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A nature documentary or wildlife documentary is a genre of
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
or
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used in ...
about
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
s,
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
s, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on video taken in their natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
but also often including footage of trained and captive animals. Sometimes they are about
wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
or
ecosystems
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
in relationship to human beings. Such programmes are most frequently made for
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, particularly for
public broadcasting
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
channels, but some are also made for the
cinema
Cinema may refer to:
Film
* Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography
* Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image
** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
...
medium. The proliferation of this
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
occurred almost simultaneously alongside the production of similar television series.
History
In cinema
Robert J. Flaherty
Robert Joseph Flaherty, (; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, '' Nanook of the North'' (1922). The film made his reputati ...
's 1922 film ''
Nanook of the North
''Nanook of the North'' is a 1922 American silent film which combines elements of documentary and docudrama, at a time when the concept of separating films into documentary and drama did not yet exist. In the tradition of what would later be c ...
'' is typically cited as the first feature-length documentary. Decades later,
Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
pioneered the serial theatrical release of nature-documentaries with its production of the
True-Life Adventures
''True-Life Adventures'' is a series of short and full-length nature documentary films released by Walt Disney Productions between the years 1948 and 1960. The first seven films released were thirty-minute shorts, with the subsequent seven films ...
series, a collection of fourteen full length and
short subject
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
nature films from 1948 to 1960. Prominent among those were ''
The Living Desert
''The Living Desert'' is a 1953 American nature documentary film that shows the everyday lives of the animals of the desert of the Southwestern United States. The film was written by James Algar, Winston Hibler, Jack Moffitt (uncredited) and T ...
'' (1953) and ''
The Vanishing Prairie
''The Vanishing Prairie'' is a 1954 American documentary film directed by James Algar and released by Walt Disney Productions.
The theme music was given a set of lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George. It was rechristened as "Pioneer's Prayer" in '' Wes ...
'' (1954), both written and directed by
James Algar
James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California ...
.
The first full-length nature-documentary films pioneering colour
underwater cinematography were the Italian film ''
Sesto Continente
This page lists chronologically the first achievements in cinema. The development of cinema is characterised by technological breakthroughs, from early experiments in the recording of day-to-day activity, experiments in colour, different formats an ...
'' (''The Sixth Continent'') and the French film ''
Le Monde du silence
''The Silent World'' (french: Le Monde du silence) is a 1956 French documentary film co-directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle. One of the first films to use underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color, its title derives f ...
'' (''The Silent World''). Directed by
Folco Quilici
Folco Quilici (9 April 1930 – 24 February 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed a total of 22 films between 1952 and his retirement in 2005, including '' Tiko and the Shark'' ( it). His 1955 film ''L'ultimo par ...
''Sesto Continente'' was shot in 1952 and first exhibited to Italian audiences in 1954. ''The Silent World'', shot in 1954 and 1955 by
Jacques Cousteau and
Louis Malle
Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both Cinema of France, French cinema and Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a fi ...
, was first released in 1956.
Many other nature-documentary films followed in subsequent years, such as those made by
Nicolas Vanier
Nicolas Vanier (born 5 May 1962) is a French adventurer, writer and director.
His 2004 film '' The Last Trapper'' follows a trapper in Yukon, Canada.
His film, ' ("Wolf") was released at the end of 2009 and was presented at the 2010 Cannes Film ...
(''The Last Trapper'', 2004),
Luc Jacquet
Luc Jacquet (born 5 December 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed the film ''March of the Penguins'', which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2005 and received a nomination for the Writers Guild of ...
(''
March of the Penguins
''March of the Penguins'' (French ''La Marche de l'empereur'' ; ) is a 2005 French feature-length nature documentary directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The documentary dep ...
'', 2005), and
Alastair Fothergill
Alastair David William Fothergill (born 10 April 1960) is a British producer of nature documentaries for television and cinema. He is the series producer of the series ''The Blue Planet'' (2001), ''Planet Earth'' (2006) and the co-director of ...
(''
African Cats
''African Cats'' (known as ''Felines'' in France) is a 2011 nature documentary film about a pride of lions and a family of cheetahs trying to survive in the African savannah directed by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey. The film was released ...
