North Norfolk filmmaking - seals, amber, reeds, crab fishing, golf and the reef
North Norfolk has so much to offer photographers and filmmakers, from the beautiful and varied landscapes to the wildlife and many traditional activities such as crab fishing, reed cutting and country pursuits.As a filmmaker based in Norfolk I am lucky enough to be the filmmaker and photographer for Visit North Norfolk, The Deep History Coast and have worked with many of our great organisations such as the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Cromer, Sheringham & Wells RNLI, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk Coast Partnership, Natural England, The Marine Conservation Society, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, North Norfolk District Council and Norfolk County Council to name a few.My favourite films to make are nature films or travel documentaries, below are some short films I made over the last few months...
The Reef
The North Norfolk chalk reef aka Cromer Shoal Chalk beds is the largest chalk reef in Europe (possibly the world). For a few weeks each summer when the weather is calm enough the water clears revealing a multi-coloured ecosystem which I aim to snorkel and film on as much as I can. Below is my latest film showing the reef in all it's glory -
Keep Hauling
Above the surface of the water the traditional crab & lobster fishermen of North Norfolk head out in all weathers to bait and haul their pots. In the film below I spent a morning on the North Sea with local fisherman Henry Randell documenting a morning in the life of a crab fisherman with soundtrack kindly provided by The Sheringham Shantymen (of which I am a member!)
The Reed Cutters
The Bishop family have been cutting the reeds at Cley-Next-The-Sea for nearly 100 years and are now on the fifth generation of the family to cut the reeds (used for thatched roofs).I spent a morning filming them on the annual cut with Bernard Bishop providing a lovely voiceover to the film of himself, his son Kelvin, grandson Ben and nephew Darren...
EAAA - Jonathan's Story
The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) commissioned me to make this film telling the amazing story of Jonathan Willis, a farmer in Ely, who managed to get himself impaled on a forklift tine. Thanks to the expertise of the EAAA and other emergency services,Jonathan survived to tell the story...
Amber
This next film tells how to identify amber found on the beaches of Norfolk & Suffolk and take it from the raw state to a clear, polished gem. Beachcombing on the tidelines of North Norfolk has been a passion of mine for the last forty years and I've found some interesting things but the most treasured are the pieces of amber that occasionally wash up...
The Point
Blakeney Point is a sand & shingle spit on the North Norfolk coast managed by the National Trust and home to the largest breeding grey seal colony in England. Every winter I aim to take the long walk out there to see the seals and take in the remoteness of this beautiful landscape. This film has no voiceover just the natural sounds of Blakeney Point and some relaxing music in the background...
Sheringham Golf Club
The last film in this series is one I made for Sheringham Golf Club, a truly stunning golf course flanked on one side by the rugged cliffs and North sea and on the other by the North Norfolk Railway. The film gives an overview of the golf course and a hole-by-hole flyover of the 18 holes with some tips on how to approach each of the greens on this challenging links golf course....
For more information on my work as a North Norfolk filmmaker please see my webpage here or give me a call on 07941009745/email info@christaylorphoto.co.uk