Nautilus Films is run by Maurice Melzak, an independent documentary film maker.

I make documentary films in two main areas - nature and wildlife, particularly human/animal relationships and forensic science.

I spend a lot of time researching possible ideas for future films and building a trusting relationship with the people involved. When a film does get commissioned I go on to produce and direct it myself and I only focus on one or two main projects at a time.

There is a fairly small team of people I tend to work with; a film editor, a couple of film crews and a production manager - people I’ve known for ages, whose opinions and ideas I really value.

I will only make films on subjects I am genuinely interested in and hope my films reflect that individuality and care.

In a world where film companies are getting bigger and product and format are everything, small specialist film companies do have something different to offer. I hope there will always be room for them in the industry.

Being a zoology graduate my first opportunities in television came in researching documentaries for people like Sir David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell. I then went on to produce and direct my own films. They have included a QED on street pigeons, an Encounters on rabies and an Equinox on aquariums. Many of my films have examined aspects of urban wildlife, often featuring the perspectives of people like pest controllers, zookeepers and city vets.

One recent film was “Josie’s Journey” for BBC1, about Dr Shaun Russell and his daughter Josie. Josie Russell survived an attack in rural Kent in which her mother Lin, sister Megan and pet dog Lucy were killed. Her dramatic recovery and photogenic smile led her to become a media icon and source of inspiration to many people. The film told the story of Josie’s recovery, a trip she and Shaun made to the place Josie was born, South Africa, and it also looked at the crime itself.

This film sparked off my interest in forensic science and one of my current projects is a six part series for Channel FIVE about a school for crime scene investigators. At the National Forensic Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee, they believe that the best way of learning is by practical experience so they organise a multitude of dramatic crime scene scenarios for hands-on training. Houses are burned down, cars blown up, blood is spattered and real corpses exhumed at the famous “Body Farm”.

I won a Gold Medal at the International Film and TV Festival of New York, for a corporate film I made about wildlife and power stations and I’ve published a book and a number of articles on marine biology and marine aquariums.

On a personal note, besides an Airedale terrier and a wildlife pond, I also keep bees. Harvesting your own honey gives a real sense of satisfaction and it tastes delicious. Urban bees thrive – they have the choice of a huge variety of flowers from parks and gardens - country bees may have to cope with mono-cultures like oil-seed rape and sometimes pesticides too. My hive was designed by Robin Dartington. It has a horizontal design, useful for urban beekeepers as it’s a bit easier to manage than conventional hives. Honey bees aren’t a threat and though all beekeepers get stung occasionally and become immune pretty quickly, no neighbour has been stung so far. The pollination of honey bees is vital to many species besides ourselves and the healing qualities of honey are now beginning to be appreciated, so I am surprised beekeepers aren’t given more encouragement, especially as most wild honeybees seem doomed.