Blaine Dunkley - Director of Photography
Elizabeth Unger's Tigre Gente follows Marcos Uzquiano, director of Bolivia's Madidi National Park, as he works his way undercover into the jaguar poaching network, while Hong Kong journalist Laurel Chor traces the trade in fangs, skulls, and pelts to its buyers in China.
As 2nd Unit DP, I flew the aerials over La Paz, Madidi, and the Bolivian Amazon and operated much of the gimbal work. I also brought on Alex Pollini for the time-lapses, and together we shot the film's opening, hiking up a mountain at 4 a.m. to catch first light breaking over the clouds.
One of my favorite moments was a shaman's ceremony on a moonless night. There was no light to expose by, and we only had what we'd carried in, so we hung a white sheet in the canopy, clipped two small LEDs to it, and lit the whole ceremony with that. It's the kind of problem-solving I love about documentary work.
Honors
World Premiere — Tribeca Festival 2021
American Cinematographer Award — Salem Film Fest 2022
Shared Earth Foundation Award for Advocacy — Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital
Pare Lorentz Award, Honorable Mention — International Documentary Association
Press: American Cinematographer, "Tracking Poachers in Tigre Gente," September 2022
Directed By: Elizabeth Unger
Producers: Elizabeth Unger & Joanna Natasegara
Executive Producers: Kate Brooks, Marjon Javadi, Violet Feng & Minah Worley
Director of Photography: Eddie Roqueta
2nd Unit Director of Photography & Aerials: Blaine Dunkley
Wildlife Cinematography: Cristian Dimitrius
Time-Lapse Cinematography: Alex Pollini
Editors: Jill Schweitzer & Alistair Shurman