tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354355832024-03-13T15:56:37.689-04:00The NatureWatchWildlife & Environment TV news, reviews, tips & tricksIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.comBlogger620125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-823036138661859262010-10-26T16:16:00.000-04:002010-10-26T16:16:02.036-04:00This Blog is no longer being updated please visit www.ironammonite.comThis Blog is no longer being updated. TheNatureWatch.com is now part of <a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/">www.ironammonite.com</a>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-56012009075474043862010-10-13T17:50:00.002-04:002010-10-14T09:49:32.385-04:00Wildscreen Winners 2010<div class="posterous_autopost">I'm here at Wildscreen and happy to announce the following:<br />
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<b>Animal Planet International People & Animals Award: Explorer: Gorilla Murders</b><br />
National Geographic Television (USA)<br />
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<b>BBC Newcomer award: Hudson's Monarch</b><br />
Filmmaker - Mat Thompson (United Kingdom) (Mat helped massively with our filming of Stag Beetles for Animals Guide - congratulations!) <br />
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<b>Campaign Award: Save Our Sharks</b><br />
Save Our Seas Foundation (United Kingdom)<br />
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<b>UWE Children's Choice: Monkey Thieves: Searching for Sanctuary</b><br />
Off the Fence (Netherlands and United Kingdom)<br />
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<b>Presenter-led award: Expedition Grizzly</b><br />
Grizzly Creek Films (USA)<br />
Co-produced with The National Geographic Channel, US<br />
Presenter - Casey Anderson<br />
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<b>Popular Broadcast: Lost Land of the Volcano: Programme 1</b><br />
Co-produced with BBC Worldwide, Discovery Channel & NDR Naturfilm/Studio Hamburg (Germany) production<br />
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<b>Earth Sciences: How Earth Made Us: Deep Earth</b> (my series!)<br />
BBC (United Kingdom)<br />
Co-produced with BBC Factual & National Geographic Channels in association with ZDF<br />
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<b>Short Film: The Coral Gardener</b><br />
BBC (United Kingdom)<br />
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<b>Arkive New Media: iSpot</b><br />
Open University (United Kingdom)<br />
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<b>Promoting filmmakers from Developing Countries: The Wild Meat Trail</b><br />
Dusty Foot Productions (India)<br />
Filmmakers - Rita Banerji & Shilpi Sharma<br />
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<b>Animal Behaviour: The Pack: Episode 5</b><br />
Animal Planet International (USA)<br />
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<b>NHM Environment Award: Green Theatrical: The End of the Line</b><br />
The Fish Film Company (United Kingdom)<br />
Co-produced with Dartmouth Films, Calm Productions & Arcane Pictures<br />
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<b>Music: The Crimson Wing, Mystery of the Flamingos</b><br />
Disneynature (United Kingdom)<br />
Co-produced with Natural Light Films and Kudos Pictures<br />
Music - The Cinematic Orchestra<br />
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<b>Outstanding Achievement: Nature </b>and the folks behind this long running American series.<br />
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<b>Editing: Wild Places of Essex</b><br />
AGB Films Ltd (United Kingdom)<br />
Co-produced with BBC Natural History Unit/BBC Worldwide<br />
Editor - Nigel Buck<br />
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<b>Sound: Ash Runners</b><br />
Saint Thomas Productions (France) Co-produced with Arte France<br />
Sound - Raphael Andrieu<br />
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<b>Best Series: Deep Earth</b><br />
BBC (United Kingdom) Co-produced with BBC Factual & National Geographic Channel US, in association with ZDF <br />
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<b>Cinematography: The Forest: Realm of Shadows</b><br />
<span lang="EN">A nautilusfilm GmbH (Germany) production for NDR Naturfilm/Studio Hamburg co-produced with ARTE, ORF in association with Parthenon Entertainment Camera - Jan Haft & Kay Ziesenhenne</span><br />
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<b>Juries Choice Award: Life </b><br />
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<b>Golden Panda: Green.</b><br />
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That's it from me... I'm getting drunk!<br />
For pictures see <a _mce_href="http://www.fossil.ironammonite.com" href="http://www.fossil.ironammonite.com/">www.fossil.ironammonite.com</a> or <a _mce_href="http://www.ironammonite.com" href="http://www.ironammonite.com/">www.ironammonite.com</a></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-57138819780947758192010-10-12T05:34:00.002-04:002010-10-12T05:35:46.176-04:00Jane Goodall: Beauty and The Beasts<div class="posterous_autopost"><p>BBC4 Tonight, Tuesday October 12th 9pm, (Pick of the day - Sunday times, Choice in most other Sundays)</p> <p>A young British woman called Jane goes into the African jungle, meets loads of chimpanzees and gets really famous: now where have we heard that story before? The life of <a href="http://www.janegoodall.org/" title="the Jane Goodall institute">Jane Goodall</a>, a secretary from Bournemouth who ventured into the Tanzanian jungle in 1960 to study chimpanzees feels like something out of a kids' book. Beauty And The Beasts is not the most elegantly put together documentary but it serves as a great introduction to Goodall's life and work, which forever changed the way we see primates. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2egge29">Guardian</a></p><p><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-12/ykDxDqFCrykgnwrmyzrgcEcxnGzjaBpFFmGtABnFnuHwpbwuyjrbCuhcJJhv/Jane_Goodall_and_the_Beasts.bmp.scaled500.jpg" height="276" width="460" /> </p> <p>Produced and directed by Jeremy Bristow, Film Editor Dilesh Korya.<em></em></p></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-65341389635658810472010-10-04T13:04:00.002-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.094-04:00TV Behind the Scenes: An executive producer has a viewing with the producer<div class="posterous_autopost">This isn't Natural History but if you work in TV you'll probably have had similar things happen to you!<br />
