Inside "National Geographic"

Derek Burkholder, '04, goes behind the scenes on internship

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003

As part of his Albion education, senior Derek Burkholder has waded watersheds around Albion, tracked sharks in the Florida Keys, and traveled on field trips to Chesapeake Bay, the American Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest.  This past summer, he spent a lot of time indoors – reviewing 15 years of National Geographic’s “Crittercam” film for upcoming National Geographic television programming – learning a lot about the business of nature journalism. 

“Crittercam” is an innovative research tool, soon to be a popular National Geographic television series that uses film footage taken by cameras strapped to marine and terrestrial animals.  Current “Crittercam” crews are working with gray reef sharks at Johnston Atoll and hyenas in Africa.  Although Burkholder worked with the “Crittercam” team at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. this summer, “I did a lot of research on the filming area and sharks for the film crew,” he says. 

Burkholder also assisted “Crittercam” producer Greg Marshall with filming projects, from setting up interviews to doing sounds checks and helping choose filming locations.  He’s done grant research for possible “Crittercam” projects, contributed to the “Crittercam” website as a researcher and photographer, and even assisted with logistics for a teachers’ conference hosted at National Geographic in Washington, D.C.

Burkholder’s National Geographic internship has also placed him in the “Crittercam” archives, looking at 15 years’ worth of film shot by both critters and humans, in preparation for a 13-show “Crittercam” series.  He has also been helping find footage to be used in a 1-hour “Behind the Scenes of Crittercam” special.   “I’m looking at a lot of tapes, helping find [specific types of scenes] that [the producers] are looking for,” explains Burkholder.  “I’m looking for footage of funny things, outtakes, bad weather, and problems that film crews encounter in the field.”

Derek Burkholder, '04, in the film archive at "National Geographic" headquarters in Washington, D.C.  The results of Burkholder's summer internship with National Geographic will be enjoyed by millions of television viewers, when National Gegraphic's "Crittercam" series debuts. Photo courtesy of Derek Burkholder.
 

Burkholder’s National Geographic internship came about as a result of his spring break work in the Florida Keys with Albion biology professor Jeff Carrier.  While Carrier and Burkholder were doing nurse shark research, a National Geographic crew was following hammerhead and bull sharks in the area.  Carrier, who has contributed to National Geographic magazine and film projects using “Crittercam” in some of his nurse shark research, introduced Burkholder to the “Crittercam” show hosts and producer.  With help from Carrier, the internship “Just kind of fell out from there,” says Burkholder.

Burkholder’s summer stint with “Crittercam” helped fulfill requirements for his Biology major with a concentration in environmental sciences.  More importantly, it supports one of Burkholder’s passions – to parlay his interests in photography and ecology into a career.  “It’s been wonderful to be in a place I’ve pretty much dreamed about my whole life, meeting photographers and researchers, talking to them and making contacts,” enthuses Burkholder.  “[Being here] is playing into my future goals as well as what I’m doing right now.  It’s interesting to see all the processes that go into taking [film] and making it an actual show.  It’s been an awesome experience.”  

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