Name: Bruce Parry
Age: 38
Biography: I spent my first five years post-school as an officer in the Royal Marines, specialising early on as a Physical Training Instructor. My last job in the Marines was as the boss of the Physical Training Team at Britain's Commando Training Centre, so when I left at the age of 23 it seemed like a good idea to go to Loughborough to do PE and sport.
It didn't last long. I soon got itchy feet and started leading science and conservation expeditions to places like Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Java, working with scientists and conservationists who were studying tiger, rhino, turtles and the like. I did that for about four or five years before quitting to look for work in the British film industry where I started as a runner and then a location manager working on pop videos, commercials and feature films.
In 1999 I left the film industry and started my first television project which I filmed and directed with a friend, Mark Anstice. We went to Indonesian New Guinea and the film of the expedition was ultimately bought by Steve Robinson of the 成人快手 (who would become the Series Producer of Tribe and now Amazon). Since then I've been lucky enough to have worked on a number of exciting projects including helping to start the hugely successful and multi-award-winning "Serious" series (Serious Jungle and Serious Desert) as well as three series of Tribe.
Looking forward to: Uncovering fascinating stories, meeting a wide variety of people, learning some Spanish (and Portuguese if I'm able), sharing some magnificent experiences with some cool people. Oh - and a rest on a beach in Bahia with some friends when it's all over.
Luxury item: Undoubtedly my MP3 player. If I'm living with a family then I
don't use it (unless I want to show them something). But this is a
different type of trip where we'll be on the move much more. On it I have everything to keep me occupied for that unexpected moment when
you're caught out with nowhere to go and nothing to do, like being
stuck in a plane on the runway for hours. I have it brimming with
over 30 feature films, pop videos, podcasts, video podcasts, days
of language courses, numerous fiction and non fiction audiobooks, all
my music, and much more.
Also, and more recently, I was inspired by the queen of luxury
(Almu) into buying a pillow (She has two!). In a moment so unlike my
roots in the military and self-propelled expeditions I decided that
any fool could be uncomfortable and bought a tiny travel pillow. I
figured that compared to the 30 boxes and half a ton of camera
gear we take everywhere a little travel pillow wouldn't stop the
plane from taking off. I've finally sold out to 成人快手 luxury. It's a
slippery slope and I'm a little worried that I'll be doing holiday
shows next.
Phobia: Performing - that might seem odd given my chosen career, but to me being filmed isn't a performance - it's just a slightly weird form of normality. The thought, however, of ever having to stand up and sing a song to a village or do any form of solo act or performance is simply terrifying.
Also I suppose I have a retrospective hatred of my own waffle (I wonder if there's a word for that). Trying to be succinct and informative about very complex issues is a tough one for me.
Will miss: Madeline and Ibiza.
Dreading: Explaining all that I've learnt to my Brazilian friends back at home.
Latest blog entry
Posted on: Tue 10 Jun 08
I've just walked into the vast expanse of water that is the Atlantic Ocean to give my last piece to camera of the whole shoot. I collapsed into the water, exhausted and somewhat lost for words. It wasn't deep as the beach went on for ages, so I just lay there in the shallows with the odd ripple of water washing over me, feeling tired but content. I tasted the water and sure enough it tasted completely fresh - hardly a hint of oceanic saltwater at all. So the Amazon is still master of this area. People tell me the fresh water continues for many miles out to sea and up and down the coasts. Quite remarkable really.
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