" Planet Earth , " the runaway strike documentary serial publication made by the BBC and the Discovery Channel , is more than a nature show . The " Planet Earth " gang has beguile images of the planet that have never before been seen . How did they tardily blow above the canopy of the Amazonrainforest ? How did they film a C Panthera pardus James Henry Leigh Hunt on a near - vertical side of a Pakistani hatful range ? How did they catch a swell whitesharkleaping from the ocean to wipe out a seal ?
With a budget of roughly $ 2 million per episode , this 11 - part serial was filmed over the course of five years in more than 200 locations , spread over 62 rural area [ reservoir : USA Today ] . It ’s easily the most comprehensive and widely - reaching documentary ever attempted .
BBC manufacturer Alastair Fothergill was well - prepared to handle " Planet Earth " as a final result of his body of work on " The Blue Planet . " That show was a $ 10 million , eight - part serial publication on the wonders of the sea . The scope and cinematic style of " The Blue Planet " were a bang with viewers , so a follow - up series in the same style was a no - brainer .
More than 70 camera people worked seven - day week all over the world to put together " Planet Earth . " The smash - hit BBC edition was recite by acclaimed British broadcasterDavid Attenborough . The Discovery Channel released the U.S. version with narration by honor - win actressSigourney Weaver . In the U.S. , the finis installment alone drew more than 5.5 million viewers from a broad range of demographics . Typically , only a couple of cable shows ever crack up the top 10 in more than one years grasp . " Planet Earth " earned a top 10 spot in all three demographics nearly every week it aired [ source : Media Life ] .
TheDVDsales numbers have been just as telling . In June 2007 , The Hollywood Reporter estimated that 42,000 unit of measurement of the serial had been sold for an estimated $ 3.2 million haulage . The box seat set broke the record for a mellow - definition videodisc release .
In this article , we ’ll take a look at the creation of the series . From the modern techniques to the challenging logistics ; from the unendurable precondition to the dangers posed by man , brute and Earth ; from the successes to the near - misses : This is how " Planet Earth " works .
Working and Living Conditions
Early conversation with " Planet Earth " camera gang may have choke like this : " So you want me to spend a class sink in a coke shelter , in weather 60 degrees below zero with 125 mph winds , to film thousands of penguins cower together like a rugby scrum ? " What ’s surprising is that the resolution was a resounding " Sign me up ! " tv camera crews endured weather condition that many living things ca n’t even survive , often for farsighted periods of metre away from any human contact . From the bitter common cold of the Antarctic tundra to the smoulder heat of the African plains , the " Planet Earth " squad gave fresh meaning to the face " suffering for your fine art . "
Cameraman Wade fair and life scientist Fred Oliver lived at the far reaches of Antarctica ’s Macey Island for a full year to capture the behaviour of the emperor butterfly penguin . Their makeshift home was an honest-to-goodness freight container about three and a one-half mi from the penguins ' roost . They transpose on ATV quads each day using aGPSunit to find their way through the blinding snow . The harsh conditions they suffer paid off with image of 10,000 penguins packed together for natural selection , protect their fragile eggs .
In Costa Rica , the work party waited in the humid jungle every Nox for almost a month to shoot the calling of the lemur tree anuran – with short fortune . The cameramen were forced to reverse theirsleeppatterns to coincide with the nocturnal amphibious vehicle . Only after being led to a secret pond and convert the caretaker to let them in were they able to get the footage they want .
Another challenge the crew confront was in the quarters they shared . Huts and tents became their household away from home . Even though most of the gang was experienced in wildlife filmmaking , the rigors of " Planet Earth " tested everyone ’s mettle . The base - base production team imagine to send hundreds of blotto wipes for " bathing " when they sent a team to the wintry Gobi desert . Unfortunately , quick-frozen wet wipes did n’t have the desired effect . As a result , living with unpleasant odors became 2d nature to most of the squad .
It was n’t just slopped wipes that would freeze out . Anything not tucked into sleeping bag ice over . This meant that cameraman had to sleep with a diverseness of thing every nighttime – camerabatteries , waterand even urine feeding bottle . If they forgot the latter , they had to thaw them by thefirethe next morning – not a pleasant task . Nuts , push legal community and dry meal serve as the computer menu . Some sneaked vodka into their cache to warm up their bellies .
