Trained Whooper Swans for Film and Television
Our whooper swans have featured on film with a host of famous faces, and have provided some of the most beautiful and spectacular migration shots ever seen on our screens.
Over the years they’ve sold everything from cars to insurance.
What trained swans can do on camera
Our whooper swans have featured on film with a host of famous faces, and have provided some of the most beautiful and spectacular migration shots ever seen on our screens.
A swan in flight at close range is a large, slow, powerful piece of movement, and it fills a frame like almost nothing else. That is why the same birds work equally well for natural history and for advertising — over the years they have sold everything from cars to insurance.
What to think about
Swans are big birds and they need water, space and time. The migration-style shots that people ask for are flying sequences, which means the same planning as our geese work: the right location, a vehicle or boat that can match their speed, and a proper conversation before the schedule is set.
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 the swans 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.