Deep in the Heart

The bat emergence at Bracken Cave, just 20 miles outside of San Antonio. Cinematographers Austin Alvarado and Ryan Olinger capture the event on camera both above and at the mouth of the cave. Bracken Cave is home to approximately 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats in the summer, the largest known congregation of mammals in the world.

Behind the Scenes of a Wildlife Film Production

Article by KATY BALDOCK Photos courtesy of DEEP IN THE HEART FILM

As I stood at the mouth of Bracken Cave, I watched in awe as millions of Mexican free-tailed bats began to stir in preparation for their nightly emergence. From a distance, the inside of the cave looked mostly black, like charred rock.

Up close, however, it became clear that the solid dark coat was formed by a congregation of bats clinging to the pale limestone walls—huddled close together and stuffed into the nooks and crannies of the rock. As the sun sank lower, they began to stretch their wings and crawl around, gearing up for the night’s activities. Some fluttered around the opening of the cave, eager to begin their nightly dinner-out venture.

I moved back up to the observation deck above the cave before the emergence began to get a good view and to avoid getting caught in the middle of a bat tornado. Then, starting as a small trickle and quickly escalating to a steady-flowing river, the emergence arrived in full force.

As they flooded out of the cave and into the evening sky, the millions of Mexican free-tailed bats generated a wind strong enough to brush back my hair. Closing my eyes and cupping a hand behind my ear, I could hear the impressive sound of their collective wings flapping frantically.

After exiting the cave and making a couple tornado-like rotations, the bats trailed off as a steady stream over the treetops, making their way to their nightly feast of insects. They would return to the cave the following morning.

This was July 2020 and my first time watching the bat emergence at Bracken Cave, the world’s largest known summer bat colony—and largest congregation of mammals—just outside of San Antonio. It was a nearly indescribable wildlife encounter I will never forget.

Following that first viewing experience, I returned a few more times over the next couple of weeks to observe and extensively photograph the unique wildlife action at Bracken Cave. It was a truly unique opportunity I was fortunate to experience as one of the producers for an upcoming film called “Deep in the Heart.”

Working on this production has also taken me into the dense South Texas brush in search of endangered ocelots. It sent me trekking through the lush longleaf pine forests and muddy cypress sloughs of East Texas for the first time despite growing

up in the region. And it led me across the Hill Country in search of the best spots to get shots of spring wildflowers.

This unique job has taken me all around our beautiful state and introduced me to underrated landscapes, little-known wildlife stories, and passionate people who I otherwise would probably not have known about. It has instilled in me a much deeper appreciation for Texas and a greater understanding of how unique, diverse, and valuable our wildlife and natural resources are.

Through the production and release of this film, my colleagues and I hope to instill that same appreciation and sense of pride for Texas wildlife and landscapes in our fellow Texans.

“Deep in the Heart” is the first of its kind. It’s a featurelength natural history film about Texas narrated by Matthew McConaughey that focuses on the diverse landscapes and wildlife behavior that cannot be found anywhere outside the Lone Star State. The film highlights our sometimes-complicated relationship with the natural world and showcases our ability to destroy, conserve, and recover wildlife and habitat.

“Deep in the Heart” is a two-year production created by a group of Texans who are passionate about wildlife, conservation, and showcasing the beauty of Texas to the rest of the world. The film is directed by Texas wildlife filmmaker Ben Masters, produced by longtime conservationist and environmental advocate Jay Kleberg and me; edited by Sam Klatt; and shot by a crew of cinematographers under the guidance of director of cinematography and Emmy award-winning wildlife cinematographer Skip Hobbie.

A discussion about the talents of this crew, collectively and individually, could fill a separate article. It’s an honor to work with them and to say that I'm grateful to be part of this team and this project is an understatement.

Over these two-plus years, my colleagues and I have travelled all across the state to document Texas’ wildlife and landscapes. We have captured some really exciting footage, ranging from never-before-seen behavior of rare and elusive animals to exciting new takes on familiar wildlife stories.

The footage we’ve recorded has exceeded our expectations and we have created a film we’re all very proud of. However, it has not been accomplished without challenges.