'', 2011), among others.
In television
In 1954, the BBC started airing
Zoo Quest
''Zoo Quest'' is a series of multi-part nature documentaries broadcast on the BBC Television Service between 1954 and 1963. It was the first major programme to feature David Attenborough.
In each series, Attenborough travelled with staff from L ...
, featuring
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
. Other early nature documentaries include ''Fur and Feathers'' shown on
CBC from 1955 to 1956 and hosted by
Ian McTaggart-Cowan., and ''Look'', a studio-based BBC magazine-program with filmed inserts, hosted by
Sir Peter Scott
Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in ...
from 1955 to 1981. The first 50-minute weekly documentary series, ''The World About Us'', began on BBC2 in 1967 with a color installment from the French filmmaker Haroun Tazieff, called "Volcano". Around 1982, the series changed its title to ''
The Natural World'', which the
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of BBC Studios that produces television, radio and online content with a natural history or wildlife theme. It is best known for its highly regarded nature documentaries, including '' ...
in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
continues to produce . In 1961,
Anglia Television
ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
produced the first of the award-winning ''
Survival
Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
'' series.
Between 1974 and 1980, the Spanish nature documentary television series ''
El Hombre y la Tierra'' (The Man and the Earth), produced by
TVE and presented by naturalist
Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente
Félix Samuel Rodríguez de la Fuente (March 14, 1928 – March 14, 1980) was a Spanish naturalist and Broadcasting, broadcaster. He is best known for the highly successful and influential TV series, ''El Hombre y la Tierra'' (1974–1980). A ...
used 35 mm film, which posed significant logistic and technical challenges at the time. The show gained international recognition.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, several other television companies round the world set up their own specialized natural-history departments, including the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
TVNZ
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...
's unit in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
— both still in existence, the latter having changed its name to "
NHNZ
NHNZ, formerly Natural History New Zealand, is a New Zealand-based television production house.
It works and co-produces with multiple major global broadcasters: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, A&E Television Networks, Na ...
".
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's contribution to the genre, ''Survival'', became a prolific series of single films. It was eventually axed when the network introduced a controversial new schedule which many commentators have criticized as "
dumbing down
Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, and cinema, news, video games, and culture. Originated in 1933, the term "dumbing down" was movie-business slang, used by screenplay writers, mean ...
".
Wildlife and natural history films have boomed in popularity and have become one of modern society's most important sources of information about the natural world. Yet film and television critics and scholars have largely ignored them.
The BBC television series ''Walking With'', narrated by
Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...
, used computer-generated imagery (CGI) and
animatronics to film prehistoric life in a similar manner to other nature documentaries. The shows (''
Walking with Dinosaurs
''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 1999 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Tim Haines and produced by the BBC Science Unit the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide, in association with TV Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. Envi ...
'', ''
Walking with Beasts
''Walking with Beasts'', marketed as ''Walking with Prehistoric Beasts'' in North America, is a 2001 six-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Impossible Pictures and produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, the Discovery C ...
'', and ''
Walking with Monsters
''Walking with Monsters – Life Before Dinosaurs'', marketed as ''Before the Dinosaurs – Walking with Monsters'' in North America, is a 2005 three-part nature documentary television miniseries created by Impossible Pictures and produced by ...
'') had three spinoffs, two of which featured
Nigel Marven
Nigel Alan Marven (born 27 November 1960) is a British wildlife TV presenter, naturalist, conservationist, author, and television producer. He is best known as presenter of the BBC miniseries '' Chased by Dinosaurs'', its sequel, '' Sea Monsters ...
: ''
Chased by Dinosaurs'' and
''Sea Monsters: A Walking with Dinosaurs Trilogy''.
Robert Winston
Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston, (born 15 July 1940) is a British professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and Labour Party politician.
Early life
Robert Winston was born in London to Laurence Winston and Rut ...
presented ''
Walking with Cavemen
''Walking with Cavemen'' is a 2003 four-part nature documentary television miniseries produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, the Discovery Channel and ProSieben. ''Walking with Cavemen'' explores human evolution, showcasing various extinct Hom ...
