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Home > Categories > Books > Non-Fiction > Dancing with Cranes: On location with a New Zealand wildlife film-maker review

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Score: 8.8/10  [1 review]
3 out of 5
ProdID: 743 - Dancing with Cranes: On location with a New Zealand wildlife film-maker -  Written by Alison Ballance

Dancing with Cranes: On location with a New Zealand wildlife film-maker
Price:
$29.95
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Longacre Press

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Longacre Press or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
April 2005

Dancing with Cranes: On location with a New Zealand wildlife film-maker product reviews

Alison Ballance has bumped over the Mongolian Steppe in search of wild horses; camped in mud when trying to film New Zealand's rare, nocturnal kakapo; she's flown deep into the Himalayas where demoiselle cranes migrate across the world's highest mountains. The intrepid wildlife film-maker has travelled to some of the earth's remotest places for footage of our endangered species.

Working for TV production company Natural History New Zealand, her search for tigers has taken her to Thailand's steamy jungle and the Russian Far East in winter. Propelled by a passion for observing and sharing the wonder and the plight of the animal world, Ballance has journeyed into the wilds, and to sanctuaries where fragile hope for species has been rekindled.

Dispelling myths of film-industry glamour, Ballance's experiences range through uncomfortable and heartbreaking to absurd. Her story also captures the joy and elation of discovery. Whether she's nose to beak with a kakapo or riding a Bactrian camel in the Gobi Desert, travels with this winsome wildlife film-maker are captivating, exhilarating and inspiring.

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Review by: tigger (Bonita)
Dated: 2nd of November, 2005

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 8.8/10
Value for Money:
Score 8 out of 10
Interesting Facts:
Score 9 out of 10
Accuracy:
Score 10 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 8 out of 10

Allison Balance's very readable and humorous book of her adventures as a wildlife film-maker holds appeal in such different areas as travel, wildlife, and film-making.

She gives the reader an armchair traveller's glimpse of parts of Mongolia, India, and New Zealand. The details of the animals, lifestyles and customs in Mongolia and India were very interesting and informative, and a nice contrast with the more familiar section on the kakapo in New Zealand.

Never again will I think of wildlife film-making as glamorous! Well, I still do, but I now have an idea of the huge amounts of time spent waiting for those interesting, glamorous moments to happen. If that wasn't enough, there's the frustration of never before seem moments finally happening but just off camera (repeatedly!), as in the scenes with the nocturnal cameras set up to try and capture kakapo mating. Behind the scenes frustrations are common as well and are humorously captured by the author. E.g. car troubles in the Mongolian desert. Successes are captured passionately and joyfully.

It would be interesting to see the films Allison and her teams worked on in this book. There are two sets of photograph inserts though, so we can see some of the animals filmed and put a face to the Mongolian support team and others that we meet in the book.


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