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Mikołaj 'Mik' Bakalarz
Director of Photography

Mik's docs work spans nearly a decade of worldwide shooting, covering stories of archaeological expeditions, sports personalities, adventure and jaw-dropping true crime cases. Have a look below for a selection of the latest credits.

Features, Series, Docs & Drama

Cleopatra's Final Secret

Disney+ / Hulu / National Geographic

Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish: Never Enough

Pitch International for Netflix

Dir. Alex Kiehl

Shortlisted for:
2024 Grierson in Best Sports Documentary

Nominated for:
2023 Broadcast Sports Feature Documentary of the Year
2023 Sports Journalists Association Documentary of the Year

Intimate and captivating, this feature documentary charts the meteoric rise tragic downfall and unbelievable comeback of professional cyclist Mark Cavendish.

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My role: DOP
One of multiple DOPs involved in the project throughout the making of it, I shot multiple interviews as well as some of the actuality sequences with Mark and Peta

The Great Rhino Robbery

BBC Studios for Sky Documentaries

Dir. Jesse Vile

Shortlisted for:
2024 Grierson Best Natural History or Environmental Documentary

In 2011, regional museums and auction houses across Britain are hit by a bizarre crime spree. Despite holding millions of pounds worth of precious artefacts, only one item has been targeted during each robbery: rhino horn. As this strange crime wave sweeps through Europe and beyond, rhino numbers are shrinking as their horns become more valuable than gold in the dark, illegal, world of animal poaching and trafficking. This documentary unpicks the story behind why the Rhino is facing extinction and the race to catch the people responsible – before it’s too late.
Filmed on location in South Africa and Ireland.

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My Role:
Documentary Director of Photography

Jared from Subway

Double Act for ID

This 3-part series chronicles the rise and fall of Jared Fogle, aka. The Subway Guy, one of America's most recognisable celebrities, who is now serving a 15-year prison sentence for crimes against children.

For this series I worked as the series DP, filming IVs and drama on location in the USA over the course of a 5-week shoot.

The poster for the series became a banner of ID on 13th Feb 2023.

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My Role:
Series Director of Photography

SAS: Who Dares Wins - Series 7

Minnow Films for Channel 4

Season 7 (and Celebrity Season 4) of the popular Channel 4 Adventure/Reality series following a group of recruits going through the grueling SAS selection process on location in Jordan.

Series Directed by: Chris Bairstow

Produced by Minnow Films

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My Role: Camera Operator

Working with the DoP, 4 Shooting PDs and a 2-man Drone team.

Shooting off-rig sequences as B-camera for the entire Civilian and Celeb series.

Climbing, Hiking, flying inside military aircraft.

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Photo Credit: Pete Dadds

Extreme Rescues

Arrow Pictures for Nat Geo

ARROW PICTURES REINVENTS SURVIVAL IN A NEW NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SERIES
Arrow Pictures has made Extreme Rescues, a 6x60 returnable series, for National Geographic Channel (broadcast as Rescued in the UK). Through the innovative use of User Generated Content (UGC), the series tells the stories of some of the most gripping, real-life rescue situations told for the first time.

Ludie Ridout, Executive Producer, says: “Dashcams, body cams, helmet cams, GoPros and drones enable us to capture second-by-second detail of some truly perilous situations. What our viewers see is the actuality of real-life events unfolding, getting closer to the action like never before. By using UGC we are also able to take the viewer to some of the most remote parts of the planet, without roads, phones, or emergency services to hand, by having access to the UGC that was recorded by people at that moment. It’s an extremely powerful series.”

Each programme allows viewers to experience the story from the moment tragedy strikes, following every beat of the rescue operation as it unfolds. The UGC content is intercut with powerful interview footage of the rescuers, the survivors and the helpless and anxious family members who waited to hear news of their loved ones.

John Smithson, Creative Director, Arrow Pictures, says: “The challenge with survival programming is how to put the audience in the raw of the moment as something goes wrong. They want to experience as much of the jeopardy and heightened emotion as possible. This series draws on our extensive experience in this genre, giving the viewer even more of a front-row seat because of the exceptional UGC we have used. This isn’t about using UGC clips, this places UGC at the heart of each and every programme. No matter how rough the quality of the UGC, it’s the real deal and packs so much more power than by using recreation.”

