Press Release
Renowned Executive Producer/Cinematographer to Visit
The Wildlife Experience
DENVER – October 22, 2004 - Tim Liversedge—large-format film director, executive producer and cinematographer—will be visiting The Wildlife Experience and will be available for interviews on October 28, 2004 for the Colorado premiere of his large-format film Roar: Lions of the Kalahari .
Renowned as a filmmaker and one of Botswana's most respected naturalists, Tim Liversedge has worked with animals, art and wildlife photography for over 40 years. He started his own production company, Tim Liversedge Productions, in 1987. Winner of both a Golden Panda (the most prestigious award of wildlife film-making) and an Emmy, his credits include 17 acclaimed wildlife films for PBS USA, Turner Broadcasting, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic TV, the BBC, NHK Japan, the Botswana Government, Germany, France, Italy and many other countries. His syndicated films are seen by millions of viewers worldwide.
The filmmaker, in his first large-format film, has masterfully used the magic of the giant screen to tell his story. “Tim is alone in his ability to capture this particular story so beautifully. His is an incredible talent,” said Lisa Truitt, executive producer, National Geographic Television and Film.
Through relentless dust storms and in surface temperatures that soared to 130° F, “filming Roar was one of the most challenging and exciting times of my life,” Liversedge said. “The lions were so close at times that they brushed my tripod and used me and my camera as cover to hide behind to try and get closer to their prey.” The result is unparalleled film footage of one of the most charismatic animals on earth. “Perhaps the most spectacular shot I got was captured when a springbok leapt 10 feet straight up into the air to be brought down by a lioness right in front of my 70 mm camera. They both crashed to the ground a few feet in front of me.”
Roar also has broken new ground from a technical standpoint. The first giant-screen film to be created with a fully digital intermediate, each of its 60,000 frames was scanned to seamlessly blend film formats. The fact that different formats were used allowed Liversedge to capture scenarios from rapidly changing action to very slow motion to wide, crisp shots.
Roar is set around an isolated water hole teeming with wildlife. Powerful, close-up images and a complex sound design put the audience right there at the site. Zebra herds trot by close enough to touch. An elephant trumpets thunderously from the screen. A soaring flight is taken over vast and harsh landscapes. “My aim was to give audiences the experience of what it is like to be gazing up at the star-filled night skies over the Kalahari, to have the thrill of hearing two lions engaged in a roaring duel, or to sit at the edge of a water hole a few feet from elephants bathing in the moonlight,” said Liversedge.
For more information about The Wildlife Experience and the large-format film, Roar: Lions of the Kalahari , visit thewildlifeexperience.org or call (720)488-3300.
