Conservationists give a rare Brazilian macaw the full production service

A journey worth documenting

Back in 2014, ACTP and their partners built a Spix’s macaw breeding facility located in the heart of their natural habitat. Story Productions was there to document the reception of these birds as the first batch was moved from Germany to Brazil; a momentous occasion, as this was the first time this native bird was seen in the area since it went extinct in the wild in 2001.

In February of 2022, the Story Production crew—consisting of a fixer, a DOP and a sound technician—headed back into the dry interior of the northeast of Brazil to capture footage of a key moment in the reintroduction of the Spix’s macaw into the wild. The conservation program has been working for years to reach this moment, carefully moving macaws from breeding facilities to flocking aviaries to the final stage—10-metre tall release aviaries.

Good work for a great cause

With a Mavic 2 Pro Drone and a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k in hand, the crew captured the poetic and emotional weight of the conservation work with epic shots of the Caatinga (a word meaning “white forest” in the indigenous language, and a uniquely Brazilian biome), as well as stunning footage of the work required to return the Spix’s macaw to the wild.

As part of the final preparations before their release, the ACTP and their partners have been reforesting the area, working with local environmental partners, and providing clinical examinations for the birds by leading ACTP veterinarians. Additionally, the move to the release aviaries allows the birds to strengthen their wing muscles and socialise with their Caatinga cousins, the Illiger's macaw, who will help them adjust to the arid wilderness.

The ACTP, an institution with German roots, is proud to announce that 20 Spix’s macaws are set to be released later this year. To properly relay this visual saga, Story Productions faced a harsh and arid environment to produce beautifully stunning footage, handling everything from the script, direction, editing and post-production to create this stunning 2’37” video posted on Instagram in celebration of World Wildlife Day.