Hunting For ISIS: A Warning From Africa

Michael Town – Post Producer

Following the successful completion of 10 Years of Darkness: ISIS & The Yazidis, Sky News approached us with a new project investigating the growing threat of ISIS in Africa, led by Special Correspondent Alex Crawford. Initially conceived as a 30-minute piece, it quickly became clear that the story warranted deeper exploration, and the programme was extended to 49 minutes.

As with all Sky News documentaries, our goal is to enhance the story while preserving the raw, authentic feel of the footage and keeping the people at the heart of the narrative. I assembled a trusted Post Production team, all familiar with the style and pace expected by the producers and capable of delivering within tight timeframes.

Beyond ensuring technical excellence, a key part of my role is safeguarding the welfare of the team - both those working on the final Post and our edit assistants who handle sensitive archive material. This content can often be graphic or distressing. Thanks to our longstanding relationship with the production team and their archive producers, we’re able to be upfront from the outset about the nature of the material, ensuring staff are prepared and supported throughout the process.

Mark Mulcaster – Colourist

News documentaries typically involve a wide mix of footage. By the time it reaches me, most has already been converted to Rec709, though we occasionally receive hyper-gamma material from Sony cameras. This format offers a compromise which is standard video with a log-like roll-off to protect the highlights. Archive footage is also common, and in this case included highly compressed, stylised propaganda videos released by ISIS. These are often poor in quality, and I generally avoid heavy grading, focusing instead on maintaining flow and coherence within the cut.

Alex Crawford’s location shoots are often in hazardous environments, meaning the team works in a fast-paced, “run and gun” style. From a Post perspective, we expect exposure bumps, mismatched cameras, and overexposed sections. The priority is capturing the story so if the footage is usable and conveys the narrative then the crew has done their job.

The look of the film was shaped by key shots and the environment. With the heat being a recurring theme, we leaned into warmer tones. I prefer denser, saturated colours, so I reduced luminance in objects like barrels and tarps to avoid distraction while retaining richness. Some scenes had a stark, bleached quality due to high exposure, which I echoed across the film to create a consistent, harsh aesthetic. The Editor noted a similarity to the film The Hurt Locker, which aligned with the tone we were aiming for.

Having graded many News documentaries over the past decade, I still approach each with fresh eyes. Alex’s films often highlight unresolved global issues, and that sense of urgency and reality is reflected in the shooting style. My aim is always to support the story emotionally, without over-stylising. This documentary reminds us that while the “War on Terror” may have faded from the headlines, it is far from over. Two decades on from 9/11 and 7/7, complacency is dangerous—and this film is a powerful wake-up call.

Julien Wilcock – Online Editor

Hunting For ISIS: A Warning From Africa is a hard-hitting investigation into the resurgence of ISIS, revealing how the group is recruiting globally and funding violence through a sophisticated financial network. Alex Crawford’s reporting exposes how this threat is being largely ignored by the international community.

It was a pleasure to work again with Producer/Director Jake Lea-Wilson and my focus was on executing Jake’s detailed brief which included swapping in higher-quality material, applying stylisation to specific sections, and adding subtitles where needed. We also aimed to ensure that any changes made in Online wouldn’t impact Monica’s work in Audio. Once that was confirmed, I moved on to fine-tuning and fixing issues.

We had two days for Online and Delivery, which is usually sufficient, but the footage contained a significant number of broken pixels, which was unsurprising given the filming conditions, and a lot of time was spent repairing these.

Sky News documentaries often involve a wide range of footage types, including archive and propaganda material, which can vary in quality and frame rate. We corrected aspect ratios, stabilised shots, and addressed blanking errors to ensure that the viewer would remain focused on the story. This film also incorporated footage from a previous report by Alex, made a decade ago. To distinguish it clearly as historical, we stylised it in collaboration with the Grade, achieving a clear visual contrast with the present-day material.

Monica Ramirez Leon – Re-recording Mixer

This documentary reveals how ISIS is quietly rebuilding in Somalia through a global recruitment network and digital financial channels. It’s a chilling reminder that the group has evolved, not disappeared.

My role was to create an immersive mix that supports the story and adds emotional depth. We used North African voiceovers to translate contributors, ensuring consistency across the narrative.

Location audio always presents challenges, but with tools like iZotope and Supertone Clear, I was able to reduce noise and enhance clarity. In some cases, we prioritised authenticity over perfection, preserving the realism that defines News documentaries.

There’s still room for creativity in this genre. Recreating natural soundscapes helps build atmosphere, especially in scenes without music. The opener is a good example where, through judicious sound design, we created an uneasy mood that draws the viewer into the reality on the ground.

I’m a huge admirer of Alex Crawford’s work. Her frontline reporting gives voice to those often overlooked, shaping narratives that are both powerful and deeply human. It’s always a privilege to collaborate with Sky News on projects like this.