CASE STUDY

Client: Yap Films

Mosquito: a 62-minute global documentary for the Discovery Channel
Date: 2018

THE PROJECT

A high-profile documentary looking at the world’s deadliest creature – the mosquito – was broadcast simultaneously on Discovery channels around the world on 6 July 2017. Watch the documentary in full here.

THE CHALLENGE

Story Productions was tasked with providing research, casting and on-the-ground support for shooting in Brazil – a country at the center of mosquito-related health scares since the zika crisis hit international headlines in the run-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 

The logistical challenge: to slot seamlessly into an intense production schedule which involved shoots across four continents. 

The research challenge: to bring the most up-to-date facts and expert opinion to a topic that was not only developing rapidly, but which had already been covered by multiple news outlets.

OUR SOLUTION

Story Productions had been producing news reports on Brazil’s epidemic of mosquito-borne illnesses throughout 2015 and 2016 for PBS NewsHour with Miles O’Brien, Seven Network with Mike Amor and USA Today. This gave us the background and the contacts to do a thorough and informed piece of research about this fast-growing international health crisis. 


Our researchers in Recife – a hotspot for the zika outbreak in 2017 – did location recces, sourced key health experts and cast local residents living in fear of infection, in preparation for a shoot in Recife. Mosquito’s director, Su Rynard, described in The Washington Post   how zika went from being a mere footnote to an integral part of the documentary:


“in the course of this last year while making the film, it [zika] went from something people had never heard of to a crisis according to the World Health Organization.” We kept Yap up to date on vital zika developments throughout pre-production, while our bilingual fixers and ruthless planning meant we could give the Yap crew agile support on the ground throughout filming. 


In addition to the Recife shoot, Yap filmed at Oxitec, a biotech company in the interior of São Paulo state which uses genetic engineering to combat the wild mosquito responsible for the spread of dengue, zika, and chikungunya. We were able to give Yap the peace of mind that their visiting crew, as well as the bespoke camera equipment they were using to film a protaganist no bigger than a finger nail, were in safe hands in Brazil and with the necessary paperwork in order; we obtained ANCINE permits for the crew and provided transport and private security throughout the shoot. 

PRODUCTION NOTES

In pre-production, our researcher recced locations and cast locals ahead of the shoot. 
We sourced footage from a local drone operator in Recife that proved essential to the storyline. 
Two bilingual fixers provided on-the-ground support throughout filming. We also organized logistical support and security for the visiting crew. 

ANCINE permits were provided for Yap’s crew and equipment. 
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