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ABOUT iFOX
iFox is a unique film experiment
conceived by Paul Alistair Collins that uses multinarrative storytelling to put you in
the world of the urban fox.
Look around and experience firsthand
one fox's struggle for survival.
There is rarely one right way to find food
for your cubs, and there may be risk involved.
Created with mentoring from the BBC's Natural History Unit, iFox is the first film of its kind that gives viewers an active role in a real-life nature documentary. For the first time, you can now get into the headspace of the UK's top predator and
be part of the hunt.
iFox is just the start of something bigger.
I am developing immersive projects as social experiences for web and mobile. Such experiences have the power to transport us all into the heart of the world's greatest dramas, and transform
the way we engage with our blue planet.
See my Current Projects.
If you are interested in what I do, get in touch
by email, via Twitter or Facebook.
This is the first fox that you see in the film, as he emerges from the bushes. 4 foxes actually appear in the Intro and Orientation scenes.
He lives in the gardens of the Chapel. He's used to people and often takes food scraps from his human neighbours.
Chapel Fox
Den Fox
Two male foxes are used to show Blink at the den. There's a reason why one of them looks more glossy - because he's actually a country fox!
Whilst all of the foxes for iFox were filmed in the wild in London, this one lives in captivity at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey and is named Frodo by his owners!
Find out more about Frodo on the BWC website.
Stradella Fox
This young fox was really active in the daytime, so we filmed him for the cat scene. He is a shy but curious fox - during filming, he often crept up on me without me knowing!
DISCOVERY DEN
Listen
Did you know foxes have over 28 different calls!
Foxes are mostly silent animals, but they nevertheless have a broad repertoire of sounds.
A wide range of calls is used from cubs' smallbarks asking for their mother's attention, to warning calls, to barks and screams
performed to locate another fox or a mate.
You can hear some of them in the videos below.
Smell plays a big role in the fox's world, and after hearing, it is the sense they most rely on.
Male foxes often leave spraint somewhere obvious, such as on a tree, to woo females and mark their territory. This is called scent marking.
Smell
iFox is a documentary video with gaming elements. For such a project to work, a lot of trial-and-error planning had to be done before filming could start.
Several weeks were spent storyboarding in an architectural software called Google Sketchup. Firstly, a 3D model of each filming location was created. This helped to visualise each scene more clearly and to create the game world.
Blink thinks twice before crossing the road. Each shot had to be composed carefully to allow empty space for graphics, such as the choice buttons. This is why a bit of grey road appears in shot.
iFox is a documentary video with gaming elements. For such a project to work, a lot of trial-and-error planning had to be done before filming could start.
BEHIND THE SCENES
SLIDESHOW. Hover over an image to reveal text. Flick between images with the navigation arrows.
VIDEO: Explore Blink's world of sound by listening left, right or behind him.
VIDEO: These four calls may be used by a fox to defend its territory.
MEET THE FOXES
18
foxes were filmed to create
the character of Blink.
From London to Bristol, and filmed across 4 months, we searched high and low for the perfect fox cast
to create Blink - which was no easy task.
Here are 3 of the foxes that star in iFox.
32 15 52 20 6 90
Foxes Filmed Locations Choices Possible Endings Nights in a Tent Hours of filming
Devised and Produced by Paul Alistair Collins
Production Consultants Tim Tarrant, Louise Hibbens, Caroline Cox
Music David Morten-Robinson Sound Angel Fire, Sound Dogs Facilities University of the West of England
With Thanks To BBC Natural History Unit, Charlie Kitchen, Sam Hobson, Anne and Guy Collins, The British Wildlife Centre, Lambeth Council, Southwark Council, The Residents of Herne Hill, The Residents of Christ's Chapel
Produced On Interlude
CREDITS
WATCH FILM
INTERACTIVE TEASER - FULL VIDEO ONLINE SOON
Help Blink confront his arch nemesis, Snowball the neighbourhood cat!
Before you play, scroll down to the Discovery Den on how to defend your territory!
CURRENT PROJECTS
From 360° virtual worlds to videogames
that put you in an animal's body,
see some of my current projects here.
ABOUT PAUL
I'm Paul, a professional cameraman and photographer
based in Bristol, UK - the heart of natural history storytelling.
I discovered Virtual Reality (VR) and interactive film in 2015 whilst working on iFox, and have not looked back. It makes my work as a visual storyteller more immersive - and if that means that people connect to nature more, then that's a great thing.
To see my photography and other film work,
make sure to pop by Paul Alistair Collins Photography.
