Wildlife Film School

2026 Wildlife Film Making Courses
– Norway –

Three course locations.

Logistically, this will be a serious undertaking for the team, travelling in full overland expedition mode. We will base ourselves in 4×4 vehicles and everyone will be working and filming on the ground as you would in a full blown television documentary production. To give you a better understanding of the task at hand, the instructional team will be making a 6,000+ km drive from the UK to the Arctic, and back again; of which you the students, will be joining us for the middle 1500+ km section. 

The trip will be split into three separate courses: Southern, Central and Northern Norway…

Southern Norway. ( 6th – 31st August )

You will join us at in Bergen (we will meet you at the airport) from here we will travel northwards visiting various woodland, glaciers and open country in which you will find the variety of Norwegian wildlife. Naturally we will also visit some of the well know tourist spots, but this is not a holiday, so the focus will be on filming the wildlife in some of the more remote locations. During the course you will be tasked with producing a wildlife film about both your time and travels in Norway. At the end of your course we will drive you to Trondheim where you will be able to catch a flight home.

Hardanger National Park: (West of Bergen)

The  Hardanger Fjord is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches 179 kilometres (111 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountainous interior of Norway along the Hardangervidda plateau. We will spend approximately a week in the area of Hardanger and Hardanger Fjord filming in the vast wooded areas bursting with natural beauty, with the whole areas is crisscrossed with wild rivers and glaciers.

Trøndelag; (The area north of Bergen)

Trøndelag is a county in central Norway, the largest city being Trondheim. Trøndelag is one of the most fertile regions of Norway, with large agricultural output. The majority of the production ends up in the Norwegian cooperative system for meat and milk, but farm produce is a steadily growing business.

 

Central Norway. ( 3rd – 28th September )

You will join us at Trondheim (we will meet you at the airport) from where we will drive north through the areas of Norland and Vesterålen, allowing you to cross over the line of the Arctic Circle (so those of you who have never done this before can partake in the crossing ceremony) before continuing our way up to the Svartisen glacier, where you will get you first introduction to a truly arctic landscape. Visiting various woodland, glaciers and open countryside where you will find the variety of Norwegian wildlife you will construct a film of both your endeavours in the area and wildlife discovered. At the end of your course we will drive you back to Thomso where you will be able to catch a flight home.

Norland: (The area north of Trondelag)

The sea along this coastline has a rich marine life, and the cod fisheries in Lofoten have lasted for more than 1,000 years. Nordland also features many lakes. The largest deep water coral reef in the world, the Røst Reef; 40 kilometres (25 mi) long, and protected from trawling since 2003. The coast of Nordland has the highest density of white-tailed eagles in Europe.

Just off the coast, the islands of Røst have the largest colonies of seabirds in Norway. Røst offers a range of habitats and serves as a stop-over point for many birds that are migrating even further north. The area is home to one of the largest bird cliffs in the North Atlantic, where birdwatchers can find puffin, shag, kittiwake, and cormorant colonies. Lovund also has a well-known colony of puffins.

Otters are very common along the coast and fjords, as are harbour porpoises, grey seals, harbour seals and basking shark. The most frequent birds along the coast, common in all areas including the fjords, are Gulls, Eurasian Oystercatcher and Arctic terns, and the Grey Heron. The Eurasian Eagle-Owl has a stronghold along the Helgeland coast, whilst predatory birds like Golden Eagle, Gyrfalcon, and Peregrine Falcon nest in some inaccessible areas, but can often be seen in the sky’s above. 

Orcas are common along the coast and in the Vestfjord area (even in the fjords) and the world’s largest predator, the Sperm Whale, hunts for prey in the deep waters west of Andøya.

Vesterålen: (On the Sortland Peninsular)

Vesterålen is made up of several islands: Langøya, Andøya, Hadseløya, the western part of Hinnøya, the northern part of Austvågøya and several smaller islands. The landscape is mountainous, but the mountains have a more rounded shape compared to the mountains in Lofoten. The towns and villages are situated on the strandflat between the mountains and the fjords. There are several lakes, such as Alsvågvatnet. Møysalen National Park is partly located in Vesterålen. The climate in Vesterålen is maritime, with mild winters considering this archipelago is well north of the Arctic Circle.

