Filming in the deep ocean required the use of special submersibles. Meanwhile, in Monterey Bay, orca were documented trapping grey whales and killing a calf. Near the coast of Natal in South Africa, the team spent two seasons attempting to film the annual sardine run, a huge congregation of predators such as sharks and dolphins that assembles to feast on the migrating fish by corralling them into 'bait balls'. Off Mexico, the behaviour of a flock of frigatebirds guided the cameramen to a group of sailfish and marlin: the fastest inhabitants of the sea. After six weeks, the crew chanced upon a school of spinner dolphins, which in turn led them to a shoal of tuna. The open ocean proved more difficult and over 400 days were invested in often unsuccessful filming trips. The camera team spent three years on standby, using a microlight to land on the water nearby when they finally caught up with the creatures in the Gulf of California. The producers were helped by marine scientists all over the world with state-of-the-art equipment.īlue whales - whose migration routes were previously unknown - were located by air, after some of the animals had been given temporary radio tags. Besides witnessing animal behaviour for the first time, the crew also observed some that were new to science. The fact that most of the ocean environment remains a mystery presented the production team with many challenges. Seeing this firsthand has made viewers around the world care deeply and adjust their actions accordingly-so it’s a pity that so many Americans didn’t get the message.The series took almost five years to make, involving nearly 200 filming locations. They’re captivating, sometimes mystifying, and undoubtedly under threat. Over and over, the series makes the case for the weird, obscure, astonishing organisms that will be (and have been) lost as a result of our actions. America, by contrast, is more polarized, with climate change denialism, mistrust of scientists, and antipathy to the environment deeply entrenched in the GOP, while Democrats continue to tiptoe around the issue.īlue Planet II shows that you don’t need anthropomorphism to win the hearts of your audience. The Tories may not have a great track record either-and their efforts to capitalize on Blue Planet II read mostly as a cynical move for a government in crisis-but their shortcomings stem more from a failure to prioritize the environment than a refusal to acknowledge there’s a problem. Republicans are an anomaly among conservative parties worldwide for their anti–climate change stance. But as the most overtly “political” series ever to come out of the NHU in terms of acknowledging human culpability, it may have alienated a certain percentage of American viewers from the outset. It also makes it clear that these things are our fault. The series shows us young albatrosses who’ve choked on plastic, the grim reality of coral bleaching, and the autopsy of a young dolphin. It’s a product of the BBC Natural History Unit’s careful, extensive experimentation to find the right balance between science and spectacle. We have to find other ways to communicate to people about it, not just lecture them.” In other words, he made a bet that his soft-pedaling approach would help the film reach a wider audience, and he was right.īlue Planet II pulls no such punches. But much of public opinion appears insensitive to the dangers of global warming. It’s obvious that global warming has an impact on the reproduction of the penguins. ![]() Why, indeed? When asked what led him to omit any reference to climate change despite its undeniable impact on Antarctica, director Luc Jacquet told National Geographic, “In my opinion, the best way to protect the planet is to get people to like it. ![]() “ March of the Penguins,” conservative radio host and film critic Michael Medved told the New York Times in 2005, “is the motion picture this summer that most passionately affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing.” He praised the film’s avoidance of more controversial issues like intelligent design and global warming as “very smart … Why bring it in?” It also became an unlikely darling of the evangelical right.
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