Names and faces
■ “Super/Natural,” a six-part series from National Geographic now streaming on Disney+, tapped “Avatar” creator James Cameron as executive producer, and he has 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. “We’re not actually falsifying or turning it into a superhero movie. We’re giving an access portal for our limited senses into a natural world that goes far, far beyond anything that we can sense directly,” Cameron said. The episodes are arranged by theme — eat or be eaten, the mating game and bloodlines are some of the topics — 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. Videographers armed with the latest science data underwent 80 animal shoots in 25 countries, using such high-tech gear as highspeed cameras and drones. Cameron listed what they tried to capture, including infrasound, ultrasound, ultraviolet and infrared. “What’s our purpose in this? Not just to entertain, but absolutely to teach and to show the wonder, the majesty, the complexity, of nature,” he said. “We’re going to pull out every trick we know as entertainers, as storytellers, to try to get that engagement.” Unlike with a traditional nature documentary where adding effects is forbidden, “Super/ Natural” allows us to feel what bat sonar might look like, see what a bumblebee sees or how bears communicate with invisible clues. The series is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, who’s lively, sly and delicious in his descriptions. “The female of the species is into some pretty freaky stuff,” he says of vampire spiders. Of cicadas popping out after 17 years underground, he drily adds: “America’s biggest speed dating event is about to begin.” Cameron was full of praise for Cumberbatch: “He doesn’t just narrate it; he acts it,” he said. “He gets you inside what’s happening in a way that I think is very relatable.” Cameron, an ardent environmentalist and vegan, sees “Super/Natural” as a logical extension of his latest filmmaking, which includes the forthcoming “Avatar” sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water.” In both, he hopes to reawaken a sense of wonder for the natural world.
■ A Fox News Channel original, Trace Gallagher, this week was named anchor of the “Fox News @ Night” hour that airs at 11 p.m. CDT. A veteran news reporter based in Los Angeles, Gallagher has been with the network since its inception in 1996. He replaces Shannon Bream, who recently took over as anchor of “Fox News Sunday.” Gallagher covered the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine recently, and he spent much time on stories about the covid-19 pandemic.