The Hunting Experience! (The making of)

Controversial? Yes.
Senseless killing? No.
Initial trigger? The Hunting Expo Belgium 2014, the fair for hunters with a passion for the wild, for the hunt and for nature.
Broader perspective? Hunting in general, outdoor life and the love for nature that feeds us with stunning impressions and enjoyable food and beverages.
Goal? A film showing all these aspects and to open up this world, not just for the 'happy few'.

Making a film on a short term notice is not an easy task. Shooting footage about hunting requires a lot of time. So, what are the possibilities? How is it possible to make such a film within only two weeks time?

The initiator for this film is TOPAZ, (Marketingwise Communications)-entrepreneur Cor Denneman Heilscher. Apart from entrepreneur and personal friend, Cor is also a passionate hunter. So, let's start with hunting (or at least pretend we are). While driving through the Dutch forest we can also do some filming of the vehicle best suited for these type of outdoor activities, the Land Rover.

Actual hunting is not possible on this day. We create a setting and are ready to fake the shooting. Not necessary. Cor fires his shotgun anyway...
To complete this part of the story we must have a slow motion of the removal of an empty shell.

With no time for all kind of real nature and hunting filming I have to have images of the wild. If not in video then I have to use photos. I come into contact with Ruud van den Heuvel who spent a lot of time in the Oostvaardersplassen, making wonderful pictures of the wild life in this area. Using some of these will save the day for me...

Shooting wild life does certainly not mean wasting it. Of course, you can prepare your own meals (as lots of hunters do and not without merit), I prefer a quality restaurant, specialised in wild and Restaurant De Pronckheer in Cothen (NL) seems to be the perfect place. It must be said, properly prepared wild accompanied by a great wine and good friends, in one word, it is a feast.

What precedes is the preparation of wild, making it ready for consumption, starting with the skinning. Arjan Smit from De Pronckheer shows us how he can undo a roe deer from its coat. The camera is still rolling and so we can add a few other topics to our film: the preparation of wild and the very enjoyable part of eating it and drinking.


Still, not enough material to fill at least three minutes with interesting stuff about hunting and the outdoor life...


Especially to promote the various hunting exhibitions and fairs I need more material. Again, Cor comes into action. This time hunting for footage to show what it is like on for instance the Belgium Hunting Expo.

Plattelands TV (Belgium) has done a wonderful job in creating attractive impressions of such events.

Everybody knows how hard it is to get permission for using other peoples copyrighted material. With special thanks to Patrick Vaernewijck of PlattelandsTV, Cor manages to make a deal and I can use some of their impressive 'shootings'.

What is left? What is a film about hunting without real hunting and without viewing real wild life? Although I can use the photos from Ruud van de Heuvel I of course prefer real action.
Talking about a real hunting film, I am jealous of the excellent quality and marvellous pictures in the 'Blaser R8 Professional Success'-film. After we have seen the Blaser film several times I challenge Cor by betting that he will not be able to aquire permission to use some of the material from this film. I lost. And I am very much impressed about the networking and partnering capabilities of Cor. We get permission to use the content of this film and (bad news for Ruud van den Heuvel) I no longer have to use the static photos.

I am not going to rewrite the Blaser film. We have our own goals and a lot of people will find the end of the Blaser film to shocking. I choose to let the viewer of my film know what will happen in the end to the deer without witnessing the inevitable...

'The Hunting Experience!' is a co-production of TOPAZ - Tolllogic Creative Productions. It shows various aspects of HUNTING-EXPO, the ultimate meeting place for true hunters. It is all about carefulness and responsibility for nature. With vibrant 'shots' of 4 x 4 driving through hunting fields, cosy hunting lodges, smart field constructions, clothing, optics, weapons, ammunition and accessories as to observing and shooting. Also extra facilities for optimising hunting results. Putting people first, you can see remarkable views at the exhibition area, indoor and outdoor, simulating and stimulating sustainable activities in the fields. Worldwide... Observing passionate hunters and other nature lovers, assisted by their close companions such as: fellow-hunters & beaters, dogs, horses, birds of prey and ferrets. Having in mind respect and sustainability, you can enjoy quality of life including healthy food and beverages.