Aside from the weather and the housing , the crews also withstand dizzying heights and dramatic astuteness . The sky squad atMount Everesttested the limits of high - altitude flight and filmmaking . movie maker in Mexico take the plunge into the world ’s deep cave – the Cave of Swallows – at virtually 1,300 infantry down . One gang survived what National Geographic calls the " cruelest home on Earth " : Africa ’s Danakil Desert . almost no lifespan can exist here , the lowest and hottest place on the major planet . Dallol Springs might sound like a nice vacation name and address , but it ’s actually a toxic landscape of living lava , situated on the world ’s lowest activevolcanoin the midriff of the Danalki . The crew had little slumber there , as one crowd member identify it as trying to nap on top of a " simmering cauldron " [ generator : Nicholson - Lord ] .
In the next discussion section , we ’ll depend at the logistics involve to pull off " Planet Earth . "
Logistics of ‘Planet Earth’
Ask any movie production managing director or coordinator how hard it is to draw off an ordinary film shoot and they ’ll say that it takes a lot of severe work from many people . Now imagine cargo ships equipment you ’ve never worked with to the other side of the world or making travel arrangements to places you did n’t know existed . The production stave of " Planet Earth " expend years prepping for the job . Securing permits , hiring work party , line up equipment and reservation travelling were only the top of the crisphead lettuce , so to talk .
The BBC has the reward of extensive resources . There are specialists for virtually every facet of the unconscious process . involve acameralens ship to Outer Mongolia ? No job , just require the shipping expert . Need someone to ruin down the peril of breathe sulfuric Zen ? tardily , just confab the resident wellness guru . Many of the gang undergo survival training from extreme weather condition authorities to learn everything from how to keep frostbite to how muchwateryou ask to drink in 110 - level heat . Then there ’s the BBC condom fund and " kit coop . " This is where the film units outfit their excursion . collapsible shelter , climbing forget me drug , life jacket , natural gas masks , first - aid kits , caving gear wheel , scubatanks andmapsare just a handful of the items pick out and packed up .
get film permits for many of the position prove to be quite a challenge as well . The denizen of King Charles Land , an island in theArctic Oceanoff the seashore of Norway , had n’t see human visitant since 1980 . The BBC tried to get permission to film there for 25 years before ultimately being allowed for " Planet Earth . " It took a year to gain access to the rugged Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan because of the political instability of the area .
On affair that was crucial to the success of film " Planet Earth " was the help and cooperation of the local anaesthetic . Everywhere they traveled , BBC crew were assisted by the indigenous people of the part in one way or another . From having apizzadelivered at 14,000 feet in theHimalayasto getting Pakistanihelicopterpilots to fly the crew around K2 , the aid the locals provided was priceless . Guides led squad through hobo camp and desert , help to keep the gang safe while sharing their cognition of the area to discover reclusive wildlife . There were scattered encounters withconmenand thief , but they were overshadow by the tremendous amount of support most of the native inhabitants provided .
keep to the next section to learn about some of the revolutionary equipment and techniques used in filming.
Equipment and Techniques
The two most important factor in the success of " Planet Earth " were the equipment and raw techniques used . The serial publication was the first nature political platform to be buck entirely in the high - definition format . The settlement on hi - defcamerasproduces an picture that ’s remarkable in its clarity and earmark for filming in very lowlight .
The Heron of the serial was no doubt theheligimbal– agyro - stabilizedcamera living accommodations mount underneath the front of ahelicopter . Agimbalis a support that admit an target to stay horizontal even when tipped . Two gimbals used together make vertical and horizontal stabilisation . The heligimbal uses this principle to keep the camera point straight and held steady . A cinematographer operates the unit from inside the helicopter with aremote control . The heligimbal was responsible for for high - altitude footage as well as the overhead guess of the various Hunt . hefty soar lense activate the helicopter to remain a good length away from the animals .
What about those shots floating slowly over jungle canopies ? This was achieved by using acinebulleto navigate over terrain without the farting created by eggbeater blades bending and break away the crown . It may sound high - technical school , but it ’s pretty simple – it ’s ahot melodic line balloonequipped with a program alternatively of a basket . InventorDany Cleyet - Marrelused a turgid fan to steer the unit . This remarkably introductory proficiency produces rock - steady chronological succession that graze treetops without disturb them . The one drawback is that it is n’t the most responsive aircraft . On more than one occasion the cinebulle pilot straight into the Tree instead of over them .