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He looks at whether it is too late to save their remarkable biodiversity.</p> <p>Horizon travels from the cold waters of the North Atlantic to the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef to meet the scientists who are transforming our understanding of this unique habitat. Attenborough explores some of the ways in which we are affecting marine life - from over-fishing to the acidification of sea water.</p> <p>The film also uncovers the disturbing story of how shipping noise is deafening whales and dolphins, affecting their survival in the future.</p> <p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-04/fwlGFaFzCJBEhppHIcvhiDrGCozsxxEcwludjyipswDngluzoBhmgaAFiHrh/Death_of_the_oceans.jpg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-04/fwlGFaFzCJBEhppHIcvhiDrGCozsxxEcwludjyipswDngluzoBhmgaAFiHrh/Death_of_the_oceans.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="333"/></a> </p> <p>Image: BBC</p> <p>Producer/Director – Peter Oxley</p> <p>Editor – Aidan Laverty</p> <p>For further details visit the BBC website</p></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-54911978316907461552010-10-04T11:30:00.001-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.101-04:00Timeshift: When Britain Went Wild<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><strong>9pm, Tuesday 5th October BBC4 </strong></p> <p>Documentary which explores the untold story of how Britain 'went wild' in the 1960s. It shows how the British people fell in love with animals and how, by the end of the decade, wildlife protection had become an intrinsic part of our culture. Before that time people knew very little about endangered species or the natural world - the very word 'environment' was hardly recognised. But the 1960s saw a sea change.</p> <p>The film discovers how early television wildlife programmes with David Attenborough, writers such as Gerald Durrell and Gavin Maxwell and pioneers of conservation such as Peter Scott contributed to that transformation.</p> <p>See clips on the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v3z0f">BBC Website</a></p> <p>Another great resource is the <a href="http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/">WildHistory website.</a></p> <p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-04/tcqrDEibCGEouEGFIsHECbCtoppDizotrmzkDhlgcCvwFslGimoawjphvrEq/When_Britain_went_wild.jpg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-04/tcqrDEibCGEouEGFIsHECbCtoppDizotrmzkDhlgcCvwFslGimoawjphvrEq/When_Britain_went_wild.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="315"/></a> </p> <p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-04/CokrkiuBroeGgEuClAkwhqxbGqEEAdxyGoyHEuBmgCrkksngywHzhHyaAsDJ/b00v3z0f_640_360.jpg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-10-04/CokrkiuBroeGgEuClAkwhqxbGqEEAdxyGoyHEuBmgCrkksngywHzhHyaAsDJ/b00v3z0f_640_360.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="281"/></a> </p> <p>Producer: Sally Thomson Series Producer: Ben Southwell Executive Producer: Michael Poole.</p> <p> </p></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-44431228174708404492010-10-01T19:19:00.000-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.104-04:00The World's Biggest Cattle - my close encounter with Indian Gaur<a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/2010/10/worlds-biggest-cattle-my-close.html">Re-posted from The Iron Ammonite, 1st October 2010</a><br />
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The Gaur is the largest species of wild cattle in the world, bigger than the African buffalo, the extinct aurochs, wild water buffalo or bison. Only Rhinos, Hippos and Elephants grown larger than these incredible animals. The males can weigh as much as 1.5 tonnes.<br />
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While traveling in South India in 2009 a farmer told us about a herd of Gaur that was casually chomping their way through a selection of farms and gardens. We watched them for over an hour as they munched and clambered through the vegetation. They were so preoccupied with feeding that they didn't seem to care who or what was nearby - and why should they. One female in particular seemed very relaxed in my presence so I was confident that I could get fairly close without alarming or spooking her. It was a real pleasure to feel the breath of this wondrous animal on my face before she finally sauntered off and disappeared into the forest.<br />
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Wild Gaur can be very dangerous animals and I wouldn't usually get this close - especially if they are with a calf or if it's breeding season, and I certainly would never attempt to get this close to one of those powerful males. By all accounts they can be quite moody!<br />
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</script>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-90438878602573357962010-09-30T06:31:00.001-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.108-04:00Lily the Black Bear (from The Natural World Bearwalkers)<div class='posterous_autopost'><div><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-09-30/lmsibkeolHBwfimqqwincooJJbcsGrEkscelstnoHzdAfuGgmximBsbAbrmE/61509_472780805498_26375511549.jpg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-09-30/lmsibkeolHBwfimqqwincooJJbcsGrEkscelstnoHzdAfuGgmximBsbAbrmE/61509_472780805498_26375511549.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="375"/></a> </div> <div>Loving the ongoing saga of Lily and her family, who you may have seen on Natural World earlier this year.</div> <p /> <div>You can keep up to date with her and join over 100k other fans of Lily and her daughter Hope on Facebook.</div> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/lily.the.black.bear?v=wall">http://www.facebook.com/lily.the.black.bear?v=wall</a></p></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-1712876246370712522010-09-29T10:21:00.001-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.111-04:00Getting started in Wildlife TV - Have you thought about Wildscreen?<i>'One thing for sure is that, whatever the path, it’s up to the individual and their dogged persistence combined with undying passion that will get them through the bumpy, muddy, arduous jungle road that is the path towards becoming a wildlife photographer or filmmaker.' - </i>Sandesh Kadur <a href="http://felis.in/blog/2010/09/28/wildphotos-and-wildscreen/">Felis Blog</a> <i> </i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Other than being dogged and persistent, another top tip is to attend the <a href="http://www.wildscreenfestival.org/">Wildscreen international film festival.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is Wildscreen? </span><br />
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This biannual festival is the Mecca for Wildlife Filmmakers, internationally acknowledged as the most influential and prestigious event of its kind in the world. The aim of Wildscreen is to celebrate, applaud and encourage excellence, and responsibility, in wildlife and environmental filmmaking - films which increase the global viewing public's understanding of the natural world, and the need to conserve it. <br />
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By attending wildscreen you'll get a real flavour for the wildlife filmmaking industry and see what's hot and what's not for those who are commissioning programmes or hiring new talent. You'll hear behind the scenes stories from producers and presenters, cameramen and editors and discover what it takes to make a top natural history film. Most importantly you'll meet people who can inspire and help you on your way. And as Sandesh says it will 'help fuel the passion and jump-start your career in wildlife TV' - it certainly did that for me when I was seeking my break in the industry almost 10 years ago and It's been a top event in my calendar ever since.<br />
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If you're fresh from university then you'll probably find the festival a bit on the expensive side - about 600pounds to register as a full delegate. The budget option is to become a festival volunteer, or apply for a reduced rate as a newcomer. If you've just produced your first wildlife film then enter it for the highly prized newcomers award - a real springboard to success.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Workshops</span><br />