Producer Katy Baldock in South Texas during a trip to photograph ocelot habitat and set up trail cameras.

Cinematographer Austin Alvarado sets up a shot on the Guadalupe River.

A mother and kitten ocelot captured on a remote camera trap in South Texas. Director Ben Masters sets up a remote camera trap in Far West Texas.

A mountain lion in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas captured on a remote camera trap.

Big Bend’s night skies are unmatched by any other national park in the lower 48.

The primary challenges that surfaced while producing this film were attempting to continue as planned during the height of a global pandemic, the financial complications of independent filmmaking, and the simple fact that nature does what it wants. Unlike filming humans with scripted scenes and organized sets, weather does not always respect your schedule and some animals are really elusive and nearly impossible to film.

For two of the sequences—ocelots and mountain lions—we had to rely on highquality remote camera traps to capture footage of the animals in the wild. After a couple months of trial and error while getting the hang of the new camera traps, we were blown away by the ocelot footage we obtained. With fewer than 80 of these endangered cats known to exist in the United States, we didn’t have high hopes for getting many shots.

“I never expected to get such amazing footage of ocelots,” said Masters. “It was a real honor to be able to infiltrate their brushy world and capture hours upon hours of footage of never-before-seen behaviors.”

Caprock Canyons State Park is home to the Texas State Bison Herd, the sole descendants of the historic Southern Plains bison herd.

The mountain lion camera trapping, however, did not produce footage nearly as easily as we hoped. In addition to being heavily targeted by hunting and trapping, mountain lions have a relatively large range and may visit the same areas less frequently.

“The most challenging sequence to film was the mountain lion,” Masters said. “A few months into filming, the big mature tom we had been getting footage of lost all of his toes to a leghold trap on a neighboring ranch. Shortly after, he got caught in a different trap and died."

He continued, "After that, we were blindly searching for a mountain lion to film and only getting opportunities with the camera traps every two to three weeks. I don't think there was a single shot of a mountain lion that we didn't use in the film.”

In the midst of challenges that were presented throughout the project, our team was able to complete filming and wrap up the film in post-production with the help of generous landowners across the state who gave us access to land, biologists who offered their knowledge and time to help us locate species, and individuals and organizations who helped fund the project from start to finish. This film is uniquely Texan not only because of the subjects and landscapes featured, but also because of the many people who helped make it happen.

By showcasing the beauty of Texas landscapes, astonishing wildlife spectacles, and both the fragility and resiliency of our natural resources, we aim to encourage Texans to appreciate the wildlife and wild places in our state. We hope to ignite a widespread passion for Texas conservation and help viewers value the natural elements that humans and wildlife mutually depend on while realizing Texas’ ecological importance on a continental scale.

Most of all, we want to bring awareness to the issues presented in the film and generate support for the many conservation organizations doing good work across the state.

“I hope this film gives Texans a new appreciation for our home state and inspires them to get more involved in conservation efforts,” Masters said. “The filmmaking process certainly did that for me.”

“Deep in the Heart” will be available in theaters across Texas beginning June 3. To find a screening near you, learn more about the film, or support Texas conservation organizations, visit deepintheheartwildlife. com. To stay up to date on the film’s release plans and see more behind-the-scenes content, follow our Instagram and Facebook pages @deepintheheartfilm.

SALES | AUCTIONS | FINANCE | APPRAISALS | MANAGEMENT

CRAWFORD RANCH

$13,500,000 | Carrizo Springs, TX

The Crawford Ranch is a famed 3,015± acres in Dimmit County. A high-fenced turnkey offering, a magnificent home, seven irrigation pivots, barns, hunting blinds, guest homes, multiple cattle pens, stables, and Nueces River frontage.

$3,700,000 | Weatherford, TX

Larger acreage in a coveted area northwest of Fort Worth with most all of the desirable features Parker County has to offer. A well-rounded property with horse improvements, custom home, and hunting and recreational aspects.

TABOR RANCH

VIEW MORE LISTINGS ONLINE AT WWW.HALLANDHALL.COM