 

Northern (Arctic) Norway. ( 1st – 26th October )

You will join us at Thomso airport way above the line of the Artic Circle before continuing our way up to the areas of Troms and Finnmark. Here you will be truly surrounded by the aweinspiring arctic landscape. From here our route will wind north traveling thorough Tromso, Alta and Hammerfest, with all of the mountainous wilderness in-between; before finally reaching Nordkapp at the northern most point of Norway and the Arctic Ocean. We will spend a few days on the edge of the Arctic Ocean before heading south west to the town of Meklefloss right on the Russian boarder to go Dog Sledging. At the end of the course everyone will fly out from Kirkenes to Bergen International airport to return home.

Troms: (The area north of Norland)

Moose, red fox, hare, stoat, and small rodents are common in all of Troms county. Brown bears are sighted in the interior parts of the county in the summer, whilst other  animals encountered here are Reindeer, Wolverine, Eurasian Otters, Eurasian Lynx. Some of the common birds found here are Ptarmigan, Sea Eagles, European Herring Gulls, and Great Cormorants. Harbour Porpoises can often be seen in the fjords, whilst Sperm Whales, Orca and Humpback Whales are often seen in the area of Andfjorden.

Finnmark: (The most northernly area Norway)

Finnmark is Norway’s northernmost and easternmost county. By area, Finnmark is Norway’s second-largest county, even larger than the neighbouring country of Denmark. Finnmark has a total coastline of 6,844 kilometres (4,253 miles). Knivskjellodden in Nordkapp is considered Europe’s northernmost point. Honningsvåg in Finnmark claims to be world’s northernmost city, and Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway and farther east than Istanbul.

The coast is indented by large fjords. Some of Norway’s largest sea bird colonies are on the northern coast; the largest are Hjelmsøystauran on the island of Hjelmsøya in Måsøy and Gjesværstappan in Nordkapp. The highest point is atop the glacier Øksfjordjøkelen, which has an area of 45 square kilometres (17 square miles). The natural environment varies from barren coastal areas facing the Barents Sea to more sheltered fjord areas and river valleys with gullies and tree vegetation. About half the county is above the tree line, and large parts of the other half is covered with small Downy birch.

The Alta  and Tana valleys, have the highest density of Brown Bears in Norway, and is the only place in the country with a population of Muskrats. Lynx and Moose are common in large parts of Finnmark.

 

You are able to book on more than one course    (Booking discounts are available )

Should you wish to, you are able to book on more than one course.   For example:   Course A+B,   Course B+C,   Courses A+B+C.
Should you wish to book on two courses you will receive a £5000 discount on your second course, making your total booking fees for the two courses £15,000.
Should you wish to book on all three courses, you will receive a discount on your second and third course of £5000 each, making the total booking fees for all three courses £20,000.

 

We can guarantee that you will not find such an exhilarating and awe–inspiring wildlife film course, including working and filming in the Arctic Circle, run by any other wildlife film school, anywhere in the world.

Course Requirements:

You do not need to have any previous film experience to attend any of our courses. (However a basic understanding about how the principles of how a lens works, as well as shutter speeds and exposure will help you)
We will take you through the whole process of film production from start to finish including; script ideas, production ethics, script writing, presenter and voiceover-led productions, filming on location, recording audio on location and editing on location, as well as all necessary logistics and camp-craft requirements to allow you to be able to successfully work in such an environment.
We can guarantee that 4/8/12 weeks of filming / working on location in Norway will give you an unprecedented amount of time for you to learn and improve both your camera and production skills in a truly remote location.

The three, 4-week long practical sections of this course will be located within southern, central and Northern Norway, operating out of various basecamps situated in different locations. Each day will consist of filming out on location and working on a rough edit during the evening from the footage filmed.
We usually (Depending on experience of the students) spend the first week instructing you in the use of both the cameras and the audio recording equipment as well as all our other items of production/grip equipment; as well as undertaking various filming tasks throughout the day.
The last week will be a dedicated editing session where you will produce the final ´polished´ copy of your film, undertaking a final edit with tasks such as colour correction, key-framing and time re-mapping.

