When Nerio Gutierrez, co-owner of the Madrid-based production company, Playground
Estudio, was given the challenge of producing a documentary about Antarctica’s view
of the world, he knew he was going to be up against some of the most extreme
weather conditions. To capture the unique sounds and ambience of this harsh, frozen
land, he turned to a selection of microphones from DPA Microphones for the
documentary titled Antarctica, A Message from the Other Planet.

“The most important thing in a project like this is to be sure that your tools will
respond in any condition without any worries,’ says Gutierrez. “We faced the extreme
cold, extreme moisture and extreme winds, but our DPA d:dicate™ 4017B Shotgun,
d:dicate™ 4011C Cardioid and d:screet™ 4061 Necklace Microphones worked
incredibly well and gave us the best sound we could get from a place like Antarctica.
One of the most amazing experiences we had was using our DPA mics to capture tiny
snowflakes flying around with absolutely nothing else around. This was an incredible
sound, and there is no doubt that we were only able to catch that kind of detail thanks
to our DPA microphones.’

For the documentary, the crew spent six weeks aboard the Spanish Navy’s scientific
vessel, Hesperides. They also spent time on the continent itself as well as on several
islands recording sounds from penguin colonies, whales, zodiacs, sea wolves, marine
elephants, icebergs, winds and Drake’s Passage (the wildest sea in the world).

“Antarctica is the only continent on our planet that mixes the highest standards in
science, conservation and collaboration between countries, even when some of these
countries were in conflict like the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold
War period,’ says Gutierrez. “Because of this curious behaviour, we wondered, is
mankind in the position of saving Antarctica before saving themselves? Starting from
that point of view, we decided to go to Antarctica to see what is going on there and
see how the world is seen from that perspective.’

Gutierrez is thrilled with how his DPA microphones performed on the one-of-a-kind
continent of Antarctica and looks forward to using the mics again. “My DPA mics were
a crucial part of this film, and I don’t know what I would do without them. I can’t wait
to pack my DPAs for my next adventure.’

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Madrid Protocol, which
protects this fascinating ecosystem, Gutierrez is producing the documentary,
Antarctica, A Message from the Other Planet, as well as writing a book on the
Antarctic spirit, which consecrates the sixth continent to peace, science and the
protection of the environment. The purpose of the film is to inquire whether that spirit
represents the best of human beings or whether it is a great hypocrisy. From the hand
of the only settlers of this remote place, the scientists and the military who help them,
the documentary aims to understand the relations back and forth between various
societies and this white desert.