Recording Wildlife Audio in the Jungles of Calakmul With MoveMic 88+

At night, the dense, dark jungle comes alive with sound – not all of it especially comforting.

“There is a high concentration of jaguars, snakes and dangerous insects there. I couldn’t sleep at night. I couldn’t see anything. I had to imagine what I was listening to,” says Emiliano Ruprah, describing his first visit to the jungle of Calakmul on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula a decade ago.

“I would hear this amplified orchestra of birds, frogs, monkeys and unidentified creatures. Slowly, I acclimated to the jungle. My ears eventually attuned to this teeming life invisible to the camera.”

As someone working in a visual medium, it wasn’t always that way. Ruprah got his start making documentaries by attaching modified GoPro cameras to animals for National Geographic. He recorded sperm whales hunting together, as well as sea lions and penguins navigating their marine world. It taught him about the power of filming wildlife for both entertainment and science.

But that trip to Calakmul, one of the earliest complex assignments in his career, gave Ruprah a deeper understanding of the role of sound in filmmaking. “Sound of a place is the first and most important way you can transport an audience to a difference space or location,” he says.

Explaining how he was tasked at the time with making a documentary on bats, he says the experience also left him also with an enduring appreciation of Calakmul, which is known for its incredible biodiversity.

“It’s special for a lot of reasons. It’s the second largest jungle in the Americas and has the most jaguars in Mexico,” he says.

There is also the so-called bat volcano, a huge cave system home to up to four million of the winged creatures, which take flight each evening in droves like lava spewing skywards. “They come out in massive waves. It’s like a tornado,” describes Ruprah. “They whirl around to eat insects. Bats are the cleaners of the jungle. They keep the balance by suppressing parasites such as mosquitos.”

After travelling the world to cover topics as diverse as the Iraq War and the cultural traditions of the tribes of South Sudan, the 40-year-old filmmaker is now based back in his hometown of Mexico City. Focusing again on wildlife and conservation, Ruprah was nominated for an Emmy for his film Epic Animal Migrations: Mexico. His latest work, Guardian of the Monarchs, investigating the mysterious death of an environmental activist, is currently on Netflix.

Returning to Calakmul

Recently, he decided to return to Calakmul after 10 years to document any changes since his last visit, as nature there faces multiple pressures from tourism, creeping urbanization and the construction of a new train line. “But the jungle is still incredibly resilient,” he says.

Exploring such a remote region means traveling light, so the less equipment and crew the better, according to Ruprah: “I’m making much larger productions these days. But some things you want to do yourself. Especially sequences capturing complex animal behavior. I’d rather go with as few people as possible, shed one person and capture the audio myself. Fortunately, technological advances let you do that. You can go with smaller equipment.”

Partnering with Shure to raise awareness of the biological importance of Calakmul, he agreed to take along the new MoveMic 88+ Wireless Stereo Condenser Microphone to test it out as he traversed miles of dense wilderness, seeking out the jungle’s creatures. The portable yet powerful mic proved invaluable, as he captured audio from howler monkeys, bats and more.

“The MoveMic 88+ was exactly what I needed,” he says. “I used it like a camera trap, setting it up close in area ripe for wildlife events.”

Sometimes this would be a tree where monkeys would pass by. Or the middle of a pond full of cautious frogs. And the very edge of the legendary bat volcano.

“With the microphone away from the crew and myself, we could allow nature to take its course and film animal behavior from a distance,” Ruprah explains.

The filmmaker connected the wireless MoveMic 88+ directly to his iPhone 15 to record both video and audio, as well as for just recording sound alone.

Miking monkeys and bats

“The howler monkeys are so loud you definitely have to adjust the gain if they’re nearby. The sheer power of their call, they silence the whole jungle,” he says.

To record the bellows of the monkeys, he chose a mono cardioid pickup pattern – one of four ways the versatile MoveMic 88+ can capture audio.

“But for something complex like the bat volcano, I can switch to the stereo pickup pattern, which helps me capture a much more immersive audio experience,” Ruprah says. “And I can do it all, record video and configure the mic in the MOTIV Video app.”

He believes videographers and content creators looking for a storytelling edge could benefit from a wireless video microphone like the MoveMic 88+: “War journalists, wildlife filmmakers and anybody making films in remote area or complicated situations. If they need a lot of flexibility or to get close to their subjects, this mic is perfect.”

Ruprah hopes to continue pushing the boundaries of documentary filmmaking through his own work, using both image and sound to transport audiences into the heart of the wilderness. His dedication to recording these untamed spaces and the creatures that inhabit them should help ensure they are protected and appreciated for generations to come.

The MoveMic 88+ is available separately, or as part of the MoveMic 88+ Receiver Kit for added compatibility with cameras and third-party apps.