When Nerio Gutierrez, co-owner of Madrid-based production company, Playground Estudio, was given the challenge of producing a documentary about Antarctica’s view of the world, he knew he was going to be up against some of the most extreme weather conditions. In order to capture the unique sounds and ambience of this harsh, frozen land, he turned to a selection of microphones from DPA Microphones for the documentary titled “Antarctica, A Message from the Other Planet.”
Nerio Gutierrez
“The most important thing in a project like this is to be sure your tools will respond in any condition without any worries,” said Gutierrez. “We faced extreme cold, extreme moisture, and extreme winds, but our DPA d:dicate 4017B Shotgun, d:dicate 4011C Cardioid, and d:screet 4061 Necklace Microphones worked incredibly well and gave us the best sound we could possibly get from a place like Antarctica. One of the most amazing experiences we had was using our DPA mics to capture tiny snowflakes flying around with absolutely nothing else around. This was an incredible sound and there is no doubt that we were only able to catch that kind of detail thanks to our DPA microphones.”
For the documentary, the crew spent six weeks aboard the Spanish Navy’s scientific vessel, Hesperides. They also spent time on the continent itself, as well as on several islands recording sounds from penguin colonies, whales, zodiacs, sea wolves, marine elephants, icebergs, winds, and Drake’s Passage.
Gutierrez is thrilled with how his DPA microphones performed on continent of Antarctica and looks forward to using the products again. “The pics were a crucial part of this film and I don’t know what I would do without them. I can’t wait to pack my DPAs for my next adventure.”