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The <a href="http://www.wildscreenfestival.org/index.php?pageid=346&parentid=347#Breaking%20out%20of%20the%20Box%20%E2%80%93%20Multiplatform">workshops</a> are really worth attending as you'll get hands on with cutting edge technology and learn from the experts - everything from highspeed filming and 3D cameras to workshops about how to be a wildlife TV researcher. This year I'll be running one entitled <a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/2010/09/wildscreen-2010-multiplatform-workshop.html">'Breaking out of the Box'</a> about how to produce content for a web audience.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Awards</span><br />
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The highlight of the festival for me is always the <b>Gala Panda Awards Ceremony</b>. Wildscreen is a competition as well as a Festival and this is the night when the award winners will be announced. The stakes are high as the awards have established themselves as the Green Oscars, and the posh black-tie do certainly has an air of hollywood glitz about it. This year it will be hosted by Kate Silverton and Benedict Allen.<br />
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I'll be there in anticipation of one of my series winning an accolade. 'Life' is up for a whole range of awards, and <a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/search/label/How%20Earth%20Made%20Us">'How Earth Made Us'</a> is in the running for the Earth Science Award, as well as best series.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TKNFfAXhmeI/AAAAAAAAD2k/ojPzQ0yrGBQ/s1600/Sir+David+Attenborough+&+Paul+Williams+BC+Wildscreen+Life+in+Cold+Blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TKNFfAXhmeI/AAAAAAAAD2k/ojPzQ0yrGBQ/s1600/Sir+David+Attenborough+&+Paul+Williams+BC+Wildscreen+Life+in+Cold+Blood.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>It was an honour at the 2008 Panda Awards, when we won the Golden Panda for 'Life in Cold Blood'.</i><br />
<i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>For handy tips and advice on starting a career in wildlife television get your hands on a copy of the book by Piers Warren titled: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Careers-Wildlife-Film-making-Piers-Warren/dp/0954189930">Careers in Wildlife Filmmaking.</a><br />
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Good luck<br />
- Paul <br />
<span id="goog_618578263"></span><span id="goog_618578264"></span>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-26779056998967076702010-09-27T08:06:00.005-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.115-04:00Filming Tigers - a BBC InsightTigers are a real hot topic for the BBC Natural History Unit, especially with the current success of <a href="http://www.thenaturewatch.com/2010/09/lost-land-of-tiger.html">'Lost Land of the Tiger</a>' a BBC expedition that discovered a lost population living in the remote Bhutan Mountains (<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8998000/8998042.stm">Earth News</a>). Having tracked Tigers myself to film (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk5s_RPVuRU&feature=player_embedded">Poo, Pee & Pugmarks</a>) I know just how difficult it is to catch even a glimpse of this fascinating feline! But here is an exclusive insight into the BBC's perspective on the thrill and frustration of filming tigers in the wild. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/tiger#p00b6wzf">From BBC Wildlife Finder. </a><br />
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- Paul <br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/tiger#p00b6wzf">http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/tiger#p00b6wzf</a>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-59294721672241212992010-09-23T11:58:00.003-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.118-04:00Faking it? Wildlife filmmaker Chris Palmer publishes 'Shooting in the Wild' to reveal all<object height="385" width="640"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4akgUxu7W98?fs=1&hl=en_GB" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4akgUxu7W98?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="385"></embed> </object><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following is an edited excerpt from an article by <a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/articles/daniel+de+vise/" title="Send an e-mail to Daniel de Vise">Daniel de Vise</a> published in the Washington Post, Wednesday, September 22, 2010</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/21/AR2010092105782.html">Read the full article here</a><br />
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Environmental Film Maker, Chris Palmer 63, has written a confessional for an entire industry. "Shooting in the Wild," published this year, exposes the unpleasant secrets of environmental filmmaking: manufactured sounds, staged fights, wild animals that aren't quite wild filmed in nature that isn't entirely natural. Nature documentaries "carry the promise of authenticity." Nature filmmakers profess to present animal life as it is lived, untouched by mankind. Yet human fingerprints are everywhere.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Nature is frequently boring. Wild animals prefer not to be seen</b></span><br />
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Palmer's book underscores the fundamental challenge of wildlife filmmaking: Nature is frequently boring. Wild animals prefer not to be seen."If you sit in the wild and watch wildlife, nothing happens for a very long time," said Maggie Burnette Stogner, an environmental filmmaker who works with Palmer on the American University faculty. "That's mostly what happens in wildlife."<br />
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Nature footage is hard-earned. A crew might spend six weeks in discomfort and tedium for a few moments of dramatic cinema. Certain shots -- animal births, or predators seizing prey -- are difficult to capture by chance. So some filmmakers set them up.<br />
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The lemmings that plunge to their deaths in the 1958 Disney documentary "White Wilderness" were hurled ingloriously to their doom by members of the crew, as a Canadian documentary revealed. Palmer writes that Marlin Perkins, host of television's "Wild Kingdom," was known to bait animals into combat and to film captive beasts deposited into the wild, and that the avian stars of the 2001 film "Winged Migration" were trained to fly around cameras.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">"Sanctimonious smugness"</span></b><br />
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Erik Nelson, a prolific environmental filmmaker in Los Angeles, finds "a sort of sanctimonious smugness to his book that sets my teeth on edge." Nelson is a glancing target in Palmer's book; the author portrays Nelson's eight-part television series "The Grizzly Man Diaries" as "sensational" and lambastes the animal-attack genre that Nelson helped to create. Nelson, in turn, asserts that Palmer has seldom actually shot a nature film -- most of Palmer's credits have come in the comparatively detached role of executive producer. He terms Palmer's ethics crusade "a giant nothingburger of an issue." (Palmer says he has been "deeply involved" in all of his films.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>"If there is an ethical beacon that guides the wildlife channels, it is the quest for realism."</b></span><br />
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Programmers say they condone the use of captive animals as stand-ins for wildlife, and contrived meetings between species, as long as all involved are acting naturally and the viewer is seeing things that might actually happen in nature<br />
