Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
Technology:
New ways the BBC filmed its nature docuseries Seven Worlds, One Planet.
IN THE DISTANCE we see the nimble DJI drone capturing highdefinition footage of some of the world’s most endangered and majestic species. No, the drone isn’t in its natural habitat … but, with its technological acumen and the opportunities this has afforded, it has been instrumental in the BBC’s most recent odyssey into naturalhistory film-making.
If you’re anything like me, you will have tried to read the previous paragraph in your best Sir David Attenborough voice – personally,
I’m not very good at it, but I do enjoy listening to the great man himself on the BBC’s newest docuseries entitled Seven Worlds, One Planet. This, the latest offering from the acclaimed British broadcaster, began airing in South Africa in late March this year, and continues in May on DStv. It’s a series you shouldn’t miss.
The British Broadcasting Company has long been associated with creating some of the world’s most breathtaking nature docuseries, which include Blue Planet I and II, and Planet Earth I and II, among others. And of course Sir David was again asked to present and narrate, ensuring our late Sunday afternoons are filled with that soothing voice we’ve all grown so accustomed to over the years.
As familiar as hearing Sir David’s voice is on a BBC nature series, so too is seeing extraordinary imagery, and this time around it’s all been captured using technologically advanced methods and stateof-the-art cameras. The BBC has always pushed the boundaries of possibility when it comes to film-making, and Seven Worlds, One Planet is no exception.
The series has been a colossal undertaking, with film crews travelling to all seven continents to capture some 2 260 hours of footage across 1 794 shooting days. Included is never-before-seen footage of certain species, some of which are so rare, even Sir David couldn’t identify them at times.
What has certainly contributed to the incredibly expansive cinematography and imagery is the introduction of drones. Executive producer Jonny Keeling says these unmanned aircraft lent themselves perfectly to the series, and created a signature look and feel. Keeling explains how the drones went everywhere with the crew, including all 92 film shoot locations in 41 different countries. ‘We took them absolutely everywhere – into caves, down volcanoes, off of ships,
down to Antarctica … and it meant we didn’t have to use helicopters, which are notoriously expensive and give off too much carbon.’
Keeling goes on to explain that the drones presented the BBC with the opportunity to employ a different set of operators to the norm: ‘A couple of the guys we employed are in their early 20s; normally, the camera operators are in their 30s and 40s. But we took a chance on these guys because they’re younger and have been playing a lot of PlayStation and Xbox, so they’re really good at remote operating – we only crashed around 10 drones, which, considering the time frame, is very good.’
Drone expert Colin Jackson brought his prowess to the film crew and helped with the operation and coordination of the aircraft. Jackson says that over the last five years there has been a dramatic shift in the way cameras and technology are used in nature-documentary film-making. He describes how the footage is being shot in 8K resolution using some of the most advanced cameras in the world, while the expansion in drone technology coupled with highresolution miniature cameras has helped to reveal the real beauty and detail of the natural world. ‘There have also been developments in the world of thermal imaging, which we’ve been able to harness,’ says Jackson. ‘HD resolution thermal imaging helps us to see things we simply couldn’t with the naked eye.’
The impact that drones had on the filming of the series is immense, and Jackson believes that the many developments in technology and cameras helped to alleviate some of the transportation challenges that could have arisen. ‘Before we started the production, a large drone with a very experienced operator would have been required to manoeuvre a camera of suitably high quality. And while this was okay for some shoots, it wasn’t appropriate for all of them, as it didn’t give us the flexibility needed to capture all of the animal behaviour.’ Instead, incorporating smaller drones helped to ease usage negotiations in some of the foreign