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Simon Normanton 
director, director-cameraman, recordist

  updated May 2010     
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Simon Normanton is a factual film director, producer, 
cameraman and recordist who has made, or worked on, 
 numerous character-driven films 
in the wilder corners of this earth.  
Predominately 'travel and exploration' 
and 'people and wildlife' films, 
they have been broadcast by the BBC and C4 
and around the world; 
in the US by National Geographic, Discovery, 
A&E, WNET etc. 
Simon Normanton also supplies 
specialist HD and SD video equipment for wild adventures worldwide

 Simon Normanton as a director-cameraman
and director-recordist 

Some
Current and  Recent Projects:

   Simon Normanton is currently Directing a Big Screen documentary feature in the Gulf; filming for a series on Churchill for German broadcaster
and working on a variety of other such projects.   
A Lighthouse film on the corncrake has just been delivered
He has recently filmed in Northern Kenya, with the Rendille. 
and worked on, and supplied equipment for, a 7-part 'Wildlife and People' series filmed around the world, from Australia to the Arctic:
manatees, polar bears, salt-water crocs, 
wolves, coral reefs, flying foxes, great grey owls etc. etc.

The Return of the Corncrake

Produced, Directed and filmed a significant proportion of this
Lighthouse Film for the RSPB delivered May 2010

'Missing Mothers'

Recorded sound, supplied  HD equipment for
this 5-part Series for STV

'Gilbert and Sullivan

Recorded sound, supplied  HD equipment for
and was second camera on
Tony Britten's, Capriol Films, 5-part Opera Series for SKY
Cameraman Peter Eveson

Running with Wolves

Recorded sound and supplied  HD equipment
for this second Richard Matthews film,
shot in the Rockies and the Outer Islands, for 'Off the Fence'

 
Walking the World - The Dingle Peninsula 

Location director, cameraman and recordist on this 60-minuter 
 for Discovery HD Theatre  and Reader's Digest through WestPark Pictures.
From a letter to Simon Normanton from Linda Romano, 
Executive Director Global Video Programming, Reader's Digest
"...you created beautiful material for both the Discovery and Reader's Digest programmes.  Because our condensed version focuses on the scenic beauties of each destination we really benefited from your great eye for the  'big picture' and the gorgeous detail that makes each place memorable ..with many thanks, Linda"

Daga Rikici Zuma Sasuntuwa 
 
(From Conflict to Consensus, du Conflit au Consensus)
Director, cameraman and recordist on this 30 minute film, produced by Lighthouse, in 3 languages, for a rural development organization in Niger.  This illumination of conflicting agendas amongst the nomads and settled people of the Sahel  is made for the local people themselves.  
It shows how they can take control of their own lives.  
 

Amazonia's Mighty Jaws

Recordist, second cameraman, and HD equipment supplier 
 on this exploration for the legendry black caiman of the Amazon swamps.
 For National Geographic, through 'Shake the Tree' 
director and producer Caroline Brett. (Camera Barbara Tyack)
From Madeleine Carter International Commissioner at National Geographic
"Dear All, I just watched the master - Bravo!  The story, the writing, the amazing images, the interesting sound design...it all works together like a great symphony.  I know this was a tough one but you'd never know it.  Great work."
From Sydney Suissa overseer of Domestic and International Channels, National Geographic.
"This is a great show with all the elements of a classic, blue chip wildlife film...
a real story told with lots of drama.  
Starting out with the night scenes of tagging a caiman* was a great way into the show.  
It'll be a real treat to premiere this to the world.  Well done. S."
*shot by Simon  Normanton

  Kilimanjaro  - Walking the World

Location Director, with some camerawork, on this 60-minute ascent of Kilimanjaro for Discovery and Readers Digest through WestPark Pictures.
From a memo to producer Jonathon Schutz, from The Discovery Executive Producer:
"What a pleasure screening this episode.  It is one of the best of the series, ...  I found it captivating throughout.....  Bravo!  My only complaint is that it needs to be cut down to time.
Congratulations on a first-rate show!"
David Gerber 