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Palmer disapproves. In his book, he proposes that every nature film might open with a disclaimer on the screen that says something like, "All the scenes in this film are real and not staged," or, more probably, "Some of the scenes depicted in this film were shot with tame, captive animals." Not likely, say industry colleagues. Who wants to watch a tame nature film?<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/21/AR2010092105782.html"><br />
<br />
Read the full article from the Washington Post here</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TJt4zDHpULI/AAAAAAAAD14/DLVZIK9DlTQ/s1600/shooting+in+the+wild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TJt4zDHpULI/AAAAAAAAD14/DLVZIK9DlTQ/s400/shooting+in+the+wild.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-81216383298597350742010-09-22T15:48:00.000-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.122-04:00Mother Elephant stands her ground - An Elephant BlockadeFrom <a href="http://www.ironammonite.com">www.ironammonite.com</a><br />
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An elephant mother stands her ground while we try to pass at BR Hills Nature Reserve, South India. I was filming with three very experienced Indian naturalists and they had never seen a tour-de-force of elephant stubbornness quite like this before...<br />
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<a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/2009/07/king-of-road-elephant-encounter.html">Excerpt from my blog 16th July 2009:</a><br />
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"Only a few hours ago, whilst driving through the BR Hills reserve on the search for Tigers we encountered three elephants blocking our route. Two large females and a small calf. It was getting dark and we needed to pass. Rather than startle them we switched off the engine and waited... hopefully they would return to the forest and allow us to pass. But rather than oblige us they slowly moved in our direction, lazily browsing on the vegetation as they came closer and closer. They were either oblivious to our presence or considered us of no threat - we knew that this mutual understanding could all change in the blink of an eye. The tiny calf was sandwiched between the colossal flanks of the two adults and it seemed pretty carefree as it swung its trunk around, occasionally resting its head against the side of one of its guardians. It was a real privilege to see such intimacy. As they exchanged caresses, their trunks touching and stroking each other, they were gentle giants slowly plodding towards us. We were lost in the moment, observing this beautiful scene as these magnificent animals simply went about their daily lives." <a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/2009/07/king-of-road-elephant-encounter.html">Read more.</a><br />
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Unfortunately this video contains no footage of the moment we were charged by the large female. We all froze and didn't record this terrifying moment. I did however manage to grab a single shot on my stills camera.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/THNrJ1vc3iI/AAAAAAAADxU/AFPlN_ne-rA/s1600/charging+female+elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/THNrJ1vc3iI/AAAAAAAADxU/AFPlN_ne-rA/s640/charging+female+elephant.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-14492965222119690052010-09-21T10:32:00.002-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.125-04:00Lost Land of the Tiger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TJjBfdB0H4I/AAAAAAAAD0s/e1JiMah3fVk/s1600/Lost+Land+of+the+Tiger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TJjBfdB0H4I/AAAAAAAAD0s/e1JiMah3fVk/s640/Lost+Land+of+the+Tiger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This new BBC series follows a dramatic expedition searching for tigers hidden in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.With tigers heading for extinction, an international team of big cat experts and wildlife filmmakers are given unique access to the jungles and mountains of Bhutan for what could be the last chance to save this magnificent animal.<br />
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Explorer, Steve Backshall, is joined by sniffer dog, Bruiser; together they hunt for tigers through the dense forest undergrowth. High in the mountains, wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan drives himself to exhaustion tracking tigers that seem as elusive as the yeti. And in a jungle base camp, scientist George McGavin, organises a firefly disco whilst camerawoman, Justine Evans, is stuck at the top of a tree during a tropical lightning storm. For the final team member, big cat biologist Alan Rabinowitz, time to save the tiger is running out…he has incurable leukemia. Alan bugs the forest with remote cameras to capture whatever secretive creatures are lurking there, but ultimately he needs to find tigers if his ambitious plan to protect them across the Himalayas is to succeed.<br />
<br />
We follow the expedition every emotional step of the way as they strive to find evidence that could help to bring wild tigers back from the brink of extinction and safeguard their future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><b>Read about the "lost" population of tigers that the BBC team discovered living high in the Bhutan Mountains. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8998000/8998042.stm">Earth News</a></b><br />
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<i><b>By Paul Williams, Assistant Producer, Animals Guide to Britain</b></i><br />
<i>With thanks to Mel Brown of Natural England & Claire Install of the British Dragonfly Society. </i><i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
One of the most enchanting emblems of the British summer is the dragonfly, and we are lucky to have 25 resident breeding species, and 9 who occasionally pop over from Europe when the weather is good. One of the top spots to see these is the peculiar landscape of a Shwingmoor bog, hidden deep in the heart of Staffordshire. Local mythology speaks of water beasts dragging people to their death, but the real reason this reserve is out of bounds for the casual visitor is hidden beneath a gentle carpet of carnivorous plants, cranberries, cowberries and bilberries. This is Chartley Moss, and what makes it a Shwingmoor is that you can literally walk on water - or more accurately on a 3 metre layer of saturated peat and Sphagnum which floats on top of a 15 metre deep lake. Here 23 species of dragonflies have been recorded including some of the rarest in Britain. I recently visited Chartley Moss to film dragonflies for 'Animals Guide to Britain'.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironammonite/4949347525/" title="Chartly Moss, Staffordshire - A Shwingmoor Bog by Paul Williams (Iron Ammonite), on Flickr"><img alt="Chartly Moss, Staffordshire - A Shwingmoor Bog" height="438" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/4949347525_a4c44e6ff3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Chartley Moss, a Shwingmoor Bog in Staffordshire</b></div><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Lost World Beneath</span></b><br />