''.
Content
Overview
Most nature documentary films or television series focus on a particular
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
,
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
, or
scientific
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
idea (such as
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
). Although most take a scientific and
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
al approach, some
anthropomorphise their subjects or present animals purely for the viewer's pleasure. In a few instances, they are in presented in
ethnographic film
An ethnographic film is a non-fiction film, often similar to a documentary film, historically shot by Western filmmakers and dealing with non-Western people, and sometimes associated with anthropology. Definitions of the term are not definitive. ...
formats and contain stories that involve humans and their relationships with the natural world, as in ''
Nanook of the North
''Nanook of the North'' is a 1922 American silent film which combines elements of documentary and docudrama, at a time when the concept of separating films into documentary and drama did not yet exist. In the tradition of what would later be c ...
'' (1922), ''
The Story of the Weeping Camel
''The Story of the Weeping Camel'' ( mn, Ингэн нулимс, ', "Tears of the Camel") is a 2003 German docudrama distributed by ThinkFilm. It was released internationally in 2004. The film was directed and written by Byambasuren Davaa and ...
'' (2003), and ''
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' (1925).
Although almost all have a human presenter, the role varies widely, ranging from explanatory
voice-over
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
s to extensive interaction or even confrontation with animals.
Most nature documentaries are made for television and are usually of 45 to 50 minutes duration, but some are made as full-length cinematic presentations.
Such films include:
* ''
Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh'' (2009)
* ''
Animals Are Beautiful People
''Animals Are Beautiful People'' (also called ''Beautiful People'') is a 1974 South African nature documentary written, produced, directed, filmed and edited by Jamie Uys, about the wildlife in Southern Africa, presented with comedic elements. ...
'' (1974)
* ''
Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927)
* ''
Coral Reef Adventure
''Coral Reef Adventure'' is a documentary film released in 2003 to IMAX theaters. It was directed by Greg MacGillivray and narrated by Liam Neeson.
Embarking on a 10-month expedition through the islands of the South Pacific, husband and wife u ...
'' (2003)
* ''
The Cove'' (2009)
* ''
Encounters at the End of the World
''Encounters at the End of the World'' is a 2007 American documentary film by Werner Herzog about Antarctica and the people who choose to spend time there. It was released in North America on June 11, 2008, and distributed by ThinkFilm. At the 81 ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Grizzly Man
''Grizzly Man'' (2005) is an American documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell and the death of his girlfriend Amie Huguenard at Katmai National Park, Alaska. The fi ...
'' (2005)
* ''
The Last Paradises: On the Track of Rare Animals'' (1967)
* ''
The Leopard Son'' (1996)
* ''
The Living Desert
''The Living Desert'' is a 1953 American nature documentary film that shows the everyday lives of the animals of the desert of the Southwestern United States. The film was written by James Algar, Winston Hibler, Jack Moffitt (uncredited) and T ...
'' (1953)
* ''
March of the Penguins
''March of the Penguins'' (French ''La Marche de l'empereur'' ; ) is a 2005 French feature-length nature documentary directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The documentary dep ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Microcosmos'' (1996)
* ''
Sharkwater
''Sharkwater'' is a 2006 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Rob Stewart. Helping to protect sharks, changing government policy, and inspiring the creation of shark conservation groups, ''Sharkwater'' is considered one of conservati ...
'' (2006)
* ''
Serengeti Shall Not Die
''Serengeti Shall Not Die'' (german: Serengeti darf nicht sterben; also known as ''Serengeti'' ) is a 1959 German documentary film written and directed by Bernhard Grzimek.
His son, cinematographer Michael Grzimek, died on-location during the f ...
'' (1959)
* ''
The Silent World
''The Silent World'' (french: Le Monde du silence) is a 1956 French documentary film co-directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle. One of the first films to use underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color, its title derives f ...
