ALEX TIVENAN
I’ve had the good fortune to work on landmark, natural history series for Netflix, Disneynature and the BBC as a drone pilot & camera operator.
For these projects I have shot long lens behavioural sequences over hundreds of hours in tropical jungle hides, rigged time-lapses in the Arctic, camera trapped in Chernobyl, and flown drones on the Eurasian steppe.
I’m a qualified tree climber and have completed Remote First Aid courses.
As a technically-minded cameraman, I will work with you to develop a plan to maximise the chance of realising your creative vision.
ABOUT ME
Planet Earth (2006) had a significant influence on my career choice. The stunning state-of-the-art HD imagery, in the remote wildernesses of this planet, made me realise that contributing to programmes in this genre it is what I would aim to do with my career.
In 2007 I studied Zoology at the University of Southampton, followed by an MA in Wildlife Documentary Production at the University of Salford in 2011.
Between the two degrees, I qualified and worked as a tree surgeon, which opened up tree climbing and the canopy to me for the first time. I've since completed IRATA & Canopy Access courses to further expand my skillset.
After university, I worked as camera assistant for the Simon King Wildlife project where, for the first time, I was able combine working with both wildlife and cameras to earn a living.
Since then I've worked for the BBC on their upcoming Asia landmark series, Springwatch & Wild Alaska Live as well as for Silverback Films in Svalbard, Chernobyl & Papua New Guinea and Wild Space Productions on their upcoming Netflix projects.
I've attained Operational Authorisation as a fully qualified GVC drone pilot and expanded my skills to include long lens cinematography, time-lapse videography, gimbal work, high speed cinematography, camera trapping, jib & cable dolly rigging.
CREDITS
What I’ve Worked On
Camera Operator
ASIA (2025) - BBC
Worked as principle long lens operator on a reptilian predation sequence.
Additionally, shot motion control time-lapses & sync interviews/BTS content.
Camera Operator
OUR WATER WORLD (2025) - NETFLIX
Shot long lens footage on the RED Raptor, gimbal footage on the Ronin 4D, aerials on the Inspire & remote footage using the Sony FR7s of a mammalian species off the coast of Africa.
Camera Operator/Second
ASIA (2025) - BBC
Lit & shot high speed, long lens footage of a small, aerial mammalian species travelling in urban and jungle habitats at night.
Camera Operator/Second
ASIA (2025) - BBC
Shot long lens, drone & gimbal footage for a behavioural sequence capturing interactions between large mammals and humans.
Second Camera & Field Assistant
Operated a jib, gimbal & slider for a small subject in a sandy, desert sequence. Shot drone footage, time-lapses & landscapes.
OUR WATER WORLD (2025) - NETFLIX
Second Camera
ASIA (2025) - BBC
Shot long lens, gimbal, drone and time-lapse for a mammalian courtship sequence in an urban environment.
Camera & Field Assist
OUR WATER WORLD (2025) - NETFLIX
I operated and assisted with gimbal, lighting & jib rigging for a river predation sequence in a South American rainforest. Contributed to set design for close-up & controlled shots. Assisted with Phantom VEO for ultra slow-motion. Shot location time-lapses.
Second Camera/Operator
OUR LIVING WORLD (2024) - NETFLIX
This one month shoot took us to rig cable dollies for an arboreal sequence in a South American jungle. I shot germination time-lapses in a remote, off-grid studio set, drone aerials around the rainforest canopy and long lens mammalian behaviour on the forest floor.
Drone Pilot & Second Camera
OUR LIVING WORLD (2024) - NETFLIX
I spent one month with the team operating as drone pilot and second camera as we filmed a long lens mammalian sequence in a remote environment. Additionally I shot motion control footage & a day-to-night motion controlled time lapses.