This course will have a maximum of 4 students working from a Land Rover. The Land Rover will have a wildlife guide/driver, with the students occupying the rest of the vehicle. The Land Rover will carry everything logistical we need for our time in Norway; as well as three 4K cameras, a selection of lenses, audio recording equipment and other production equipment such as a DJI Inspire quadcopter (with twin control units (one for the pilot, one for the camera operator)) a DJI Osmo, Konova K7 Slider for timelapse photography/film, plus a selection of various grip, tripod and support equipment.
During the whole of your course we will working out of a tented basecamp; However ‘new for 2026’ we also have a custom built off-road support trailer / edit suite which will supply the course with a dry and secure area in which to work, cook and rest. Electrical power via bank of solar panels (with a petrol generator for back-up), there is a shower, flushing toilet, gas oven and full size fridge/freezer, as well as a full size desk with which to edit at. Sleeping will occur in a tented area  immediately outside of the support trailer (There is not enough room to sleep in the 5 people in the trailer) and for their comfort, each student will have their own 2-man mountain tent

The course will take you through all the stages of –

Production:
•  Initial program / script ideas & brainstorming
•  Script writing
•  Production ethics
•  Presenter lead programming
•  Presenters’ scripting
•  Filming on location
•  Filming a Presenter on location
•  Sound recording on location
•  Video editing on location
•  Audio editing on location
•  Production of final film / documentary
•  All necessary logistics & camp-craft

Field-Craft:
(We will also cover the elements below at various points during the course (Time Permitting))
•  Map & compass work
•  Navigation overland without a map
•  Route planning
•  Camp placement & orientation
•  Base camp management
•  Water management & sanitation
•  Emergency procedures & actions

How to Book:

To pay the booking deposit or fully book on this course please complete our Enquirers / Booking Form

Course Closing Date:

The closing date for this course is – Monday 1st June 2026
This course is booked on a ´First-come, First-served´ basis, so it is highly recommended that you book early to secure your place.
You are able to pay for your course fees in monthly instalments should you wish to.
You will not be able to book on this course after the closing date.

Course Fees:

The course fees for each 4-week practical section of our Norway course, will be £10,000 per student
Plus an Equipment Damage Waiver of £1000 per student (This is refunded at the end of the course if you have not damaged any of the film schools equipment)
Making the total course fees payable, £11,000 per course – However, we are offering discounts on course fees should you wish to book on more than one course, as well as early bird booking discounts.

Course Equipment:

As part of your course fees we will supply you with:
•  £60,000 of ‘in-house’ 4K camera equipment
•  £15,000 of location & production equipment
•  £10,000 of ‘on location’ editing equipment
•  £10,000 of basecamp equipment
•  All staff and instruction
•  The cost of all filming permits
•  The cost of all location fees
•  The cost of all camping fees
•  All vehicles and transportation overland required during your course

To apply for the paperwork to book on this course please complete our Booking form
( Please Note: You are able to pay for your course in instalments) For more information click here
For more information on the Equipment Damage Waiver click here

Please Note:

• All of the UK Wildlife Film School courses are booked on a ´First-come, First-served´ basis, so it is highly recommended that you start the booking process  early as possible to secure your place.

• The course fees for each ‘4 week section’ of this course, are £10,000 each.

• You are able to book on 1, 2 or all 3 sections of this course.

•  You are able to pay your course fees in monthly instalments – Please email us should you wish to pay in instalments.

•  There is a maximum of 4 students on each 4 week section.

•  You are not able to book after the closing date – Monday 1st June 2026

•  It is recommended that if you are an international student (Outside of the UK) that you pay your course fees at least 4 weeks in advance of the course closing date to allow your bank to process the payment/s in time.

•  Flights to and from Norway are not included in your course fees as our students fly in from many different destinations around the world.

•  Should you require a Visa to visit Norway, please write to us and we can help you with a supporting letter to your embassy.