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Laden with tripods and heavy cases, we cautiously stepped onto the bog, every step creating a ripple and a squelch. I stopped to rest and immediately my feet started to sink into the quagmire. As I began to move away my boot decided that it wanted to stay a little longer - it had been only five minutes and already my welly had succumbed to the beast. We were heading towards the centre, where the peat was at its thinnest and where two large pools puncture the spongey layer to offer a glimpse into the lost world beneath. It is here that we were most likely to find dragonflies as the watery underworld is their true domain. It is the dragonfly nymph who lives here, and this aquatic period of a dragonfly's life dictates when and where the adults are to be found. Nymphs of different species prefer different watery habitats, from sheltered woodland pools to slow flowing rivers and canals. Chartley Moss is particularly famous as the most southern site of the White-faced Darter. Its nymph is critically dependant on lowland acidic peat bogs - 95% of which have been lost in the past 40 years, leaving only a handful of sites for this dainty dragonfly to cling to.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironammonite/4949321421/" title="White Faced Darter by Paul Williams (Iron Ammonite), on Flickr"><img alt="White Faced Darter" height="426" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/4949321421_4471ff25cc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>The rare White-Faced Darter</b></div><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Creature Breaks Free</span></b><br />
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Lurking in the muddy bottom of a pond it can take nymphs up to five years to realise that there's more to life that sucking on tadpole juice, and they start to leave the comfort of the water. This is the moment that we had come to film. As we arrived, with soggy feet, a small army of nymphs of the Common Hawker were making the epic journey up the reeds which lined the pools. We watched as their spindly legs strenuously pulled them out of the water, driven by an urge that goes back 320 million years to the earliest dragonflies. We could see the determination as they fell off, only to repeat the climb in a bid to feel the warm morning sun. Then the intimate moment of transformation as they settled into position and froze. The skin cracked and opened. Two iridescent green eyes peered out from within as slowly the head of an adult pushed its way out of the nymph capsule. In just a few minutes the subaqua suit had been shed to reveal a new creature resplendent in dragonfly finery.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironammonite/4949895544/" title="Common Hawker emerging from nymph2 by Paul Williams (Iron Ammonite), on Flickr"><img alt="Common Hawker emerging from nymph2" height="428" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4949895544_0d8741ba84_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Common Hawker emerging from its Nymph</b></div><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Sex Fuelled Crescendo</span></b><br />
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Under the boggy water they had propelled themselves by jet power, squirting water from their backsides, but as we filmed, their green wings slowly opened and inflated until eventually they took to the air as a squadron of dynamic highly agile flying machines. They had reached the sex-fuelled crescendo of a life lived under the water and now their airborne mission was to locate a mate and lay eggs back into the water. Live fast, die young, they would have only a few months in which to accomplish their mission. We had achieved ours in just a few hours.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironammonite/4949332277/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Common Hawker Dragonfly-2 by Paul Williams (Iron Ammonite), on Flickr"><img alt="Common Hawker Dragonfly-2" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4949332277_79362433f5_z.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Common Hawker preparing for its first flight</i></b></div><br />
Chartley Moss is privately owned and leased to English Nature. It is a very fragile and extremely hazardous site. Access is by permit only.<br />
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For more information<b>:</b><b> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/nnr/1006034.aspx">Natural England</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.breathingplaces.org/public/place_by_name/Chartley-Moss-National-Nature-Reserve?id=10899">BBC Breathing Places </a></b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>'Animals Guide to Britain' presented by Chris Packham will be broadcast on BBC2 in April 2011.</b><br />
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<div id="PictoBrowser100916152403">Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer</div><script src="http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser/swfobject.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript"> var so = new SWFObject("http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser.swf", "PictoBrowser", "640", "580", "8", "#EEEEEE"); so.addVariable("source", "sets"); so.addVariable("names", "Beasts of Chartley Moss "); so.addVariable("userName", "paul williams (iron ammonite)"); so.addVariable("userId", "16056465@N00"); so.addVariable("ids", "72157624734676717"); so.addVariable("titles", "on"); so.addVariable("displayNotes", "on"); so.addVariable("thumbAutoHide", "off"); so.addVariable("imageSize", "medium"); so.addVariable("vAlign", "mid"); so.addVariable("vertOffset", "0"); so.addVariable("colorHexVar", "EEEEEE"); so.addVariable("initialScale", "off"); so.addVariable("bgAlpha", "90"); so.write("PictoBrowser100916152403"); </script>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-55738961789893150972010-09-03T05:05:00.000-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.132-04:00Mountain Gorilla - Safe in Our HandsSunday September 5th, 8pm, BBC2 <br />
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Patrick Stewart narrates a three-part series on the world's last mountain gorillas.This edition follows the plight of some of the youngest and most vulnerable of the mountain gorilla population. Includes the two young orphans whose mothers were callously murdered in execution style killings, the young female battling with new emotions, and the new gorilla king struggling to keep hold of the group he fought so hard to win.<br />
Discover how they cope in this exploration of what the future holds for the remaining last few hundred mountain gorillas. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tqnwh">BBC</a><br />
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Can silverback Rano hold on to the group he fought so hard to win? This final programme looks to see what the future holds for the last remaining Mountain Gorillas.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TIC5i_cv3cI/AAAAAAAADx8/hMg6r5sLVBM/s1600/Mountain+Gorilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TIC5i_cv3cI/AAAAAAAADx8/hMg6r5sLVBM/s640/Mountain+Gorilla.jpg" width="640" /></a>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-26250161693709513702010-08-24T11:50:00.000-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.136-04:00Night of the Lion<b>Starts Nat Geo Wild, 13th September, 2010</b><br />
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Pierce through the darkness and encounter a hidden world previously unseen by human eyes in the premiere of <a href="http://natgeotv.com/uk/night-of-the-lion/about">Night of the Lion</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/THPqHQ6i6vI/AAAAAAAADxY/QFaq0cpeFbA/s1600/night+of+the+lion+nat+geo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/THPqHQ6i6vI/AAAAAAAADxY/QFaq0cpeFbA/s640/night+of+the+lion+nat+geo.jpg" width="640" /></a>It is only once the sun has gone down beyond the horizon that the deadly lion truly comes to life, using scent and sound to stalk and kill its prey. But this night-time hunting routine has always been virtually impossible to capture on film - until now.<br />