'' (1956)
* ''
The Story of the Weeping Camel
''The Story of the Weeping Camel'' ( mn, Ингэн нулимс, ', "Tears of the Camel") is a 2003 German docudrama distributed by ThinkFilm. It was released internationally in 2004. The film was directed and written by Byambasuren Davaa and ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' (1925)
* ''
The Vanishing Prairie
''The Vanishing Prairie'' is a 1954 American documentary film directed by James Algar and released by Walt Disney Productions.
The theme music was given a set of lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George. It was rechristened as "Pioneer's Prayer" in '' Wes ...
'' (1954)
* ''
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
''The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill'' is a 2003 documentary film directed, produced, and edited by Judy Irving. It chronicles the relationship between Mark Bittner, an unemployed musician who lives rent-free in a cabin in the Telegraph Hill-neig ...
'' (2003)
* ''
White Wilderness'' (1958)
* ''
Winged Migration
''Winged Migration'' (french: Le Peuple Migrateur, also known as ''The Travelling Birds'' in some UK releases, or ''The Travelling Birds: An Adventure in Flight'' in Australia) is a 2001 documentary film directed by Jacques Cluzaud, Michel De ...
'' (2001)
In addition, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
The Blue Planet
''The Blue Planet'' is a British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC. It premiered on 12 September 2001 in the United Kingdom. It is narrated by David Attenborough.
Described as "the first ever comprehensive series on t ...
'' and ''
Planet Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...
'' series have both been adapted by
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
and Greenlight Media for theatrical release.
In some cases, nature documentaries are produced in the
short subject
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
form and are subsequently screened in theaters or broadcast on television. Often they are about the relationship between humans and nature. Notable examples include:
* ''Agafia's Taiga Life'' (2013)
* ''
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
'' (1958)
* ''
In Beaver Valley
''In Beaver Valley'' is a 1950 American short documentary film directed by James Algar. The film was produced by Walt Disney as part of the '' True-Life Adventures'' series of nature documentaries. It won an Oscar in 1951 for Best Short Subjec ...
'' (1950)
* ''The Land'' (1942) 45-minute documentary made for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
* ''
The Plow That Broke the Plains
''The Plow That Broke the Plains'' is a 1936 short documentary film that shows the cultivation of the Great Plains region of the United States and Canada following the Civil War and leading up to the Dust Bowl as a result of farmers' exploitati ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The River'' (1938)
* ''
Seal Island'' (1948)
Every two years the
Wildscreen
Wildscreen is a wildlife conservation charity based in Bristol, England.
The charity was founded in December 1987 from a trust which had operated since 1982, with the initial aim of encouraging and applauding excellence in the production of na ...
Trust, of Bristol in the
UK presents the
Panda Awards for nature documentaries.
Criticism
The "naturalness" of nature documentaries has been disputed.
Some, particularly those involving animals, have included footage of staged events that appear "natural" while actually contrived by filmmakers or occurring in captivity.
In a famous example,
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's ''
White Wilderness'' (1958),
lemming
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also includ ...
s were herded to their deaths from a cliff by the filmmakers.
Examples also occur in modern nature documentaries, such as ''
Hidden Kingdoms'' (2014) and ''
Blue Planet II
''Blue Planet II'' is a 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, ''The Blue Planet'' (2001), it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
After ...
'' (2017), indicating that such practices are still routine. Due to the difficulties of recording sounds on locations, it is common for nature documentary makers to record sounds in post-production using
Foley and to use
sound effect
A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...
libraries.
Compositing
Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live action, Live-action shooting for compositing is ...
and
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
are also sometimes used to construct shots. Wild animals are often filmed over weeks or months, so the footage must be condensed to form a
narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller (ge ...
that appears to take place over a short space of time. Such narratives are also constructed to be as compelling as possible—rather than necessarily as a reflection of reality—and make frequent use of voice-overs, combined with emotional and intense music to maximise the audience's engagement with the content.
One common technique is to follow the "story" of one particular animal, encouraging the audience to form an emotional connection with the subject and to root for their survival when they encounter a
predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
.
