Flowmotion by Rob Witworth

Well! There it was. The opening scene for the latest Planet Earth III programme with David Attenborough. On the screen at this evening’s NDPS meeting. And the man who took the film operating his laptop and presenting his flowmotion technique.

A packed house of members and guests watched in awe as Rob showed us examples of his finished work and examples of how the film was first shot. It’s difficult to find enough superlatives to describe his enthusiasm for his art, his attention to detail and his ability to capture scenes in an unforgettable way.

This was an evening of action and drama filmed in a style that could only be Rob’s. We were treated to many examples of this wonderful technique, not just Planet Earth footage but commercial footage for companies who have something to sell – now I want to fly to Greenland! I want to work in that centre of commerce in London!

Rob’s examples of how his effects were achieved were fascinating and his pictures of how he arranged his wide variety of cameras and how each camera and viewpoint contributed to the whole exciting effect.

But he didn’t restrict himself to commercial work, his pictures of a drone race track through his house at floor level and the clips of a mini drone ‘attacking’ his children provided a lighter note and were not less interesting for that.

It is a rare moment when the word 'awesome' really means something, but this evening was one of those moments. It is no wonder that Rob is a BAFTA winning EMMY nominated film maker. Those of us who attended were privileged to be in the presence of a master.

An architectural spectacle: the interior of a building in Shanghai. (copyright Rob Whitworth)