Second Camera
THE MATING GAME - BBC
I visited the highlands Papua New Guinea to shoot long lens footage of the MacGregor’s bowerbird with a RED Helium & Canon CN20 50-1000mm. Over the course of five weeks we recorded multiple matings of the bowerbirds and the full courtship routine. We used motion control rigs & gimbal equipment to build a sequence that emphasised the remarkable engineering capabilities of this little bird. Link:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010rsw
Researcher & Field Assistant
POLAR BEAR - DINSEYNATURE
I represented the Production as a Researcher and Camera Assistant as we travelled to Svalbard, in the high Arctic. With a lead camera operator and two guides, we spent one month rigging 24 hour, motion-controlled, HDR time lapses, filming up on top of 300m high bird cliffs and tracking down Arctic fox dens. I filmed and interviewed the crew for the behind-the-scenes documentary and managed the workflow throughout.
Link: https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/video/0d83715a-7368-435b-a2bc-f97813e2a0ce
Remote Cameras
DANCING WITH THE BIRDS - NETFLIX
This project took us up into the highlands of Papua New Guinea for two months as we aimed to be the first crew to film the mating sequence of the MacGregor’s bowerbird. The male builds a tower of sticks up to 1m high within a mossy ring at the base. He lures the female down from the canopy, then produces a phenomenal repertoire of mimicked sounds that he picked up from his travels through the forest & nearby villages. I spent nine weeks and about 600 hours in a hide operating A7S and GH5 cameras remotely to build a sequence that took the viewer as close as into the experience as possible.Link: www.netflix.com/watch/80186796
Camera Traps
OUR PLANET - NETFLIX
I joined the team late in the project as we attempted to camera trap wolves, lynx, moose and other fauna in Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone, Ukraine. We used a system of GH4 and A7S traps with both wireless and wired PIR motion sensors to cover the most likely locations for our targets. Often fiddly work, with a lot of troubleshooting, camera traps can be prima donna’s to work with, but we succeeded in capturing the key shots of wolves roaming the abandoned streets in the location of the fall-out from one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.
Remote Camera Operator
WILD ALASKA LIVE
Wild Alaska Live broadcast to BBC1 from the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska. I operated a host of remote cameras that were dotted around the National Park and which fed back to base. We filmed black bear families with cubs, salmon leaping upstream to spawning grounds and cutting redds and bald eagles feeding their chicks at the nest.Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05595m7
Story Developer
SPRINGWATCH
Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch have broadcast live shows from the richest wildlife hotspots around the UK since 2005.
My role within the team over the course of two years was to monitor and operate a suite of up to 40 remote cameras, each constantly feeding a live stream back to HQ.
I was fortunate enough to film owls, deer, foxes, badgers, buzzards, red kite & woodpecker nests (and much more), around the clock, for weeks on end.
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qgm3
Camera and Field Assistant
THE SIMON KING WILDLIFE PROJECT
The mantra of the project was to “restore, educate and engage”. Restore impoverished sites to diverse and rich ecosystems, educate those who were interested in its journey and engage viewers by streaming the whole process live to the internet 24/7. I had the responsibility of managing 25 live cameras on a 12 acre site of restored pastureland in Somerset and to share the stories of owls, otters, stoats, weasels, harvest mice, badgers, foxes & much more via a live camera network and presenter-lead YouTube series.
KIT LIST
4K Camera, Drone & Motion Control Rigs
Cameras:
Z Cam E2 4K 120fps (10 bit)
Canon 6D (4K time lapse kit/1080p video)
Canon 550D x2 (4K time lapse kit/1080p video)
Lenses (EF mount):
Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6
Canon 50mm f1.8
Tamron 24-70mm f2.8
Tamron 70-200mm f2.8
Tamron 150-600mm f5.6
Sigma 60-600 f4.5-6.3
Sigma 105mm Macro f2.8
Canon LP-E 65mm 5:1 Macro f2.8
Laowa 24mm Probe f14
Drone:
DJI Mini 3 Pro 4K/60fps
DJI Air2S 5.4K/30fps, 4K/60fps, 10-bit
DJI FPV 4K/30fps, 8-bit
Motion Control:
Edelkrone JibOne & Pan PRO bundle
Edelkrone HeadPlus PRO bundle + focus
Edelkrone SliderPlus Long bundle
Time Lapse & Lighting:
Studio Flash setup x3
Continuous Studio Lighting setup
Various intervalometers & mains adapters
Sound:
Zoom H2N
Radio mic combo
Extras:
Various cables, SD cards, tripods & light stands.