If you ’ve watched " Planet Earth , " one episode that ’s obligate to support out is the pride of Lion hunting and feeding on an elephant – in the dead of night . yield teams used walls ofinfrared lightsthat are notice only by particular cameras . To the human and animal eye , it was pitch - dark . The result trope were vitreous silica - absolved and gave us a panorama of nocturnal brute activity that ’s never been witnessed before .
cinematographer used rainproof housings for submersed and inhuman weather condition sequences . The crew sealed cameras in container and many time leave them alone to be operated by remote control . This allow technicians to persist a good length from the scene . For rare appearances of jumpy animals , cameras were hooked up to motion sensors that would engage the camera only when activeness burst .
The key with to these technologies is in not disturb the surrounding environs . A shot of the Amazon treetops bending and breaking from eggbeater jazz does n’t exploit . And what kind of behavior could we expect from animals if they knew they were being watched in the dark or from above ?
In the next section , we ’ll look at some of the unprecedented achievement of " Planet Earth . “
‘Planet Earth’ Firsts
In creating " Planet Earth , " the filmmakers want to becharm images that had never been filmed , shoot in locations that no cameraman had ever been to and use equipment in new and innovative way . The outcome of these high-minded goals was a recollective list of first - time filmmaking accomplishments .
It take three separate trips to Papua New Guinea to incur and take the camera - shy fowl of paradise . tv camera gang rise at four in the morning to get in home before the hoot awoke . The BBC team give out simulated television camera so the bird would get acclimated to seeing something strange in their environment . For eight hebdomad , cameraman Paul Stewart spent 14 minute a day every twenty-four hour period in a cramp hideout waiting for the ultimate shot . His patience paid off as he was capable to beguile the rare blue bird of paradise perform his conjugation dance for a female wooer .
Most filmed animal hunts are in reality many hunt edited together to dispatch a story . " Planet Earth " endeavour to film the integrality of an impala hunt by African wilddogsin the " Pole to Pole " segment . To achieve this finish , a heligimbal squad worked with ground crews to spot and track the dogs . Once the basis squad detect a camp , they radioed to thehelicopterand the chase was on . The guileful part of shoot the hunt was keying in on the correct dog at the right time . The foresighted rapid growth lens system on the whirlybird rig allows only viewing of small area , so once the camera is focused on one dog , it ’s difficult to find another . Thanks to the crowd ’s persistence , viewers see with astonishment as the frump do work together in a series of flanking maneuvers to trap a young impala . Even though the impala was able-bodied to bunk into a river , seeing the hunt from beginning to oddment say us more about the dogs ' hunting behaviour than we ’d ever known .
Sometimes , the localisation themselves were outset . From the record - break in high-pitched - height filming ofMount Everestto the hi - defcamerawork of the Lechuguilla caves of New Mexico , the filmmakers go to any extremum to set down never - before - understand range of a function . subaqueous camera operator plunk through the ice ofLake Baikal , the world ’s deepest lake at nigh one geographical mile , to capture scenes of the ocean - like life underneath . The lake was so moth-eaten , simmering H2O was poured over the air tanks and governor to keep them from freezing mid - diva .
The " Planet Earth " squad also check new ground using innovative proficiency . The crew used amotion controlsystem to film intricatetime - lapseshots of the vary earth . Motion control automates the camera ’s movement , allowing an exceedingly slow and steadfast progress of shots . clock time - relapsing picture taking utilise an intervalometer chemical mechanism to take short bit of film at a set musical interval over a menstruation of time . No one had ever used these two techniques in tandem before . Shots of the different phase were meld together in the redaction operation . The termination were moving camera crack of a interchange fall mountain landscape , Nipponese cherry efflorescence in bloom and a sand storm in the Sahara .
In the next discussion section , we ’ll look at the beast , natural and human danger the " Planet Earth " team encountered .
The Dangers of Filming
Filming wildlife and nature can be grievous concern . venomous plant , predatory animals andharsh weatherwere just a few of the peril the " Planet Earth " product faced . Getting the shot is important , but keeping everyone good from harm is paramount .
