wild lives: people passionate about nature in singapore

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wild people: Alvin Lee

The story of how we got to know Alvin is almost mystical. It was one of those events so coincidental that it must have been meant to be.

We met at the store where we taking delivery of our film equipment. At that point, none of us had a clue about Real Filming and were putting down serious money based only on a faith that somehow we would get it done.

Alvin and us got to talking, and Alvin expressed interest in joining the wildsingapore wildfilms team, though he knew absolutely nothing about us.

Alvin is now our only Real Film Person, and a key reason why we are making progress in the project in the very short time that we've been working. With Alvin's patient advice and gentle guidance, the learning curve has been easier to climb.

In addition, from Alvin, we are learning the proper technical terms for all equipment. For example, the item on the right is a C47. We were most impressed when this was confirmed in a video textbook. (The C47s comes in handy for all kinds of jobs, not just for keeping a grip on gels. The crew comes up with a new use every trip.)

But we love Alvin most of all for his totally wacky sense of humour and almost evil dedication to getting all the tricky shots, particularly of fellow film crew. We don't know what we would do without him.

Here is more about Alvin in his own words ...

Hi all

I'm currently helping Ria with her inter-tidal project in Singapore. Coming from a video production background, I'm sharing my knowledge with the production team and getting involved in their video shoots.

I really enjoy volunteering on this project because it allows me to apply the things I've learnt in my studies and career to a subject that is close to my heart. More than that, I'm learning so much about the biodiversity of our local shores.

Since primary school days, I've been fascinated with wildlife. I set up my own aquariums and spent many happy hours observing how the creatures interacted with each other.

As I entered my teenage years, I came upon the writings of Gerald Durrell, the world-renowned author and conservationist. His writings have left an indelible impression on how I view my relationship with nature. The very first book of his I've read is the quirky My Family and Other Animals. To this day, having reread My Family and Other Animals more than 5 times, it remains one of my all time favourites.

Entering my adult years, work commitments and other more mundane pursuits took me away from doing my bit for conservation. Only in the past couple of years have I become involved in conservation again. Taking up diving was one of the first events that re-awakened my fascination with nature. Now, through some serendipitous circumstances, I've become involved in this project and I'm able to get alot more involved in working for nature.

I'm very thankful that I have this opportunity to work on this project with Ria and her team. Its brought me a full circle back to when I as a boy dreaming of becoming a biologist. Only, this is even better than that dream.

Posted by Lagoon Posted on 26/07/04 21:38 hi alvin, it's really been sometime since i heard someone mention gerald durell! i grew up on My Family & other Animals and Corfu was such a magical place for me. Glad to hear u were so inspired by him too!

Posted by cleverbest Posted on 27/07/04 23:37 wow another great experience with the wildlife! hope to see more of your stories!

Posted by otterman Posted on 10/08/04 11:22
When I worked with Alvin worked on nature documentaries, I was surprised how interested he was in observations of wildlife. It finally dawned on me that this was a real nature guy and not just some chap with a camera and mike. He relaxed air makes him enjoyable to work with and he is a fellow macintosh user! Watch for him in Five Days - he's the real star!

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