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With the aid of new light-enhancing, heat-seeking technology, see how the starlight camera transforms pitch-black wilderness into an array of vibrant colours. Observe lions and their prey in crystal-clear detail as our team, at long last, gets the chance to properly study these untamed predators during their most active period. This film demonstrates not only how groundbreaking equipment can revolutionise wildlife programme making, but also the terrifying precision of the hunting lion after dark.<br />
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Patrick Stewart narrates the story of the world's last mountain gorillas, protected by a dedicated band of humans who watch and care for them.<br />
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View preview clips and read about the individual Gorillas on the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rbvz2">BBC website. </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/THI9RYfAYyI/AAAAAAAADxM/rzhWbB51Y-k/s1600/Mountain+Gorilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/THI9RYfAYyI/AAAAAAAADxM/rzhWbB51Y-k/s640/Mountain+Gorilla.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-34564287511247460572010-08-19T09:57:00.001-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.142-04:00Natural World: The Himalayas8 pm, BBC 2, 19th August 2010 &; <br />
7:30 pm, BBC HD, 20th August 2010<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TG036cPNRyI/AAAAAAAADxE/e3bxTwwjsz4/s1600/b00tj7j4_640_360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TG036cPNRyI/AAAAAAAADxE/e3bxTwwjsz4/s640/b00tj7j4_640_360.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> (photo copyright BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tj7j)</i></div><br />
The wildlife of the most stunning mountain range in the world, home to Snow leopards, Himalayan wolves and Tibetan bears. Snow leopards stalk their prey among the highest peaks. Concealed by snowfall, the chase is watched by Golden Eagles circling above. On the harsh plains of the Tibetan plateau live extraordinary bears and square-faced foxes hunting small rodents to survive. In this world of extremes, the Himalayas reveal not only snow-capped mountains and fascinating animals but also a vital lifeline for humanity. <br />
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Producer: Mark Fletcher<br />
Series Producer: Steve Greenwood<br />
Series Editor: Tim Martin<br />
www.bbc.co.uk/naturalworldIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-11555269662298831142010-08-10T05:05:00.001-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.146-04:00Natural World: Sea Otters - A Million Dollar BabyBBC2, Thursday 12th August 2010<br />
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The trials and tribulations of a sea otter pup growing up on the coast of California.<br />
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The Californian sea otter is one of the rarest, and possibly cutest animals in the world. So when a sea otter mum decides to have her pup amongst the yachts of a millionaires' marina, it is a unique event. The mum must teach her baby how to dodge the boats and find the food in this busy harbour. However, the arrival of a tough male sea otter signals disaster for the family. When mum is attacked, the poor pup is left on her own and must fight for survival.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TGEV60DquyI/AAAAAAAADwE/-nX-BVqK29k/s1600/e9bc6755c348596ef9eb0be87d25ee9777913ae9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TGEV60DquyI/AAAAAAAADwE/-nX-BVqK29k/s640/e9bc6755c348596ef9eb0be87d25ee9777913ae9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i>Sea Otter mothers are very protective of their pups and rarely let them out of their sight. Here the mother enjoys a rare peaceful moment when the pup falls asleep on her belly (Copyright: BBC).</i><br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8HxOL0v_LyQ&hl=en_GB&fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8HxOL0v_LyQ&hl=en_GB&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-42917615197564159152010-08-01T06:37:00.003-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.150-04:00Natural World: Echo an Unforgettable ElephantBBC2, Thursday 5th August at 8.00pm.<br />
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A celebration of the life and legacy of Echo, the world's most famous elephant, who was born in 1945 and died in 2009, and who Natural World followed for the last 20 years of her life.<br />
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The timing of Echo's death could not be worse. The wise old matriarch had guided her family for half a century but the cruellest drought in living memory devastated her home under the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Will her 38-strong band of relatives and descendants overcome the loss of their leader, hunger and poachers to survive?<br />
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Presented by David Attenborough, editor Matt Meech, director Mike Birkhead and filmed by Martyn Colbeck. I wrote the music and Kate Gould is the solo cellist. Part of the BBC Natural World strand, series editor Tim Martin.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Echo on Wildlife Finder </b></span><br />
Following on from the 4 stunning Natural Worlds filmed over the years of Echo's life - Wildlife Finder have launched a whole new section. They've collated clips from all the programmes so you can now watch the best bits of Echo's personal story <a href="http://draft.blogger.com/%20http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/characters/37%20">http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/characters/37 </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TGEsBrCNeuI/AAAAAAAADwI/b6KPt25bbTQ/s1600/Echo+the+elephant.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TGEsBrCNeuI/AAAAAAAADwI/b6KPt25bbTQ/s640/Echo+the+elephant.bmp" width="640" /></a></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-87987602250660542922010-07-09T10:53:00.000-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.153-04:00Unbroken Thread: Singing Attenborough, Sagan & GoodallI was so excited when I saw this that I just had to post it. A truly wonderful, legendary, inspiring piece of work - it's also pretty hilarious! <br />
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<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BC9YpE4PBBE&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BC9YpE4PBBE&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-76639026108291133392010-07-08T10:11:00.001-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.156-04:00The Natural World: The Monkey Eating Eagle of the Orinoco7 pm, BBC 2, 8th July 2010<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t1vvd" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TDXcUtHkzrI/AAAAAAAADwA/9136exc57s8/s640/b00t1vvd_640_360.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>copyright: BBC </i></div><br />
