The Wege Foundation & Aquinas College are pleased to present Chris Palmer as this year’s speaker.
He has confronted sharks, stared down Kodiak bears, and camped with wolf packs to make wildlife films and teach others about the natural world.
And in his latest book, “Shooting in the Wild, An Insider’s Account to Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom,” filmmaker Chris Palmer uncovers a more pervasive and troubling trend toward sensationalism, extreme risk-taking, and even abuse in wildlife films. Jane Goodall called it “a very important and much-needed book.”
Over the past 25 years, Palmer has led the production of more than 300 hours of original programming for prime time television and the giant screen (IMAX) film industry. He has worked with renowned environmental names including Robert Redford, Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, and his expertise on the subject exposes the dangers of, and tricks to, filming wild animals. Chris has witnessed life threatening, abusive and manipulating filming techniques, all for the sake of ratings and getting the “perfect” shot.
With shocking insight, Chris uses true stories to unveil the reality behind the scenes of America’s favorite wildlife shows.
Palmer joined the full-time faculty at American University in August 2004 and founded the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at the School of Communication. In 2009 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Media at the International Wildlife Film Festival. He is president of the Mac Gillivray Freeman Films Education Foundation and serves as chief executive officer of VideoTakes, Inc.