I’m Allison Argo, and I’ve just spent the last year, documenting the story of amphibians and the fact that they are vanishing. It’s really serious. It’s probably the most important environmental story of our time. Nature asked me to make a film about the disappearance of frogs. I’d actually tackled this topic almost 15 years ago. (Ok, I look in the viewfinder.) So my knee-jerk reaction was: I think I should move on to a different subject. (It's just beautiful!). But when I started researching it I realized things had not improved in the last 15 years. I felt that I had to tackle it again.
There were too many people who did not have access to information about what’s happening to amphibians. Since I made that film, dozens of species have disappeared globally. Some experts are saying that it is the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs. It’s just a huge serious problem. Since the extinctions are happening throughout the world, our locations covered a pretty wide scope. We shot in Central America, Australia and in numerous locations in the US.
In shooting the film we looked for ways to bring a frog’s world to life. We built a little pond set where we could capture some of their incredible athletics in sort of a more controlled environment. (Are you ready? Yeah, I'm ready.) We used the camera called “the Phantom” which allows you to shot really slow motion. (That was the best for him. That's pretty! Do you see?). It really captures how exquisite they are. (Shorter range! More in front of them? Yeah, more in front! Cut. How do you see what that looks like? I think it's good coz at one point it does move a little. And he got a good drop. Yeah, blasted by one… Oh, it’s pretty good!)
Frogs are pretty slippery, and they don’t always take direction. When you are lucky enough to catch a moment, they are just incredible.