The Harpy Eagle is the most powerful bird of prey in the world, plucking monkeys from the branches of the jungle canopy. Rare and elusive they are seldom seen but with the discovery of a Harpy nest in the remote Orinoco rainforest of Venezuela , wildlife film-maker Fergus Beeley has a unique opportunity to follow the life of a chick from birth to adulthood . Fergus ascends high into the canopy revealing a stunning world of colour and sound, and follows the trials of the harpy eagle's newly hatched chick as it grows up. Fergus becomes just another member of the dazzling community of birds and animals surrounding the harpy nest and develops an unexpectedly close bond with the harpy chick.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t1vvd">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t1vvd</a><br />
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Producers: Fergus Beeley & Dr. Adrian Seymour<br />
Series Editor: Tim MartinIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-60126393168262692382010-07-08T05:10:00.000-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.160-04:00Deadly 60 series 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TDWVHvjdpcI/AAAAAAAADv8/fh9QEc-yeAU/s1600/Deadly+60+series+2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TDWVHvjdpcI/AAAAAAAADv8/fh9QEc-yeAU/s640/Deadly+60+series+2.bmp" width="640" /></a></div><span class="programmetext"> </span><br />
<span class="programmetext">Don't miss this new series of Deadly 60. </span><span class="programmetext">Bicep throbbing Steve Backshall kicks of series 2 by taking to the water in Mexico in search of a deep-sea creature, before embarking on a quest to find the biggest wasp in the world.</span>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-10953756636757026902010-06-18T11:48:00.006-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.163-04:00BBC Wild Night In: YOUR chance to help Save Wildlife<a href="https://www.donate.bt.com/bt_form_planet.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBuP9cNrLYI/AAAAAAAADuY/kpgPkdaQOM4/s200/facebook_donate.png" width="200" /></a><br />
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It's the 'BBC Wild Night In' on Sunday night, BBC Two. This is your chance to do something positive for wildlife and to help organisations who are working to save some of the planets most endagered species.<br />
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Here's a few things you can do right now...<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>BID</b></span><b> IN THE WILD AUCTION</b><br />
Bid for 'money can't buy' items like the <a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BBC-Springwatch-sofa-Please-note-collection-only-/230488140644?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Home_Garden_LivingRoom_Sofas_UK&hash=item35aa29eb64">Springwatch sofa</a> or a <a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wildlife-Walk-BBC-Radio-2s-Jeremy-Vine-/230488815768?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35aa343898">Wildlife Walk with BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine</a> in the <a href="http://shop.ebay.co.uk/bbc_wildlife_fund/m.html?_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A2471&_dmd=2&_in_kw=1&_sop=12&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_vc=1">Wild Auction.</a> This will take you to the charity auction section of eBay. The BBC Wildlife Fund will receive 100% of the proceeds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BBC-Springwatch-sofa-Please-note-collection-only-/230488140644?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Home_Garden_LivingRoom_Sofas_UK&hash=item35aa29eb64" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBuT6L1ds4I/AAAAAAAADuk/m09UAT_Fxns/s400/Springwatch+sofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> You could own the Springwatch Sofa! </div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>BUY</b></span><b style="color: black;"> THE OFFICIAL SINGLE</b></div>The BBC Wildlife Fund's official single is available to <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sunchyme-2010-16b-dg-in-aid/id376637726">download now!</a> <br />
'Sunchyme 2010' by Dario G will help raise funds for the BBC Wildlife Fund appeal this year.<br />
40p or more from the sale of this single will be donated to the BBC Wildlife Fund so why delay, get your dancing shoes on and get down to Dario G's 'Sunchyme 2010'<b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
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<div style="color: red; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>HELP</b></span><b style="color: black;"> RAISE AWARENESS</b><br />
<div style="color: black;">Tell your friends, Twitter, email, spread the word. Use the official <a href="http://apps.facebook.com/morefriendsthan/">Facebook App</a> - Do you have more friends than there are Tigers in the wild?</div></div><br />
<div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why should YOU help...</b></span></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p008df9v">Click here</a> to watch a short film & find out more.</span><b></b></span><b> </b><br />
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<div style="color: black;"><b>From the BBC Wildlife Finder:</b></div></div>"One third of known species are under threat - do they have more than a future on film? We've unearthed footage of some remarkable animals, plants and habitats that are facing an imminent threat to their survival. The unique selling point of our planet is life. From the deepest trenches of the Pacific Ocean to Africa’s inhospitable deserts, it has demonstrated a knack for hanging on in there. However, the challenges for many species now seem to be too great. Watch, before they fade out."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Panamanian_golden_frog" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBuRl5VZm5I/AAAAAAAADug/pRlCCoTYLnE/s640/Golden+Frog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Sir David Attenborough holds an image of a Panamanian golden frog, now thought to be extinct in the wild.<br />
The BBC filmed these frogs in 2007 for Life in Cold Blood. Soon after filming, the chytrid fungus (which kills amphibians) was discovered in the area. In order to keep these frogs safe from the fungus, scientists removed them from the wild. For the time being the frogs live in captivity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/wild/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/S7IogcoK9DI/AAAAAAAADnM/54qry7mGmpM/s1600/Wild+Night+In.bmp" /></a><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/wild/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBuJCBNR2DI/AAAAAAAADuQ/CVfqILuMAp0/s1600/BBc+Wildlife+Fund_logo.jpg" /></a></div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35435583.post-62792912466279405782010-06-15T13:09:00.003-04:002010-10-11T06:39:21.167-04:0010 Steps to create a Greenscreen Adventure<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.ironammonite.com/2010/06/10-steps-to-create-greenscreen_15.html">Reposted from www.ironammonite.com</a><br />