The Nature Man - Gilbert White

Location director, sound recordist and occasional cameraman  
on this 60-minute search for the real Gilbert White, the 18th Century naturalist, 
presented by Michael Wood with Richard Mabey, 
for BBC4, through MayaVision, using Lighthouse HD and sound equipment
Though hired as director-cameraman Simon Normanton thought it better on this particular film to direct and record sound, another doing the camerawork in the numerous multi-character sync sequences.  He then shot some of the non-sync sequences.
".....an affectionate. idyllic and gently enjoyable documentary..."  Daily Telegraph
"Achingly beautiful shots of the English countryside"  The Guardian
"A lovely programme, even for city mice!"  The Independent

Searching for the Coast Wolf

Recordist and supplier/manager of HD equipment in this collaboration with Richard Matthews of 'Wild Images' for ZDF, through Matthey Film of Germany.  A six week exploration through  the outer islands of Western Canada's Rainforest in search of the mysterious coastal wolf and ghost bear.  With the production company  in Germany and Richard Matthews in South Africa, Simon Normanton was deeply involved in the expediting of the project.
From Richard Matthews on winning First Prize for the film at NaturVision;
"thanks to Simon for being such a staunch ally and 
such a dependable assistant and man of all jobs."
This film also won a 2nd award at the festival, for 'Best International Film'

   Death Squeeze                          Flying with Condors

Simon Normanton worked with Richard Matthews in a similar capacity on two further projects: 'Death Squeeze' a people and wildlife film for National Geographic - anacondas in Venezuela, constrictors in Puerto Rico and the Turks and Caicos. 'Flying with Condors'  literally so, in the Argentine Andes, a BBC Natural World / ZDF production.  Simon Normanton also designed and produced pilot-controlled microlight cameras for this production

Return of the Osprey

Executive Producer and recordist on this Lighthouse 60-minuter 
for the Nature Trusts and Anglian Water, 
narrated by Sir David Attenborough, 
the film tells the story of the reintroduction of the Osprey to England. 
This film won 1st Prize at the prestigious 'Communication in Business' Awards
"A really Splendid Documentary"
A message from our customer; "The DVD won an award of excellence and was put into the final with 3 other DVDs.......to cut a long story short.....We won!!!"

People and Trees - the Sahel       ....  - the Himalayas

Filmed, recorded and produced by Simon Normanton,  
these two half-hour films, shot in India and in Niger, for The Berkeley Reafforestation Trust, tell the story of major reafforestation projects amongst the hill villages of Kumaon and amongst the Nomads of Niger

Images from other projects directed by Simon Normanton

  
 'Pakistan, The Game of Kings',  'Iran, Peace and War'  'The Fly-Fishing Bug and How to Catch it' etc....

Simon Normanton's strengths are in strong story-line and character-development.  He is happy to work directly for other production companies or through his own production company, 
Lighthouse Films, see services offered, 

 In addition to the films detailed above and under Lighthouse Films completed productions, Simon Normanton has produced and directed numerous films on contract to other independent production companies;  ‘Odyssey’, 49 short travel and exploration films for Griffin/C4/Nat Geo;  ‘Icewalk’, sled-hauling to the North Pole for C4; ‘Quest for the Maya’, a horseback journey through Central America for Chameleon/C4; ‘Supercities’, 13 titles, 26 programmes for IVN/Travel Channel,  ‘TITANIC’, for C4 etc. 

 Additional background info: Simon Normanton went to the Canadian Arctic with a Cambridge degree in Moral Science and a certificate in ‘competence to drive and maintain contractors plant vehicles’.  He worked as native labour on the North Slope Oil and ran trap-lines with Eskimo friends.  Back in the UK he joined the BBC ‘World about Us’ ‘Travel and Exploration Unit’, on contract, researching, setting up, managing and filming projects in many of the more difficult corners of this earth; in AFGHANISTAN, in the HIMALAYAS, up the AMAZON, at the NORTH POLE, on the UPPER NILE, in the DESERTS of  ARABIA,  3 miles below the surface of the ATLANTIC, in CHINA, RWANDA, SYRIA, GUATEMALA, INDIA, NIGERIA, ZIMBABWE, SRI LANKA, SAUDI ARABIA, NEPAL, TURKEY, YEMEN, etc. etc. as well as in more relaxed places such as, WYOMING, BELIZE, ARGENTINA, THE CARIBBEAN, AUSTRIA, THE UK, THE USA, THAILAND, CANADA, etc. etc.  
In 1985 he left the World about Us to start his own company, 'Lighthouse'.
  His films have been shown around the world.

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Simon Normanton as cameraman

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