“Queens” was planned as a six-part look at the roles females play in various species. But as the National Geographic documentary was being assembled, it became clear there was need for a seventh episode – one looking at the female-led company that produced the series.
Faith Musembi, a Kenyan filmmaker involved in the project, was asked to direct the final installment. “Which is kind of crazy when you think about it because we don’t have locals who work on these projects,” she says.
Queens' Director Faith Musembi, left, and Director of Photography Sophie Darlington film elephants from the vehicle.
With “Queens,” Musembi became the first Kenyan to produce and direct something of this magnitude.
“Why wouldn’t you be using voices that can tell their own stories?” Sophie Darlington, director of photography, asked. Musembi had played an important role in a story about elephants. She introduced Darlington to one who was blind and, through her knowledge and powers of observation, “the project became so much stronger.”
With Musembi’s attention to detail, viewers will see just how intense the four-year project was. She, in fact, was a key player during the pandemic, serving as the others’ feet on the ground.
Queens' Cinematographer and mentee Erin Ranney films elephants in Africa from a specialized filming vehicle on the RED.
“It just opens up this world of possibilities – yes, you can use locals, yes, you can still use people who have traditionally made this stuff…we can all work together,” Darlington says.
“And it’s been such a joy for me to be given an opportunity to thrive because I’ve had people like Sophie (to guide me),” Musembi says. “She’s a bit of a legend in natural history filmmaking.”
The documentary’s credits are filled with other boldface names who joined forces to show how females work in different wildlife locations.
Capturing firsts
Jen Guyton, a National Geographic explorer and photographer, for example, was able to get some of the first intimate nocturnal scenes of hyenas. Her secret: “Using an infrared camera and infrared light so that I wouldn’t actually interrupt what they were doing.”
Filming animals “can be very unpredictable,” says Justine Evans, director of photography. “The hardest situation is when you’re filming animals that are very elusive and shy or have had bad experiences with humans. There’s lots of conflict, therefore they keep away.”
Evans had a close encounter with a male jaguar in Costa Rica. “He was marking all the trees and I was on the tree line,” she says. “He just walked straight past me and kept going.”
A frightening moment? It all depends, the photographers say.
“If you’re respectful and you do your job correctly, it shouldn’t be a problem,” says cinematographer Erin Ranney. “We have guides who are with us who are keeping an eye on them. You just always need to make sure you’re cautious. I think the worst problems I’ve ever had have always been with people. Most of the times, you’re not actually interacting with the animals. You’re about as interesting as the seagull sitting (in the background). I’ve been filming bears over eight years and I’ve never had to spray one.”
Queens Series Director of Photography Justine Evans, Cinematographer Joris van Alphen and Rope Access Expert Tim Fogg research filming locations in Central American rainforest.
Writing, scoring, pivoting
To make sure the episodes have stories to tell, writer Chloe Sarosh worked with scientists in the field, determining what the best approach might be. “So we write an outline, we write story beats, we write a guide and then we go into the field and that either happens or it doesn’t,” she says. “Then we come back and we pivot. We change and then we refine, refine, refine. And then you have a talent like Angela Bassett narrate. You write for her voice, so it’s a process.”
By the time the footage is assembled, composer Morgan Kibby comes in and figure out how to score it.
“For this particular genre, music is just so wall-to-wall,” Kibby says. “If there’s 50 minutes of footage, there’s 49 minutes of music. Music is so integral to the edit, they tend to have a picture, if not locked, millimeters from being locked before they bring me in to start writing.”
The joy of scoring “Queens,” Kibby says, is producers didn’t want her to do what others had done before. “There was a lot of leeway given to me to just experiment and to be the kind of electronic and multi-faceted artist that I tend to be in my own private work.”
From left, Director of Photography Justine Evans, Mentee and Filmmaker Erica Rugabandana, Series Director and Mentee Faith Musembi, and Director of Photography Sophie Darlington.
‘Seat of the pants’ moment
Because they weren’t looking at predatory behavior or familiar themes, the producers realized they were going to have a documentary that was more subtle than most.
“We didn’t know how that would transpire,” says Sarosh. “We didn’t expect it to be as dramatic as it turns out…so that, for me, has been a wonderful surprise.”
Adds Executive Producer Vanessa Berlowitz: “We didn’t know we were revealing new science with the scientists as we went. So there was a bit of a ‘seat of the pants’ moment where you’re like, ‘Will there be enough drama?’ when we’re briefing our teams about capturing an eyebrow raise of a lion.”
Because there were so many animals that didn’t get included, producers say there’s certainly room for a sequel. A segment about bonobo chimpanzees was so fascinating it bumped stories about forest elephants. On the endangered species list, the bonobos frequently need help from residents who parent them. Interestingly, Sarosh says, “they’re one of our closet living relatives. They’re a fascinating society, wonderful animals, but incredibly difficult to film.”
"Queens" Director and Mentee Faith Musembi.
Those kinds of challenges, however, only fueled the filmmakers.
“I had worked in a very male-dominated environment before and to work with a female-dominated team was a totally different experience,” says Berlowitz. “It was collaborative, warm, communal, a bit messy. We’ve had lots of women who normally would have stopped working because they’ve had children. Chloe magnificently led the team as a young mother and showed us the way. This legacy is huge…and we’re applying it to other shows.”
Musembi, too, experienced a shift. She’s now leading her own documentary crew and looks to the day when Kenyans can drive natural history filmmaking.
“It’s so surreal,” she says of the project.
“Look how far we’ve come,” adds Darlington.
"Queens" begins March 4 on the National Geographic channel. It streams on Disney+ and Hulu beginning March 5.
Interviews with the cast and crew of National Geographic's "Queens"
Film and TV Critic Bruce Miller chats with Morgan Kibby, Jen Guyton, Sophie Darlington, Faith Musembi, Justin Evans, Erin Ranney, Vanessa Berlowitz and Chloe Sarosch about "Queens," a new National Geographic series they all worked on.
Sioux City Journal entertainment editor Bruce Miller talks with Morgan Kibby and Jen Guyton of the National Geographic series "Queens."
Sioux City Journal entertainment editor Bruce Miller talks with Vanessa Berlowitz and Chloe Sarosh of the National Geographic series "Queens."
Sioux City Journal entertainment editor Bruce Miller talks with Justine Evans and Erin Ranney of the National Geographic series "Queens."
A female Bonobo is groomed by another member of the troop.
An inquisitive spotted hyena cub with a flower in its mouth.
An African elephant mother and calf stay close as they walk through the savannah.
