Michael John Sanderson (born 20 March 1983) is a British-Dutch wildlife filmmaker.
He started his career in Bristol on the award-winning BBC series Smalltalk Diaries (2008) as cameraman.
One of his first independent projects as a Producer and Director of Photography (2009–2010) was a film about the Eurasian wolf in Chernobyl (Ukraine and Belarus) for the television channels ORF/NDR/PBS/BBC. During this project, he pioneered filming in Ultra High Definition (4K resolution) and was one of the first to build and use multi-rotor video drones for aerial images for EFP and wildlife film productions."Drones in Planet Earth II: Interview with Wildlife Filmmaker Michael Sanderson",Skytango, 2017. 2 May 2017.
In the Netherlands, Sanderson's cinematography can be found in De Nieuwe Wildernis (2013), which was number one in the Dutch box office and is still the biggest Dutch nature film for cinema ever;"The New Wilderness (De nieuwe wildernis): Film Review",The Hollywood Reporter, 2013. Retrieved on 25 October 2013. in Holland: Natuur in de Delta (2015) for which Sanderson filmed the closing sequences and the specialist macro using lenses he built himself; and De Wilde Stad (2018) which he filmed, in high speed, the scene of a peregrine falcon hunting and the emotional scene of ducklings jumping for the first time from their rooftop nest to the canals of Amsterdam.
Sanderson produced multiple wildlife documentaries for NHK which include The Paternal Bond: Barbary Macaques (2015) which is about the Barbary Macaque in Morocco's Atlas Mountains; Pyrenees Mountain (2017), which is about the endangered Bearded Vulture in Spain; and the Japanese re-versioning of A Wild Fox Life (2019).
Sanderson has filmed extensively in Latin America for Planet Earth II, "'Nederlandse cameraman Planet Earth 2: enorme eer'",MetroNieuws, 2017. Retrieved on 17 May 2017. BBC Natural World Jungle Animal Hospital and for his independent Ateles Films production, which was aired worldwide including Nat Geo WILD and Arte, called Return of the Spider Monkeys (2016) narrated by Hayley Atwell and follows the life of an orphaned spider monkey called Infinity after she is released back into the jungle of Guatemala. For this film, Sanderson learned how to climb into the canopy alongside the spider monkeys of the Mayan jungle to film their intimate lives from a tree top perspective.
Recent work includes, A Wild Fox Life (2019) which was shot in the Netherlands and follows the life of a red fox that lives in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve on the reclaimed polder province of Flevoland.
Sanderson founded Ateles Films in 2013, where he also serves as an executive producer and cinematographer for their wildlife film productions, together with his business partner.
Education He studied Broadcast Systems Engineering (1st class BSc) at Solent University in Southampton and an MA in Documentary Filmmaking at Royal Holloway, University of London
Filmography
Films Year Title RoleFormat2005Wolves of LusatiacinematographerDocumentary2008Smalltalk DiariescameramanTV series2013De Nieuwe WilderniscinematographerCinema Film2013Living on the Edge "'Documentaire "Living on the edge"'",Sovon, 2017. Retrieved on 31 May 2013.cinematographerTV series2015The Paternal Bond: Barbary MacaquescinematographerTV documentary2015Holland: Natuur in de DeltacinematographerCinema Film2016Mind of a GiantcameramanTV documentary2016Jungle Animal HospitalcameramanTV series2016Planet Earth IIcinematographerTV series2016Return of the Spider MonkeyscinematographerTV documentary2017All the Wild HorsescinematographerFeature Documentary2017MosquitocameramanTV documentary2017Pyrenees Mountain, Lammergeier, the bone Crashers, Soar up High above the MountainscinematographerTV documentary2017Darwin's amazing animals: Barbary Macaque "'「モロッコに和風ザル!? オスの子守大作戦」'",MetroNieuws, 2017. Retrieved on 27 August 2017.cinematographerTV series2018De Wilde Stad (aka. Wild Amsterdam)cinematographerCinema Film2019A Wild Fox LifecinematographerTV documentary2020Spider Monkey for SaledirectorMicro Movie2021Hidden Nature of Holland - Fox and Rabbit: Battle of the Sandy LandcinematographerTV documentary2023Darwin's Amazing Animals: Netherland's Great Reclaimed LandcinematographerTV series
Awards
Year Festival Category Nominated work Result2020Green Screen Naturfilmfestival: International Wildlife Film Festival (Germany)Audience Award Best Short FilmSpider Monkey for SaleNominated2020World Wildlife Day Showcase (USA)Micro MovieSpider Monkey for SaleHonorable Mention2018Mariupol International Film Festival Cinema and YOU (Ukraine)Best Documentary (Professionals) Return of the Spider MonkeysWinner2018Woods Hole Film Festival (United States of America)Best Cinematography (Feature Film) All the Wild HorsesWinner2017Baikal International Festival of Documentary and Popular-Science Films (Russia)Special Mention Award Return of the Spider MonkeysWinner2017British Academy Television Awards (UK)Huw Wheldon Award for Specialist FactualPlanet Earth II (Series)Winner2017British Academy Television Craft Awards (UK)Best Photography - FactualPlanet Earth II (Episode "Jungles")Nominated 2017TCA AwardsOutstanding Achievement in News and InformationPlanet Earth II (Series)Nominated2017Primetime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Documentary or Nonfiction SeriesPlanet Earth II (Series)Winner2017Baikal International Festival of Documentary and Popular-Science Films (Russia)Special Mention Award Return of the Spider MonkeysWinner2017Green Screen Naturfilmfestival: International Wildlife Film Festival (Germany)Audience AwardPlanet Earth (Episode Jungles)Nominated2017Green Screen Naturfilmfestival: International Wildlife Film Festival (Germany)Best Newcomer Return of the Spider MonkeysNominated2017Finisterra VI Arrabida Film Art & Tourism Festival (Portugal)Best Cinematography Return of the Spider MonkeysWinner2017Finisterra VI Arrabida Film Art & Tourism Festival (Portugal)Best Documentary Return of the Spider MonkeysRunner up2017Finisterra VI Arrabida Film Art & Tourism Festival (Portugal)Best Wildlife & Nature Tourism Return of the Spider Monkeys2nd Runner up2014Rembrandt Award (Netherlands)Best FilmDe Nieuwe WildernisWinner2014Gouden Kalf (Netherlands)Public Prize De Nieuwe WildernisWinner2009Green Screen Naturfilmfestival: International Wildlife Film Festival (Germany)Children's Audience Award Smalltalk DiariesWinner2008Wildscreen Panda (United Kingdom)Best Series & Best InnovationSmalltalk DiariesWinner2008Chicago International Children's Film Festival (United States)Best Live Action AwardSmalltalk DiariesWinner
Lectures Michael Sanderson has been invited as a guest lecture to several events: 2013 for CineMec at “Master Class De Nieuwe Wildernis”; 2014 for Institute Beeld & Geluid at “Inspiration Day – Leren met Natuurbeelden”; 2015 for University of Porto for “Seminar – Open Class“; "'Aula Aberta com Michael Sanderson'",U.Porto Noticias, 2015. Retrieved on 22 October 2015. 2017 for NHL Stenden University for the event “Guest lecture by: Michael Sanderson“;"guest lecture held by the best wildlife film maker Michael Sanderson'",NHL Stenden News, 2017. Retrieved on 05 April 2017. for "Nederlandse Filmacademie Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten" for “BA Cinematography" and also during the Drone World Expo on the panel "Aerial Artistry: Exceptional Film and Television” in Silicon Valley.
Books The Drone Camera Handbook, Aurum Press Lta, 2017. .
References
External links Official Website