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In a recent statement, the BBC admitted that one of their documentary series isn’t entirely documentary after all. Some of the scenes from their 2011 series Human Planet were admittedly staged by the creators.
In an episode about the Korowai people of Papua New Guinea, the tribe members were filmed while moving into a treehouse. However, while shooting a new documentary series, the members of the tribe admitted that “they built the treehouses for the benefit of overseas programme makers.”
It’s all you need, really. There you are, in the middle of a field of ice and snow, filming polar bears and their not-so-subtle courtship ritual, and one of your cameras topples over. In this case, the remotely controlled “Blizzardcam”.
Riding on mini skis and propelled by a couple of fan blade motors, the Blizzardcam took a topple going over a bank of snow. It did not escape the notice of the curious courting polar bears. It’s a cute and interesting interaction, made all the more humorous by David Tennant’s narration.
For those that don’t live in the UK, there’s a general election going on at the moment. Today is the day we cast our votes. This particular polling station is where Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, happens to be casting his. And as is likely around the polling station of each party’s leader, the entrance is littered with the media.
It seems that here, though, a photographer and video camera operator couldn’t agree on who was going to be standing in a particular spot. They both wanted the same shot as he was coming out, but to quote Connor McLeod, “There can be only one”. A quick shove starts to turn into something a little more determined as this 18 second video plays out.
Computer generated graphics has been in our lives for quite a while now. We can’t accurately predict what it will bring in 35 years, but we can go that far into the past and see where it all began.
This video from BBC’s show Tomorrow’s World demonstrates the beginnings of CGI in 1982. The witty presenter Michael Rodd explains and illustrates what it looks like to transform a 2D image into a 3D model on the television screen. And it’s pretty impressive to watch the very beginning of what’s so common nowadays.
The BBC is renowned for its stunning wildlife sequences. Every time they release a new wildlife series, especially one narrated by David Attenborough, the visuals are stunning. We are shown wildlife in a way we’ve never seen before. They use or invent technology that hadn’t even existed just a few years earlier. They really are on the bleeding edge of what one can achieve.
In their recently released Planet Earth 2, the crew were able to get shots that had previously been impossible by utilising new technology. Thanks to advances in thermal imaging technology, modified RED cameras, and the Sony A7S, they were able to get night time wildlife shots like nobody had ever seen before.
When it was first broadcasted in 2006, BBC’s series Planet Earth was truly groundbreaking. And now, more than ten years later, there is its brand new sequel – Planet Earth II. It’s the most cinematic wildlife film yet. You could sit back and watch it, and feel like you’re watching a movie. But what’s the secret to this cinematic feeling of the series?
Using hidden cameras to capture video and photographs of wildlife has been going on for years. There’s been a change over the last few years, though. Moving cameras capture more interest. As does being able to get right into the thick of it with the animals, rather than simply hoping they walk by your camera. Pioneered by companies the BBC, the practise of disguising cameras to make them interactive allows footage not previously possible.
The technology has come a long way in the last few years, too. It started off as radio controlled car mounted cameras covered in bits of fur or undergrowth. Then a couple of years ago, the BBC went a bit further with the TunaCam; An fish-like underwater camera that could swim with other fishes. Then there was the VultureCam. Essentially a radio controlled fixed wing aircraft which vaguely resembled a vulture. It does look a little like the Borg have started to take over the animal kingdom, though.
If there’s one “triumphant underdog” story that’s been popular this week, it’s this one. The footage from BBC’s Planet Earth 2 series of the young marine iguana escaping the snakes on the beach. If you haven’t seen it, don’t worry, I’ve embedded it below. Shot in the Galapagos Islands, it’s an incredible sequence of events, shot beautifully.
They say filming in the Galapagos is, in some respects easier than elsewhere in the world. This is because the animals have not had much exposure to humans so have not yet learned to be afraid of us. A concept that would probably feel pretty strange for most of us.
It might be a few years old, but when we came across the ‘icicle of death,’ we couldn’t help but to want to share it with you.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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