Q: Why did you make The Backyard Bears?
A: I made The Backyard Bears simply because I love bears. Black bears are what kick started my love for documenting wildlife, and when I first saw a bear gorging himself with trash, consuming plastic and other waste that no creature should be trying to digest, I knew I needed to do something and help these bears find their way back to the wild. Documenting these problems and bringing them to the world through this film was the first step for me, and there’s much more coming!
Q: Where can people watch it?
A: The Backyard Bears is available for free to everyone on YouTube!
Q: What camera gear did you shoot on?
A: This film was entirely shot on the Sony A7iv, Sony FX3, and DJI drones. When filming wildlife it’s important to be light and to be able to keep up with the animals in the terrain that they live in. So keeping things light with compact Sony cameras was important!
Q: How long did it take for you to make the film?
A: I spent about 6 months documenting the bears for this specific project. In total it was probably 8 months from start to finish with pre production, editing etc.
Q: Any words of advice for aspiring videographers?
A: Advice is hard, as I still feel that I’m at the very beginning stages of this journey of mine as a wildlife filmmaker. But what I’d say for anyone looking into becoming a filmmaker or photographer, is find something that you are incredibly passionate about.
It took me a while to connect the dots and realize that combining my love for animals and my love for filmmaking was where I needed to be and where I belonged as a creative. Once I found this sweet spot, I knew this is exactly where I needed to be and what I needed to do for the rest of my life.
At that point you just have to do it, you can’t wait for a network or an organization to give you a check to make it happen, you have to do whatever you can to make it happen for yourself and show the world what you can do.
This documentary was entirely a passion project, to tell this important story that needed telling and an outlet for me to show what I can do as a wildlife filmmaker. Putting yourself out there and just doing it is the best thing you can do, in my opinion. This documentary has led to some amazing opportunities that I honestly never thought would come to me.
I can’t say much about these opportunities, now, but you can follow along on my journey to find out!
Make sure to follow Riley's journey on Instagram or Youtube