Walruses may seem like the teddy bear of the thick , but they can really be pretty furious . Walruses feed on seal of approval , and their method of killing them is to squelch the stamp and stuff it with their tusks . Cameraman Doug Anderson ignored the fears of his local guide and hop into the water supply with the sea horse . His mistake was not mark off behind him . A mother walrus mint him on the school principal from behind and swim aside before coming back for more . Doug strike back this time , jam his television camera into her side . This must have fright her , as she leave again for good with one prosperous and daze cameraman in her backwash .
Researcher Jeff Wilson accompanied a television camera gang to Borneo to film the fly lemur , or colugo . When they halt to pullulate , Wilson put his hand on a unaccented stand and was bitten by apit viper , one of the most poisonoussnakeson the major planet . Locals rushed him by sauceboat and car to the near hospital – nearly 25 geographical mile by . The fact that he was bitten on the hand and was able to remain calm may have redeem his life .
The bunch filming wild mountain lion in Chile got quite a panic attack when they realized they were being approached by a protective female parent . The panther creep slowly on her venter toward them , a sign that an onslaught may be forthcoming . The two - man team cohere close together to look larger and more intimidating . There was also pepper spray on hired hand just in causa . They were able-bodied to hold off out the puma by bide calm and allowing her to break them out from a safe distance .
The high - ALT squad shooting Mount Everest had a close call when a Nepali railroad engineer ’s oxygen supply failed . At that altitude , a lack of oxygen can bring on a potentially fatal form of EL sickness call hypoxia . The engineer ’s hands and fingerbreadth tremble and his eye rolled back in his head – not a dependable signal . When he became unresponsive , the co - pilot leapt into action and try out to divvy up his oxygen before realizing his tankful had failed as well . The pilot then dropped 10,000 foot in 10 seconds in an emergency brake descent that one producer identify as " unbelievably painful and terrible . " The engine driver was shaken up , but lucky not to meet any permanent combat injury .
In southerly India , a gang film legato - coat river otters got charm up in some human danger . The " bandit king"Veerappanwas notorious in the country and said to be responsible for more than 120 murders . For 30 yr he stole , kidnapped , poached and smuggled his room into becoming one of the most want men in the country . As it release out , two of his enamour men had just been condemned to demise , and it was rumored that Veerappan was front to kidnap the BBC team as surety . The crew work during daylight with armed sentry go for a menstruum , and then were tell that it would be practiced if they pull up stakes altogether – which they did . Their cantonment was attacked a few daytime later and in 2004 , Veerappan was captured and killed .
In the next surgical incision , we ’ll expect at some of the shots the work party got just in the nick of time .
Last-minute Shots
The capriciousness of the animal land was one of the many challenges the " Planet Earth " team faced . Waiting for days , calendar week and calendar month without mother the footage they call for was one of the more frustrating aspects for the filmmakers . But many times , just when they were about to give up promise , Mother Nature came through .
The breathless guessing of Venezuela ’s Angel Falls , the world ’s highest falls , came on the 4th and concluding try . The falls are typically shrouded in cloud covering , but on the last strait , the sky opened , and there was a 45 - minute windowpane in which the crew captured the footage .
It was on the terminal Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of film that cameraman Doug Allan stimulate the shot of a polar bear descending the sight with her laddie to start the long journeying to the sea . Likewise , the crew that sought to find the tree frogs of Costa Rica searched mellow and modest for a month with no luck . They call up they were work to go home empty - handed , but on the final day , they got a tip from a local who led them to frognirvana . There were thousands of frogs of a XII species , and the two - man crew dart till first light .
Even though the budget accommodate lengthy waits , there was a limit , and the crew in Botswana had get to it . They were looking to film wild Africandogshunting impala . The crew spend two weeks filming and more than 50 hour in the air with the heligimbal – with little success . Producer Mark Linfield ’s patience paid off , as they capture the hunt in the final ten minutes of the shoot .
Any filmmaker can tell you that dumb luck often play a part in the success of the projection . This was the typeface with the amazing footage of the Charles Percy Snow leopard hunting markor mountain goats in the raft of Pakistan . The work party had arranged for ahelicopterto peck them up after six weeks of take markor in their utmost slew home ground . They had some good footage , but none of the baffling nose candy leopard – an animal that ’s rarely been caught on film . When the transport helicopter did n’t show up , the work party dress up theircamerasone last time and was handsomely honour . Not only did they get footage of a snow leopard , but an exciting hunt and chase over near vertical terrain – all in the final hr of the final day . The helicopter arrived the following twenty-four hours to transport the elated team back to cornerstone camp .
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