Claudio von Planta
Encyclopedia
Claudio von Planta is a Swiss
cameraman
, director and filmmaker, based in London
.
and Charley Boorman
on their Long Way Round
motorcycle
journey from London
to New York
in 2004. Shortly before the trip Claudio discovered his motorbike licence
was invalid for the journey. He subsequently failed his bike test
the day before the team was due to leave. He remained in London and retook the test 2 weeks later, eventually flying
out to join up with the team in Prague
, the capital of the Czech Republic
.
Claudio would often ride far ahead of the other two in order to film them going past, or trail behind getting the shots he wanted. Von Planta suffered a couple of bad falls on the journey. At one point in Mongolia
his bike took such a battering it had to be sent ahead for repairs and a replacement bike was purchased by Ewan McGregor.
In 2006 he linked up again with Russ Malkin
and Charley Boorman as the Director of Photography
for Race to Dakar
, a documentary chronicling the teams' attempt at the Rally Dakar
. In 2007 he reprised his role as cameraman on Long Way Down. He would again suffer an accident on the trip, coming off and damaging the bodywork on his bike after narrowly avoiding Charley Boorman who was rapidly slowing down on a motorway in South Africa
.
(RGE) was a student-led project at Imperial College London
to demonstrate the potential of zero emission cars. The team drove 136 day 26,000 km down the Pan-American Highway
starting from north Alaska in July 2010 to Argentina in an open-top electric sportscar, which was filmed by Claudio as eight 22 minute episodes for the BBC World News channel.
in 1982, von Planta studied politics
at Zurich University. He sold his first film in 1985 and has continued to build a portfolio of work that is not only daring and ground-breaking but also technically impressive. Having visited war
zones, terrorist training camps and the Pfizer
UK marketing conference, Claudio has become a very well respected member of the journalism fraternity and his services are consistently in demand.
He also claims to have spent a month in prison in Pakistan
, charges unknown. He relates a brief version of the story on the DVD release of Long Way Round while discussing the ability of the Swiss embassy to help their citizens.
As of 25 October 2007, he filmed Hull Freedom Trail, a 5,000 mile road journey from Hull
, England to Freetown
, Sierra Leone
undertaken by a group of five 4x4 vehicles. The vehicles are to be donated to charity projects working in Freetown to reunite families torn apart by the years of civil war in the country, and attempting to raise awareness of modern slavery/human trafficking issues.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
cameraman
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
, director and filmmaker, based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Long Way Round
His best known work is as the cameraman who accompanied Ewan McGregorEwan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
and Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
on their Long Way Round
Long Way Round
Long Way Round is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles...
motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
journey from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 2004. Shortly before the trip Claudio discovered his motorbike licence
Driver's license
A driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...
was invalid for the journey. He subsequently failed his bike test
United Kingdom driving test
The United Kingdom driving test is a test which all United Kingdom learner drivers must pass to obtain a full driving licence. Different tests are available for users of different vehicles, from car drivers, to motorcyclists and HGV drivers. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driving...
the day before the team was due to leave. He remained in London and retook the test 2 weeks later, eventually flying
Air travel
Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting or anything else that can sustain flight.-Domestic and international flights:...
out to join up with the team in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the capital of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
Claudio would often ride far ahead of the other two in order to film them going past, or trail behind getting the shots he wanted. Von Planta suffered a couple of bad falls on the journey. At one point in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
his bike took such a battering it had to be sent ahead for repairs and a replacement bike was purchased by Ewan McGregor.
In 2006 he linked up again with Russ Malkin
Russ Malkin
Russ Malkin is a British film producer and creative director. He produced and directed three motorcycle adventure TV documentaries; Long Way Round and Long Way Down featuring Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, and Race to Dakar featuring Boorman. The format of these programmes meant that he also...
and Charley Boorman as the Director of Photography
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
for Race to Dakar
Race To Dakar
Race to Dakar is a documentary series following actor and keen motorcyclist Charley Boorman's entry into the 2006 Dakar Rally from Lisbon to Dakar...
, a documentary chronicling the teams' attempt at the Rally Dakar
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
. In 2007 he reprised his role as cameraman on Long Way Down. He would again suffer an accident on the trip, coming off and damaging the bodywork on his bike after narrowly avoiding Charley Boorman who was rapidly slowing down on a motorway in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Racing Green
Racing Green EnduranceRacing Green Endurance
Racing Green Endurance is a student-led project at Imperial College London to demonstrate the potential of zero emission cars. The team drove 26,000 km down the Pan-American Highway starting from north Alaska in July 2010, this was filmed by the documentary maker Claudio Von...
(RGE) was a student-led project at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
to demonstrate the potential of zero emission cars. The team drove 136 day 26,000 km down the Pan-American Highway
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about in total length. Except for an rainforest break, called the Darién Gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's...
starting from north Alaska in July 2010 to Argentina in an open-top electric sportscar, which was filmed by Claudio as eight 22 minute episodes for the BBC World News channel.
Other career
After leaving the Swiss ArmyMilitary of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
in 1982, von Planta studied politics
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Zurich University. He sold his first film in 1985 and has continued to build a portfolio of work that is not only daring and ground-breaking but also technically impressive. Having visited war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
zones, terrorist training camps and the Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
UK marketing conference, Claudio has become a very well respected member of the journalism fraternity and his services are consistently in demand.
He also claims to have spent a month in prison in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, charges unknown. He relates a brief version of the story on the DVD release of Long Way Round while discussing the ability of the Swiss embassy to help their citizens.
As of 25 October 2007, he filmed Hull Freedom Trail, a 5,000 mile road journey from Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England to Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
undertaken by a group of five 4x4 vehicles. The vehicles are to be donated to charity projects working in Freetown to reunite families torn apart by the years of civil war in the country, and attempting to raise awareness of modern slavery/human trafficking issues.
Filmography
- Racing Green EnduranceRacing Green EnduranceRacing Green Endurance is a student-led project at Imperial College London to demonstrate the potential of zero emission cars. The team drove 26,000 km down the Pan-American Highway starting from north Alaska in July 2010, this was filmed by the documentary maker Claudio Von...
- By Any MeansBy Any MeansBy Any Means, also known as Ireland to Sydney by Any Means, is a television series following Long Way Round and Long Way Down star Charley Boorman...
- Commando Chaplains
- Young Entrepreneur Awards 2008
- Hull Freedom Trail
- British Army TV Adverts
- Long Way DownLong Way Down"Long Way Down" is a single by the Goo Goo Dolls from their breakthrough album, 1995's A Boy Named Goo. This song is often overshadowed by the low-key ballad "Name", which launched the band to household names...
- Forced Repatriation
- PKK Training Camp
- Alcohol Smuggling into Iran
- Words of Warriors
- Blood on the Stone
- The Thin Blue Line (Documentary)
- Himalayan Expedition
- Guns for Hire - Congo DRC
- UNICEF Stop Aids Campaign
- Guns for Hire - Afghanistan
- Neils Excellent Adventure
- Pakistan on the Tightrope
- Living with Aids
- Rape Trade
- Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means
- Surviving Sudan (Living with Refugees)
- Long Way RoundLong Way RoundLong Way Round is a documentary television series, DVD set and book documenting the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles...
- Saddams Legacy
- War Widows
- Fighting by the Rules
- Saddams Secret Time-Bomb
- The Saudi Tapes
- The Cuba Connection
- Karzans Brothers - Escape from the Safe Haven
- Rebels of the Forgotten World
- Minefield Casualty
- African Railway