In 1984, David Attenborough stated:
There is precious little that is natural … in any film. You distort speed if you want to show things like plants growing, or look in detail at the way an animal moves. You distort light levels. You distort distribution, in the sense that you see dozens of different species in a jungle within a few minutes, so that the places seem to be teeming with life. You distort size by using close-up lenses. And you distort sound. What the filmmaker is trying to do is to convey a particular experience. … The viewer has to trust in the good faith of the filmmaker.
Nature documentaries have been criticized for leaving viewers with the impression that wild animals survived and thrived after encounters with predators, even when they sustain potentially life-threatening injuries. They also cut away from particularly violent encounters,
or attempt to downplay the
suffering endured by the individual animal, by appealing to concepts such as the "
balance of nature" and "the good of the herd".
Notable nature documentary filmmakers
Among the many notable filmmakers, scientists, and presenters who have contributed to the medium include:
*
James Algar
James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California ...
*
Sir David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
*
Gordon Buchanan
Gordon John Buchanan (born 10 April 1972) is a Scottish wildlife filmmaker and presenter. His work includes the nature documentaries '' Tribes, Predators & Me'', '' The Polar Bear Family & Me'' and '' Life in the Snow''.
Early life
Buchanan wa ...
*
Richard Brock
*
Jacques Cousteau
*
Jeff Corwin
Jeffrey Corwin (born July 11, 1967) is an American biologist and wildlife conservationist, known for hosting Disney Channel's '' Going Wild with Jeff Corwin'', ''The Jeff Corwin Experience'' on Animal Planet, ABC's ''Ocean Mysteries with J ...
*
Gerald Durrell
Gerald Malcolm Durrell, (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island o ...
*
Alastair Fothergill
Alastair David William Fothergill (born 10 April 1960) is a British producer of nature documentaries for television and cinema. He is the series producer of the series ''The Blue Planet'' (2001), ''Planet Earth'' (2006) and the co-director of ...
*
Robert Flaherty
*
Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente
Félix Samuel Rodríguez de la Fuente (March 14, 1928 – March 14, 1980) was a Spanish naturalist and Broadcasting, broadcaster. He is best known for the highly successful and influential TV series, ''El Hombre y la Tierra'' (1974–1980). A ...
*
Bernhard Grzimek
*
Tim Haines
Tim Haines is a screenwriter, producer and director who is best known for his work on the BBC popular science shows ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''Walking with Beasts'', and ''Walking with Monsters''. He is co-creator and executive producer o ...
*
Judy Irving
Judy Irving is an American filmmaker. She directed the documentary ''The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill'', about writer Mark Bittner's relationship with a flock of wild parrots. The film won the Genesis Award for "Outstanding Documentary Film" ...
*
Steve Irwin
Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.
Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...
*
Hugo van Lawick
Hugo Arndt Rodolf, Baron van Lawick (10 April 1937 – 2 June 2002) was a Dutch wildlife filmmaker and photographer.
Through his still photographs and films, Van Lawick helped popularize the study of chimpanzees during his wife Jane Goodall' ...
*
Jasper James
*
Nigel Marven
Nigel Alan Marven (born 27 November 1960) is a British wildlife TV presenter, naturalist, conservationist, author, and television producer. He is best known as presenter of the BBC miniseries '' Chased by Dinosaurs'', its sequel, '' Sea Monsters ...
*
Greg MacGillivray
Greg MacGillivray (born 1945) is an American film director and cinematographer.
Career
MacGillivray was first nominated for an Academy Award in 1995 for directing '' The Living Sea'' ( Best Documentary Short Subject), and was nominated in the sa ...
*
Ian McTaggart-Cowan
*
Desmond Morris
Desmond John Morris FLS ''hon. caus.'' (born 24 January 1928) is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book '' The Naked Ape'', and for his televis ...
*
Neil Nightingale
Neil Nightingale (born 6 February 1960[NIGHTINGALE, Neil](_blank)
''Who's Who 2015'', A & C Bl ...
*
Marlin Perkins
Richard Marlin Perkins (March 28, 1905 – June 14, 1986) was an American zoology, zoologist. He was best known as a host of the television program ''Wild Kingdom, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'' from 1963 to 1985.
Life and career
Perkin ...
