The most recent announcement from Laowa is not a new lens but the release of the company’s new short film, The Leap Beneath, now available on Laowa’s YouTube channel! You’ve got to watch it!

This extraordinary film, little over 4 minutes long, invites us to discover the fascinating creatures that live right beneath our feet, showcasing their intricate details with stunning clarity. Roman Willi, co-founder, of WildReach Productions is the director of photography of The Leap Beneath. An award-winning wildlife filmmaker and photographer from Lucerne, Switzerland, he has a Bachelor of Science FHGR & BFH in media engineering with a focus on film and animation.

Roman Willi’s background explains his passion for wildlife and a special interest for small animals. His profile at the WildReach Productions website reveals that before going freelance in 2022, he was working as a shooting director for commercials and corporate videos in the television industry. With the experience he gained over the years, he is now developing his own wildlife documentaries and photography projects while working as a freelance filmmaker and photographer for NGOs and production companies all over the world. He also hosts his own exhibitions, holds talks and teaches workshops.

Incredible diversity of soil animals

Based in both Bristol, UK and Lucerne, CH, WildReach Productions specializes in in producing full-service natural history, conservation and science documentaries as well as branded content. The team is dedicated to delivering compelling storytelling that celebrates the wonders of the natural world. Creative directors and co-founders Matteo Clarke and Roman Willi combined over a decade producing, directing and filming experience across the world as well as their personal experiences working in broadcast, NGO and commercial TV filming. Together with sound designer Etienne Kompis and composer Jack McKenzie, WildReach crafts immersive productions with a global reach.

Roman Willi’s wildlife photography has been awarded internationally several times – including two times as highly commended at the prestigious Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition and it has been featured on National Geographic and BBC. His debut documentary KALU – Growing Up Wild (2023) and following films Sandcastle – The Secret Life Of Potter Wasps (2024) and Heart Of The Osa (2024) have won awards in film festivals all over the world. He is currently working as a cinematographer on several feature documentaries for broadcast.

The Leap Beneath film, the director says in a short interview given to Laowa, aims to show “the incredible diversity of soil animals in an entertaining way. With Coyote Peterson as the narrator, it was a perfect fit!”.

The Leap Beneath feels like an action movie

Watching The Lead Beneath feels like watching an action movie, thanks to the narrator. Nathaniel “Coyote” Peterson is an American YouTuber, wildlife educator, and host of Animal Planet’s series Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild. He is best known for his YouTube channel Brave Wilderness, which focuses on documenting and educating about animals.

His profile in the Brave Wilderness website notes that “since early childhood, animals have played a significant role in Coyote Peterson’s life. His deep admiration for wildlife and video production inspired him to combine the two mediums. Today, Coyote is proud to be an Emmy Award-winning host on YouTube’s “Brave Wilderness” channel. With an adventurous nature and a joyful curiosity for wildlife, Coyote’s personality creates a friendly and inviting space while getting up close with animals to uncover the true stories behind some of our planet’s most misunderstood creatures.”

For the film Roman Willi’s built a small studio in his basement and filmed most of the shots there. To get the subject, he says, “I just went into the garden and picked up some leaflitter and dead wood. It’s amazing what you can find in your own backyard.” Fascinated, he says, by the “ugly” animals like insects, spiders, amphibians and so on since he was a kid, he hopes “that viewers will look at this hidden world in a different way after watching this film and understand how important all these little creatures are to keep the ecosystems healthy.”

The Laowa Sword Macro Full Frame Cine

The lenses used in the film are from the Laowa Sword Macro Full Frame Cine series, a groundbreaking collection of macro cine lenses. It’s a versatile lineup that spans from wide-angle 15mm, 25mm, and 35mm lenses to longer focal lengths of 60mm, 100mm, and 180mm, providing a comprehensive set for all shooting scenarios. Each lens in the series covers full-frame formats, delivering, Laowa claims, “unparalleled sharpness, stunning color rendition, and exceptional macro capabilities. Weighing in at under 1kg (2.2lbs), these lenses are among the lightest on the market, ensuring ease of use.”

The Laowa Sword Macro Full Frame Cine series is available in ARRI PL mount in default, with optional Canon EF mount bayonet and mirrorless mount bayonets available for purchase, except for the 25mm lens, for which there is no EF mount.

Roman Willi says that “the lenses are very well built, and I personally love the integrated focus gears. This helped me a lot with the establishing shots, which I filmed with an electronic slider and wireless follow focus. The 15mm is truly an amazing lens as it is really lightweight, which helped me balance it easily on the slider.”