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At last weekends <a href="http://www.bnhc.org.uk/home/festival.html">festival of nature</a> we were really proud of our presence as the BBC Natural History Unit. The theme of our tent was to give people and insight into the technologies used to make Natural History TV, including mini-cams, thermal cameras, IR-cams and parabolic reflectors for recording sound. We couldn't take people to exotic and remote locations and so we decided that we would bring some of these locations to them. I created a greenscreen adventure to do just that. It was a very successful activity with more than 500 children (and a few adults) having a go at presenting from one of three locations; Polar Bears in the Arctic, Orangutan in the rainforest and Great White Sharks under the sea. The shark adventure was by far the most popular - giving our intrepid presenters the opportunity to swim with, and escape, this formidable predator! I've had lots of people calling and requesting information on how to create a live greenscreen and so I've put together this basic guide to get you started...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBek3ZkeczI/AAAAAAAADuM/NAVGd92vZcs/s1600/GreenChromaKey.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBek3ZkeczI/AAAAAAAADuM/NAVGd92vZcs/s1600/GreenChromaKey.jpg" /></a><b>Step 1. Hire or make your greenscreen</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I used two 2x1 metre strips of lime green fabric bought from a craft shop and sewed together. For best results use a single continuous piece of material as any 'joins' will create lines through your green screen image. A nice bright lime green material works best but blue has also been traditionally used in television.<br />
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<b>Step 2. Find a location </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For best results you will need a location that is not influenced by natural light. As we were creating a greenscreen experience for the Bristol Festival of Nature 'The BBC Adventure Screen', we had to work within a white festival tent. On the first day the lighting was even and so once the chroma-key had been set (i.e. the green removed so that you can insert your custom backdrop) it did not need to be recalibrated. On the second day the sky was intermittently cloudy and the lightning conditions frequently changed. I created a chroma-key setting optimised for both light conditions so I could switch between the two as the natural light changed.<b><br />
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Step 3. Stretch the material</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ensure the greenscreen is pulled tight and flat, any creases could distort the greenscreen image.<br />
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<b>Step 4. Use even lighting</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As already mentioned lighting is of the most important factors to consider. For best results it's important that the greenscreen is lit evenly and is much brighter than the 'presenter'. I used two kenoflo lights, which produce a nice soft white light. I did not use hot-heads as the light produced by these tend to be concentrated at a central focal point, they also tend to become 'hot' which is not a good idea when working in tents at a public event.<br />
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<b>Step 5. Connect Camera</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can use any camera device including the inbuilt webcam on a macbook pro. For a much better image, and to optimise the chroma-key effect, I used a Z1 camera connected to my Macbook Pro via firewire.<br />
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<b>Step 6. Connect Sound</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For sound I connected a directional microphone to the camera, and had the audio playing from external speakers connected to the cameras minijack port. These speakers where situated away from the presenter and oriented towards the audience. The video that I created to play behind the presenter as the 'video layer' had sound effects and music. To create a more immersive experience I fed this audio directly from the laptop into a second pair of speakers which were placed facing the presenter.<br />
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<b>Step 7. Connect view screen</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I connected the laptop to a plasma screen onto which the final greenscreen composite was played full-screen. The control deck of the software was visible on the laptop screen so the public could see how it all worked. Due to the limitations of the plasma screen that I was using there was a short delay in image playback. This was because I had to convert from a digital output from the mac to an analogue input into the TV. I would recommend using a digital output to digital input such as a DVI to HDMI cable.</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBeZ8syNtWI/AAAAAAAADuA/isx_dv1gmNU/s1600/filtering.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBeZ8syNtWI/AAAAAAAADuA/isx_dv1gmNU/s1600/filtering.png" /></a><b>Step 8. Create a greenscreen layer</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I used <a href="http://www.boinx.com/boinxtv/">BoinxTV</a> but this is quite a pricey package, so if you just want a simple greenscreen there's plenty of free software such as: <a href="http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/30027/chroma-key-live">Chroma Key Live</a><br />
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Once the greenscreen is in place and the lighting has been set it's time to launch the chroma-key software and calibrate the image. With Chroma Key Live it's a simple case of clicking on the green within the image displayed in the software window. If all has worked well the green of the greenscreen will be replaced by a grey and white chequerboard. If the lighting is not even some of the green material may still be visible through the chequers (as in the image on the left). You can adjust hue, brightness and saturation until the greenscreen has been completely highlighted (most software will have an auto button to make this process even simpler!).<b><br />
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Step 9. Create a video layer</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Upload a video to use as a backdrop. This will form the layer which sits beneath the greenscreen layer. This 'video layer' will be visible and should completely replace the chequers in the chroma-key layer. Using BoinxTV I was able to line up all videos as separate layers ready to be switched on depending on which 'adventure' the presenter wished to do. Most Chroma-key software only allows one background video to be loaded at a time meaning a new video has to be uploaded with each presenter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Step 10. Added Glitz</b><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBei2zbBboI/AAAAAAAADuE/vKWEo73uP-g/s1600/BBC+Adventure+Screen.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/TBei2zbBboI/AAAAAAAADuE/vKWEo73uP-g/s320/BBC+Adventure+Screen.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We gave the 'presenters' clothing to suite the locations they were visiting, e.g. polar gear or a rainforest hat - children also really enjoyed using binoculars in their search for wildlife! If the presenter is wearing a green T-shirt it may appear transparent with the background, so its handy to have something that they can wear over the top... however, many children enjoy the chance to be partially invisible. We did keep an extra piece of green material so they could play with it - like Harry Potters invisibility cloak! <br />
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An added feature of BoinxTV was that I was able to create additional layers to overlay onto the composite image. The 'video layer' was the bottom layer, the presenter chroma-key layer was the middle layer and then I created a snow or rain layer as the top layer. I used an additional layer which showed their name and location e.g. 'Charlie LIVE from the Arctic'.<br />
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Hope this helps. Have fun. - Paul</div>IAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00997964646263668105noreply@blogger.com0