BTPS: Behind the Bees of "The Rivals of Amziah King"

What does it take to make beekeeping look authentic in a Hollywood movie? In this BT Short, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman talk with Adam Hickman of Foxhound Bee Company, who served as a bee wrangler and beekeeping consultant for The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Matthew McConaughey.

Adam's involvement began when a member of the production team visited his Alabama bee supply business looking for inspiration. Before long, Adam and his team were working with the filmmakers—and teaching McConaughey how to look and move like a beekeeper.

Adam takes us behind the scenes of several major bee sequences, including an elaborate cutout staged with a real colony and the striking scene of McConaughey holding a queen while thousands of live bees gather on his arm. The filmmakers wanted real bees, minimal protective equipment, and no CGI substitutes, creating some unusual challenges for the bee-wrangling team.

He also explains how beekeeping equipment, honey-processing gear, colonies, comb, and even the layout of the honey house were sourced and managed for production. And while Hollywood occasionally wins out over absolute accuracy—yes, actors really do run while carrying full honey supers—Adam says the filmmakers made a serious effort to portray beekeepers and beekeeping authentically.

It's a fascinating look at what happens when the craft of beekeeping meets the craft of filmmaking—and how a group of Alabama beekeepers helped bring the bees to the big screen.

Notes and references:

The Rivals of Amziah King on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27706593/
Behind the Scenes of the Movie: https://www.foxhoundbeecompany.com/blogs/rivals-of-amziah-king-movie

______________

Brought to you by Betterbee – your partners in better beekeeping.

Betterbee is the presenting sponsor of Beekeeping Today Podcast. Betterbee's mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

_______________

We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com

Thank you for listening!

Podcast music: Be Strong by Young Presidents; Epilogue by Musicalman; Faraday by BeGun; Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus; A Fresh New Start by Pete Morse; Wedding Day by Boomer; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; Red Jack Blues by Daniel Hart; Bolero de la Fontero by Rimsky Music; Perfect Sky by Graceful Movement; Original guitar background instrumental by Jeff Ott.

Beekeeping Today Podcast is an audio production of Growing Planet Media, LLC

** As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(464)

AI in the Bee Yard: Getting Started with AI for Beekeepers

Artificial intelligence is rapidly finding its way into everyday tools—but where does it fit in the bee yard? In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman begin exploring how b...

23 Syys 19min

The U.S. Beekeeping Survey: Colony Losses, Varroa, and Better Data (403)

What can nearly two decades of beekeeper-reported data tell us about colony health—and what can it not tell us? In this episode, Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman welcome Dr. Geoff Williams, Dr. Nathalie S...

21 Syys 55min

Bee Science with Dewey Caron: Honey Bees and Smoke

Why do we smoke honey bees—and how much smoke do they really need? In this installment of his Bee Science mini-series on Beekeeping Today, Dr. Dewey Caron sends an audio postcard from Portland, Oregon...

16 Syys 24min

From Spacecraft to Beehives: Dan Seitz and ApisNode (402)

What happens when a spacecraft engineer becomes fascinated with honey bees? In this episode, Jeff and Becky welcome Dan Seitz, an engineer from Los Alamos, New Mexico, whose career designing instrumen...

14 Syys 53min

Varroa Treatment: Api-Bioxal RTU

The Varroa Treatment Series continues with another oxalic acid option: Api-Bioxal RTU, a ready-to-use liquid formulation designed for dribble application. Dr. David Peck of Betterbee joins Jeff and Be...

9 Syys 20min

A Conversation with Beekeepers Quarterly (401)

Beekeeping challenges rarely stop at national borders. This week, Jeff and Becky cross the Atlantic for a conversation with Dr. Andrea Quigley and Norman Carreck, co-editors of the UK-based Beekeepers...

7 Syys 51min

Inside Premier Bee Products: From Bee Yard Ideas to Manufacturing

What does it look like when beekeeping equipment moves from an idea in the bee yard to full-scale manufacturing? In this Beekeeping Today Podcast Short, Jeff Ott takes listeners onto the production fl...

3 Syys 17min

Winning at Honey with Stephanie: Preparing Pollen for Competition

This month on Winning at Honey with Stephanie, Stephanie Slater turns her attention to a honey show category that doesn't appear at every competition: pollen. Preparing pollen for competition requires...

2 Syys 12min