UNDAODU · MICHAEL J. TROUT · JAPAN
Filming giant hornets?
Start with the monk.
Over a decade of giant-hornet documentary work.
From Animal Planet to Secrets of the Bees.
UnDaoDu — the monk, filmmaker and giant-hornet specialist behind Hornet Hunter — brings together location knowledge, shoot coordination and close experience of hornets and Japanese honeybees. Based in Fukui, with long-standing filming relationships in beautiful rural Ehime, on Shikoku.
Plan your shoot with the monk ↗Explore the documentary work ↗ · For producers, directors and natural-history crews.
SELECTED DOCUMENTARY WORK
LATEST DOCUMENTARY · 2026
Secrets of the Bees
A hornet approaches. The honeybees respond. Filming that encounter takes knowledge of the animals, the location and the moment. The monk brought his hornet consultancy and bee-balling filming experience to Silverback Films’ National Geographic series.
The series premiered on National Geographic on 31 March 2026 and arrived on Disney+ on 1 April.
Explore the latest work ↗Watch the official trailer on YouTube ↗ · National Geographic / Silverback Films
ON LOCATION IN JAPAN
The right person.
The right place. The shot.
Hornet field consultancy
Work with a specialist whose documentary experience reaches back to the 2014 shoot for Animal Planet. Turn your hornet story into a focused field brief.
Locations & shoot coordination
Find a route into rural Japan: reconnaissance, specialist introductions and practical filming logistics. Build on the monk’s long-standing work in Ehime.
Behaviour & sequences
Bring close experience of giant hornets, Japanese honeybees and bee-balling filming to your sequence. Plan camera requirements around the behaviour you need to reveal.
THE FIELD JOURNAL
What happens before
the camera rolls.
Notes on reconnaissance, filming briefs and the craft behind natural-history sequences.
Read the journal ↗