Trained Barn Owls for Film and Television
Lily our Barn Owl works with Rose on our home grounds and in studios during the day, she is also frequently filmed at night.
Below, Lily can be seen flying to sound boxes, hidden in the grass, which allows the cameraman to get footage of natural hunting behaviour.
She also flies to the hand, and is suitable for flying to presenters and with actors.
What a barn owl can do on camera
Lily works with Rose on our home grounds and in studios during the day, and she is also frequently filmed at night — which matters, because the barn owl is a bird audiences expect to see hunting in low light.
She flies to sound boxes hidden in the grass, which allows a camera operator to get footage of genuine natural hunting behaviour rather than a bird flying from A to B. She also flies to the hand, and is suitable for flying to presenters and with actors.
What to think about
Barn owls fly almost silently, so they are forgiving on a set where sound is being recorded. Night work needs more planning than day work — lighting, temperature and the bird’s own routine all come into it. Bring us in before the schedule is locked.
Common questions
Can we film on our own location?
Often, but not always. Some locations will not give you the shot whatever bird you put in them — the sightlines, the light, the wind or the space are simply wrong. Send us the location, ideally with photographs, before you lock it. It costs nothing and it has saved productions a great deal.
How much notice do you need?
It depends entirely on the sequence. A perched shot, or a straightforward flight to the hand, needs far less lead time than a choreographed sequence built around a specific action. Complex work is measured in months rather than weeks. Ask us early and we will give you a straight answer.
Will the bird work close to actors and presenters?
This is a large part of what we do, and it is the reason the birds are raised and flown by us rather than sourced in. Tell us what the contact needs to be — a hand, a shoulder, a glove, a look — and we will tell you what is realistic with a barn owl and how long it would take to prepare.
Do you travel?
Yes. Our birds have filmed across the UK and abroad, from the Scottish moors to Arco in Italy.
Is the flying real, or is it done in post?
Real. The birds fly in real time, at full speed, to camera. Nothing is slowed down, and nothing is composited.
Planning a shoot
Every job starts the same way. Tell us what you are trying to film and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible, and how — including when the answer is no.
Our birds are raised and flown by Lloyd and Rose themselves, which is what makes calm, close work with actors and presenters possible. They fly in real time rather than being slowed down afterwards. The birds’ welfare comes first on every job.
Some sequences can be set up quickly. Others cannot — the goshawk work for H is for Hawk took fifteen months of daily preparation before a camera turned. The earlier you bring us in, the more you will get.
Working with us
Tell us what you are trying to film and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible, and how.