Arrow is a leader in the survival genre with programming including: Nightmare on Everest for Channel 4; feature documentary Sherpa for Universal, Screen Australia and Discovery; and Mayday: The Passenger Who Landed a Plane for Channel 4. I Shouldn’t Be Alive, the hit returning series for Channel 4 and Discovery Channel; the multi-award-winning box office hit Touching the Void; and Oscar-nominated feature film 127 Hours are all part of John Smithson’s creative portfolio.

The series is Exec Produced by Lucie Ridout for Arrow Pictures and John Smithson is Creative Director.

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My Role:
Series DP - I Established the shooting style for the series and I was part of the first of 3 shooting teams. For our block we travelled to Vancouver Island, Montreal, Vermont, North Carolina, Arizona and Costa Rica, covering 5 stories, before being sent to France to pick up another one.

The shoot involved us climbing down into an underground cave system in Canada, using ropes and a harness, which as an experienced climber I was comfortable with doing. We also hiked a mountain in a 40 degree heat in Arizona and spent a couple of days at sea on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

My shoots directed by Nick Miller & Tristan Goodley

Locked Up Abroad

Raw TV for Nat Geo

The new season includes the extraordinary adventures of David Kunkel who smuggles 100lbs of hash from Afghanistan hidden in a Land Rover; the jaw dropping tale of wrongly imprisoned Carlos Quijas who joins a Mexican cartel in order to survive; and government operative Keith Stansell, taken hostage after his plane crashes in the Colombian jungle.

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My Role:
Season 13: Interview DP

Season 12: Drama 2nd Unit DP
On location in Tunisia I was a 2nd camera operator alongside DP Paul Jenkins for 4 days, before being sent off to the desert to shoot travel sequences with a crew of 10, action vehicle and a drone operator. I directed and shot those as well as managed the crew with a local fixer.

Episode Directed by Crispin Reece

Drain the Oceans: London

MSP TV for Nat Geo

London is one of the most iconic and powerful cities on Earth. But how did London, the center of a vast empire, once the undisputed capital of the English-speaking world, become so dominant? Through a series of astonishing maritime discoveries, Drain the Oceans reveals the secret story of the city's meteoric rise.

Directed by: Sam Miller

Produced by: MSP TV

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My Role:
Drone Operator
2nd Camera Operator

Generation 9/11

Arrow Pictures for PBS / Channel 4 / Arte

ARROW PICTURES' GENERATION 9/11, A 3-WAY COMMISSION FROM PBS, ARTE FRANCE AND CHANNEL 4, TAKES A UNIQUE LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF THE 9/11 TRAGEDY ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY.
An estimated one hundred and eight children were in their mother’s womb when they lost their fathers in the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. Generation 9/11 (1 x 120 mins) is an intimate film telling the stories of their children, born in the wake of their deaths.

Following the lives of this unique group of teenagers, Generation 9/11 will document what’s happened to them and their families in the 20 years following al-Qaeda’s assault. Whilst the film weaves together shared chapters of the lives of these children - their first day of school; the first time the absence of their father was felt; the moment they learned how their father died - it also serves as a lens to look at the broader world.

Generation 9/11 will follow its protagonists on their personal journey over the last 20 years using a combination of new footage, family photos and home archives. It follows in the footsteps of a range of 9/11 films for which John Smithson has been responsible, including the Emmy-nominated 9/11: Phone Calls From The Towers (1 x 90 for Channel 4) and the BAFTA-nominated 9/11: The Falling Man (1x 90 for Channel 4/Discovery Channel).

Generation 9/11 is directed by Liz Mermin. An award-winning filmmaker who has directed high-profile documentaries for Netflix, BBC, CNN, PBS, Sundance Channel, many more, Mermin’s films include First Ladies, detailed portraits of Michelle Obama and Nancy Reagan for CNN; and The Beauty Academy of Kabul for BBC Storyville. Lucie Ridout is the film’s Executive Producer.

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My Role:
Remote Camera Director of Photography - During lockdowns, when crews were not allowed to film, I worked with a remote camera rig sent to contributors and operated it remotely to film observational footage and interviews with all of the characters in their homes.

Gypsy's Revenge - Feature

Lightbox Feature for ID

Mother and daughter Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard epitomized the triumph of human spirit over adversity. So, when the words "That bitch is dead" appeared on Dee Dee's Facebook page in 2015, friends and neighbors were perplexed. Was it a joke, or something more sinister?

