They help adventurers survive
While most people dream of a life of luxury and comfort, there are some who prefer to head off into the unknown, challenging themselves to feats of endurance; whether in the name of adventure, survival, science, education or fame.While a lot of thought and study has gone into their feats and what drives them, little publicised is the work behind the scenes to make these expeditions possible, especially in one of the most challenging environments known to men, the Namib Desert.
It offers perfect conditions to “get lost”. For successful endeavours, hours are spent ensuring that the right equipment is available, visas are applied for and collected, accommodation and transport are available, permits to access and film in restricted areas or certain parks are in order, medical assistance in case of emergencies and, in the case of a crew following a survivalist such as television personality Ed Stafford around, a comfortable base camp on standby.
Says Elnette Pearson, chief operating officer of Magic Touch Films, a local company facilitating large film production units in the country: “Various and diverse kinds of expeditions are undertaken, each with a specific set of logistical requirements, leading to challenges you would never dream of”.
She refers to the difference in requirements of an expedition like that of Mike Horn, who recently led a team of writers through the harshest parts of the country in four-wheel drive vehicles, compared to that of British female adventurer Ness Knight, who completed a solo cycle tour of the Namib Desert, or survivalists like Ed Stafford, who along with a support crew, tends to stay mainly in one area.
Magic Touch Films is a subsidiary company of Imwe Namibia Holdings and the sister company to Namib Film, the largest and longest-running production company in Namibia, founded by international film industry veteran Guy Nockels.
The company specialises in documentaries and reality TV projects, as well as facilitating adventure and survival expeditions throughout Namibia. Apart from the team’s facilitation experience, Elnette has vast experience working on various productions throughout the world on some of the most extreme locations.
“The most important part of our work as facilitator is to ensure the adventurer or athlete can focus on their specific challenge,” she says, “because in such a challenging environment, the slightest hold-up or issue could derail something the person has sometimes worked years towards achieving.”
Guy Nockels, chief executive officer of Imwe Namibia Holdings, agrees with Elnette and adds: “Magic Touch has become one of the highest rated facilitation companies in the world and thanks to years of experience and local knowledge in working with international film crews and adventure expeditions, can facilitate expeditions and crews of any size, whether they’re local or international.”
For the team it is a challenging yet rewarding experience to work on these adventures. According to them, even though many elements of facilitation are the same, like various permit requirements, whether filming with a personal camera or a movie camera, whether planning for a base camp or sourcing equipment for an expedition, each facilitation brings with it its own set of challenges. “Often it is necessary to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but one thing we are proud of is that Magic Touch always manages to keep expeditions, adventures and challenges running smoothly,” Guy says.