Wildlife Filmmaking Advice from a BBC & Nat Geo Cameraman (Alan Lacey)

I sat down with professional wildlife cameraman Alan Lacey—whose work has appeared on BBC, National Geographic, and Disney—to critique my first wildlife documentary and discuss the filmmaking gear and storytelling techniques used by pros. Filmed on the Canon R6 Mark III, this session changed how I think about cinematography and narrative structure. The Fish Hawk is a feature documentary in production with Touchstone Pixels, following osprey on the San Juan River in New Mexico through a full breeding season. This video covers my story beats, Alan’s honest feedback, and the wildlife filmmaking framework that's shaping the whole project. THE FISH HAWK — Public Story Beats Most wildlife films ask: what does this animal do? The Fish Hawk asks something different. What does it cost? Every flight burns calories. Every failed dive is a debt. Every fish caught barely covers the overhead of staying alive — and that's before the nest, the eggs, the chicks that need feeding every few hours. The osprey lives at the edge of what's sustainable. This film follows that edge through a full season on the San Juan River in New Mexico. ACT ONE — The Return Spring. The ospreys return. Some nests a fortress built over years, others barely holding together. All pairs begin the same work. Rebuilding. Waiting. The season has begun. The cost has started accumulating. ACT TWO — The Odds Summer. They succeed roughly one in three dives. Then the chicks hatch. The calculus changes. The margin gets thinner. ACT THREE — The Reckoning Fall. We return to the nests and ask the question the film has been building toward: did the investment hold? The answer, whatever it is, is the film. Filmmaking Gear & Influences Camera: Canon R6 Mark III Mentorship: Alan Lacey (BBC/Disney/Nat Geo) Inspiration: The cinematography styles of Morten Hilmer and Stefano Ianiro. Check Out Alan's Channel Here - https://www.youtube.com/@UCWzpiDACS39R6532LctVaxQ Chapters: 00:00 Intro & Wildlife Filmmaking Goals 01:25 Meeting Alan Lacey (BBC & Nat Geo) 02:45 The Critique: Moving from Clips to Stories 04:30 Act One: The Return & The Cost of Survival 08:15 Act Two: The Odds & The Margin of Error 12:40 Act Three: The Reckoning & The Result 16:20 Refining the Story Beats with Alan 21:10 Technical Setup: Filming with the Canon R6 Mark III 24:30 Final Thoughts and Next Steps