ThereB次元官网网址檚 a new nature documentary series that promises to show viewers incredible animal behavior in vibrant clarity. Heard that all before? Well, this one is on steroids.
a six-part series from National Geographic now streaming on Disney+, has tapped B次元官网网址淎vatarB次元官网网址� creator James Cameron as executive producer, and heB次元官网网址檚 added special effects on top of leading-edge filmmaking technology.
The effects sometimes morph the animals into something like stars in a Marvel movie, with their bellows distorting the air, lumbering attacks that cause shock waves in sand or pheromones from an insect rendered as bursting noxious clouds. Even trees light up when sugars move through their roots.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not actually falsifying or turning it into a superhero movie. WeB次元官网网址檙e giving an access portal for our limited senses into a natural world that goes far, far beyond anything that we can sense directly,B次元官网网址� Cameron told reporters recently.
The episodes are arranged by theme B次元官网网址� eat or be eaten, the mating game and bloodlines are some of the topics B次元官网网址� and viewers get a visual treat as cameras capture everything from fireflies in Mexico producing a synchronized light show to bottlenose dolphins teaming up with Brazilian fishermen to catch mullet.
B次元官网网址graphers armed with the latest science data underwent 80 animal shoots in 25 countries to create the series, using such high-tech gear as high-speed cameras and drones. Cameron listed what they tried to capture B次元官网网址� infrasound, ultrasound, ultraviolet and infrared, among them.
B次元官网网址淲hatB次元官网网址檚 our purpose in this? Not just to entertain, but absolutely to teach and to show the wonder, the majesty, the complexity, of nature,B次元官网网址� said Cameron. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to pull out every trick we know as entertainers, as storytellers, to try to get that engagement.B次元官网网址�
So unlike a traditional nature documentary where adding effects is a strict non-no, B次元官网网址淪uper/NaturalB次元官网网址� allows us to feel what bat sonar might look like, see what a bumblebee sees or how bears communicate with invisible clues.
B次元官网网址淭he bear can smell pheromones, but we canB次元官网网址檛 see it. ItB次元官网网址檚 a visual medium; itB次元官网网址檚 not a smell medium,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t is real. ItB次元官网网址檚 just that we canB次元官网网址檛 see it. So we have to use the effects to see as they see or to smell as they smell.B次元官网网址�
The series is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is lively, sly and delicious in his descriptions. B次元官网网址淭he female of the species is into some pretty freaky stuff,B次元官网网址� he says of vampire spiders. Of cicadas popping out after 17 years underground, he drily adds: B次元官网网址淎mericaB次元官网网址檚 biggest speed dating event is about to begin.B次元官网网址�
Cameron was full of praise for Cumberbatch: B次元官网网址淗e doesnB次元官网网址檛 just narrate it; he acts it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淗e gets you inside whatB次元官网网址檚 happening in a way that I think is very relatable.B次元官网网址�
Cameron, an ardent environmentalist and vegan, sees B次元官网网址淪uper/NaturalB次元官网网址� as a logical extension of his latest filmmaking, which includes the upcoming fantasy In both, he hopes to reawaken a sense of wonder for the natural world.
B次元官网网址淭he natural history stuff is not just a side gig to making B次元官网网址楢vatarB次元官网网址� movies. To me, they go together perfectly as something thatB次元官网网址檚 equally exciting to me,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t always awakens in me this sense of amazement at how complex nature is.B次元官网网址�
That amazement is captured in the series with images of glow-in-the-dark flying squirrels soaring the length of a football field, burrowing owls copying the sound of a snake rattle to scare away predators and devil rays leaping 6 feet out of the ocean.
CameronB次元官网网址檚 last documentary series on animals was B次元官网网址淪ecrets of the WhalesB次元官网网址� narrated by Sigourney Weaver. The director has fond memories from growing up in Canada of exploring the woods, trapping insects and watching birds.
B次元官网网址淚t blows your mind how amazing nature is, things that we just take for granted, and how nature has developed all these different amazing strategies for these animals and these plants over millions of years.B次元官网网址�
He also took a gentle swipe at the attention the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope have garnered, from NeptuneB次元官网网址檚 rings to galaxy clusters.
B次元官网网址淭his is the only planet we know of for sure B次元官网网址� evidence-based B次元官网网址� that has life. And itB次元官网网址檚 an amazing planet,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 hundreds of millions of species here as opposed to Mars, where we donB次元官网网址檛 even know if thereB次元官网网址檚 one species.
B次元官网网址淚 love Mars. I love exploration in space and underwater. But we have to take care of this planet. We have to understand it before we destroy it.B次元官网网址�
