When Justin Maguire - 30+ year veteran wildlife cinematographer that he is - is sent on assignment by the likes of BBC or National Geographic, what’s the first piece of kit packed?
What’s the equipment that gives him his edge - his secret weapon?
Certainly, there has to be some sort of secret behind such a long career marked with multiple Emmy Awards, and such filmmaking firsts as the spider-tailed viper hunting flycatchers in the Zagros Mountains, or false killer whales hunting spinner dolphins on the open ocean?
BBC Seven Worlds, One Planet
Well, it turns out, this secret weapon is not a camera kit that costs as much as a down payment on a house, or a helicopter-mounted gimbal (though Justin will tell you, those do come in handy at times).
It’s something much more humble. Much more homemade.
It’s one of his old backpacks, sliced and diced, and filled with beans from a craft store, sewn together by Justin himself.
It is a beanbag.
Justin and his beanbag at home, North Vancouver, BC
This isn’t just any beanbag. This is Justin’s beanbag. A refined product, developed over years of intense R&D. Version 3 in a lineage of handmade camera supports.
V1, which was with Justin from his very first natural history shoot, was lost decades ago. Current location unknown.
V2 was generously gifted to an admiring fellow cinematographer while on location British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest.
And now, V3 has been going strong for years - holding Justin’s camera in place on sand, in snow and on top of a jagged rock or two.
This is not to say that Justin has forgotten about the trusty tripod, or heli-mounted gimbal.
But need to get the camera on the ground? Follow animals on the move? Have a comfortable place to sit while you enjoy your afternoon tea and cookies?
The humble beanbag is undefeated.
A beanbag assisted close-up of a Greater Short-Horned Lizard, Wild Canadian Weather, CBC
And his design is one of precision - just enough beans to support even the heaviest camera rig, while not being overstuffed so as to send it rolling off into the sand (or snow, or jagged rocks).
Justin says his wife Jen suggests he may eat too many beans, but that’s another story.
The story here is how - behind the awe-inspiring cinematography and the gloss of these incredible series - there’s a guy out there with a very expensive camera resting atop a stuffed piece of recycled backpack material.
Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones, and being able to work with what you have goes a long way.
We are very proud to have Justin as part of our DenSyte roster and can’t wait for the world to see more of his beanbag-supported shots.
You can see Justin’s work feature prominently on episode 2 of Secrets of the Bees, now streaming on Disney+.
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