Carlos Carvalho, 47, died last week Wednesday after being struck by a giraffe while filming for the German movie Premium Nanny 2, at the Glen Afric game farm in Broederstroom, about 64 kilometres from Johannesburg, which is said to be owned by a British expat.
He was reportedly filming shots of the wild animal from close up when the giraffe swung its head round, violently striking the cameraman and flinging him over several metres.
Mozambique-born Carvalho was flown to hospital, but eventually succumbed to his injuries later that same day.
According to UK tabloid The Sun, a spokesperson for the farm said the film-maker should not have been filming on the site as authorisation had not been given.
Quoted in the media, the spokesperson said Gerald the giraffe was not to blame and would not be put down.
“We are not going to shoot Gerald. He was not in the wrong. I don’t consider him to be a dangerous animal”, the farm representative said.
Throughout his career Carlos Carvalho worked on movies including ‘Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides’, and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.
In 2003 he was distinguished with a Silver Lion award at the Cannes Festival for his work on a Childline public service announcement, and in 2014 he won the African Movie Academy Award for his still on the movie ‘The Forgotten Kingdom’.