*
Coyote Peterson
Nathaniel "Coyote" Peterson (born September 1, 1981) is an American YouTuber, wildlife educator, and host of Animal Planet's series ''Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild''. He is best known for his YouTube channel Brave Wilderness, which focuses on d ...
*
Cotee Peterson
*
Jacques Perrin
Jacques Perrin (born Jacques André Simonet; 13 July 1941 – 21 April 2022) was a French actor and film producer. He was occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet.
Early life
Jacques André Simonet was born on the Boulevard Port-Royal in P ...
*
Louie Psihoyos
Louis (Louie) Psihoyos (born April 15, 1957) is an American photographer and documentary film director known for his still photography and contributions to National Geographic. Psihoyos, a certified SCUBA diver, has become increasingly concerned ...
*
Eugen Schuhmacher
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Heinz Sielmann
Heinz Sielmann (2 June 1917 – 6 October 2006) was a German wildlife photographer, biologist, zoologist and documentary filmmaker.
Early life
Heinz's father was physician Paul Sielmann.
His first film, in 1938, was a silent movie on bird life ...
*
Marty Stouffer
*
Mark Strickson
Mark Strickson (born 6 April 1959) is a British TV producer and actor best known for his acting role as the character of Vislor Turlough, a companion of the Fifth Doctor, on the television series ''Doctor Who.''
Early life
Strickson was born ...
*
David Suzuki
*
Valmik Thapar
Valmik Thapar (born 1952) is an Indian naturalist, conservationist and writer. He is the author of 14 books and several articles, and has produced a range of programmes for television. Today he is one of India's most respected wildlife experts ...
List of notable nature documentary series
Sir David Attenborough
Sir
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
's contributions to conservation are widely regarded, and his television programs have been seen by millions of people throughout the world. Series narrated and/or presented by him include:
* ''
Zoo Quest
''Zoo Quest'' is a series of multi-part nature documentaries broadcast on the BBC Television Service between 1954 and 1963. It was the first major programme to feature David Attenborough.
In each series, Attenborough travelled with staff from L ...
'' (1954–1964)
*''
Life on Earth Life on Earth may refer to:
Science
* Life
* Earliest known life forms
* Evolutionary history of life
** Abiogenesis
Film and television
* ''Life on Earth'' (film) (''La Vie Sur Terre''), a 1998 Malian film
* ''Life on Earth'' (TV series), a 197 ...
'' (1979), 13 episodes
*''
The Living Planet
''The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 19 January 1984.
The sequel to his pioneering '' Life on Earth'', it is a study of t ...
'' (1984), 12 episodes
*''
The Trials of Life
''The Trials of Life: A Natural History of Behaviour'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the United Kingdom from 3 October 1990.
A study in animal behaviour, it was the third i ...
'' (1990), 12 episodes
*''
Life in the Freezer
''Life in the Freezer'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the United Kingdom from 18 November 1993.
A study of the seasonal cycle of Antarctica, it was the first of Attenborou ...
'' (1993), 6 episodes
*''
The Private Life of Plants
''The Private Life of Plants'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first shown in the United Kingdom from 11 January 1995.
A study of the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants, it was ...
'' (1995), 6 episodes
*''
The Life of Birds
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1998), 10 episodes
*''
The Blue Planet
''The Blue Planet'' is a British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC. It premiered on 12 September 2001 in the United Kingdom. It is narrated by David Attenborough.
Described as "the first ever comprehensive series on t ...
'' (2001), 8 episodes
*''
The Life of Mammals
''The Life of Mammals'' is a nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the United Kingdom from 20 November 2002.
A study of the evolution and habits of the various mammal species, it was the fo ...
'' (2002), 10 episodes
*''
Life in the Undergrowth'' (2005), 5 episodes
*''
Planet Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...