DIRECTOR: JESSE VILE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: SIMON CHINN, JONATHAN CHINN AND SUZANNE LAVERY

PRODUCER: SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM

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My Role:
Director of Photography (Doc) - Alongside the Director (Jesse Vile) and Producer (Sophie Cunningham), I travelled to the most southern tip of Louisiana and embarked on a road trip all the way to Lake Michigan to film 15 interviews for this fascinating story.

Til Death Do Us Part

Lightbox Entertainment for ID

Til Death Do Us Part is a true crime series that documents marriages from first love & the honeymoon period, through the pressures of modern life and irreconcilable differences, ending in tragedy and a search for justice.

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DIRECTORS: SAM MILLER, MARY DOWNES, WILL WEST AND ROSS YOUNG

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: SIMON CHINN, JONATHAN CHINN AND SUZANNE LAVERY

SERIES PRODUCER: JOHN FOTHERGILL

SENIOR PRODUCER: LAURA MCNAUGHT

LINE PRODUCER: SELINA FERGUSON

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MY ROLE:
Director of Photography for the Series - I created the style and shot documentary elements for 6 of the 8 episodes of Season 1

Episodes directed by Sam Miller, Will West and Ross Young

Rise of the Machines: Mega Plane

Windfall Films for Discovery

This episodes explores the engineering secrets of the Airbus Beluga ST freight plane as it races to deliver multi-million-dollar aircraft parts to assembly lines across the world.

Mega sized and capable of transporting 47 tons at a time, two turbo jet engines propel it through the air with the power of almost two F22 fighter jets.

Blowing this incredible machine apart with CGI reveals an enormous cargo space that can hold 4 entire wings and a high-tech loading system capable of shifting massive cargo in minutes. Incredibly strong landing gear and brakes bring this monster plane to the ground safely without even a jolt.

Producer & Directors:
Freya Williams
Joby Lubman

Assistant Producer:
George Hill

Editor:
Alex Rees

CGI Producer:
Matthew Chancellor

CGI Researcher:
Charlie Rodwell

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My Role:
DoP on the Mega Plane episode, shooting in Hamburg at the AIRBUS facility, covering the landing and unloading of the Beluga, as well as going inside the plane to interview the pilot

Arrow Media for Animal Planet

If you thought you were safe at home, think again! Wild creatures and other pests who should be living outdoors make their way into your house on Animal Planet’s new series, INTRUDERS. The six-part series reveals real-life stories of homeowners fighting back to reclaim their homes when they’ve been invaded by snakes, over-run with rats, crawling with cockroaches and broken into by bears, among other invasions. INTRUDERS premieres Sunday, Nov. 5 at 10PM.

Determined to make dwellings their own, creatures and pests gnaw, slither and smash their way in. First-hand story telling along with home videos and dramatic recreations tell the stories of those who fight through fear and the unknown to keep their families safe and take back their indoor and outdoor spaces. No matter the outcome, home will never be the same again.

“Intruders is full of edge-of-your-seat drama, giving audiences an intimate look at homeowner’s worst nightmare. These are the ultimate can’t-look-away stories, told as only the people who lived through them can,” said Erin Wanner, Vice President of Production, Animal Planet.

“Animal Planet is the perfect home for Intruders, a series packed full of compelling and dramatic stories that take place right at the intersection where the people and animal worlds collide,” said Howard Swartz, Executive Vice President of Development and Production, Arrow Media.

INTRUDERS is produced for Animal Planet by Arrow Media where Nick Metcalfe and Howard Swartz and serve as executive producers. For Animal Planet, Lisa Lucas is executive producer and Patrick Keegan is supervising producer.

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My Role: Documentary DoP - I spent 6 weeks in Dallas, Texas, shooting studio interviews for the entire series.

American Monster

Arrow Media for ID

American Monster tells the stories of people who nobody expected to turn into a gruesome murderers. The series features heavy amounts of home movies intercut with interviews and drama reconstruction.

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My Role:
Documentary DP, seasons 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,

On series 2 and 3 I was sent to the USA to cover several stories. On season 5 I shot drama for 1 episode and on seasons 6, 7 and 8 I operated a bespoke remote camera rig that was sent to contributors or ACs in different parts of America and controlled remotely from my home. I built an interview lighting kit that would be easy and safe for operation by non-professionals and directed the local ACs (or in some cases the contributors themselves) on how to setup the lighting, camera and sound for the interviews. By doing this I shot 30 episodes of TV (100+ Interviews)

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