-lock batteries. To replicate the moonlight, we had to position the lights high up and tilt them down towards the trees. The uneven ground meant we often had to hold the light stand ourselves to get the right angle. We also had to keep our voices low to avoid spooking the lorises. It was a constant process of adjusting because the lorises sometimes came from unexpected directions. We also had to make sure everything was waterproof in case of sudden drizzles. Working at night was challenging since the lights attracted swarms of insects. Despite all these challenges, we made it work, thanks to our amazing team.
Reflecting on this journey, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible experiences and personal growth it brought. From the initial chaos of filming in unfamiliar, challenging conditions to the eventual smooth operation of our second phase, each moment was a profound lesson in patience, adaptation, and teamwork. Working with such a dedicated team made it possible to capture the captivating behaviors of the Sumatran Slow Loris, despite the myriad obstacles we faced. I'm glad that some of the shots from this sequence that I took made it into the trailer.