'' (2006), 11 episodes
*''Life in Cold Blood'' (2008), 5 episodes
*''Life (BBC TV series), Life'' (2009), 10 episodes
* ''Nature's Great Events'' (2009)
*''Frozen Planet'' (2011), 7 episodes
*''Kingdom of Plants 3D'' (2012), 3 episodes
*''David Attenborough's Conquest of the Skies 3D'' (2015), 3 episodes + Extra
*''Planet Earth II'' (2016), 6 episodes
*''
Blue Planet II
''Blue Planet II'' is a 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, ''The Blue Planet'' (2001), it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
After ...
'' (2017), 7 episodes
*''Our Planet'' (2019), 8 episodes
*''Seven Worlds, One Planet'' (2019), 7 episodes
*''The Green Planet (TV series), The Green Planet'' (2022), 5 episodes
*''Prehistoric Planet (2022 TV series), Prehistoric Planet'' (2022), 5 episodes
Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin
Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.
Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...
's documentaries, based on wildlife conservation and environmentalism, aired on Discovery Channel, and Animal Planet. The series comprises:
*''The Crocodile Hunter'' (1992–2004), 74 episodes
*''The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course'' (2002)'', Movie''
*''Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files'' (1999), 52 episodes
*''Ten Deadliest Snakes In The World, Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World'' (2001)
*''The Crocodile Hunter Diaries'' (2001–2003), 30 episodes
*''New Breed Vets'' (2005), 6 episodes
*''Ocean's Deadliest'' (2006)
Other notable documentaries
In addition to those listed above, the following is a sampling of the genre:
* ''Andes to Amazon'' (2000)
* ''Animal Atlas'' (2004–)
* ''Ark on the Move (TV series), Ark on the Move'' (1982)
* ''Banded Brothers'' (2010)
* ''The Bear Family & Me'' (2011)
* ''Big Cat Diary, Big Cat Week'' (2013)
* ''British Isles – A Natural History'' (2004)
* ''Corwin's Quest'': Animal Planet 2005.
* ''Congo (BBC TV series), Congo'' (2001)
* ''Cousins (TV series), Cousins'' (2000)
* ''Dark Days in Monkey City'' (2009)
* ''Earth: The Power of the Planet'' (2007)
* ''Earthflight'' (2011)
* ''Escape to Chimp Eden'' (2008)
* ''Europe: A Natural History'' (2005)
* ''The First Eden'' (1987)
* ''The Future Is Wild'' (2002)
* ''The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart'' (2010)
* ''Ganges (BBC TV series), Ganges'' (2007)
* ''Great Migrations'' (2010)
* ''Going Wild with Jeff Corwin'' (Disney Channel, 1997–1999)
* ''
El Hombre y la Tierra'' (1974–1981)
* ''How the Earth Was Made'' (2009)
* ''How the Universe Works'' (2010, 2012, 2014)
* ''The Human Animal (TV series), The Human Animal'' (1994)
* ''Human Planet'' (2011)
* ''In the Womb'' (2005–2010)
* ''Insectia'' (1999)
* ''Inside Life'' (2009)
* ''The Jeff Corwin Experience'' (2001–2003)
* ''Journeys to the Ends of the Earth'' (1998)
* ''King of the Jungle (TV series), King of the Jungle'' (Animal Planet, 2003–2004)
* ''Land of the Tiger'' (1997)
* ''Last Chance to See'' (2009)
* ''Lemur Street'' (2007–2008)
* ''The Living Edens'' (1997)
* ''Madagascar (TV series), Madagascar'' (2011)
* ''Meerkat Manor'' (2005)
* ''The Most Extreme'' (2002)
* ''Nature (TV series), Nature'' (1982–)
* ''Natural World (TV series), Natural World'' (1983–)
* ''The Nature of Things'' (1960–)
* ''Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin'' (American Broadcasting Company, ABC, 2011–14)
* ''Oceans (TV series), Oceans'' (2008)
* ''Orangutan Diary'' (2009)
* ''Orangutan Island'' (2007)
* ''Penguin Island (TV series), Penguin Island'' (2010)
* ''Planet Earth: The Future'' (2006)
* ''Really Wild Animals'' (1993–98)
* ''Talking with Animals'' (2002)
* ''The Really Wild Show'' (1986–2006)
* ''River Monsters'' (2009)
* ''Saving Planet Earth'' (2007)
* ''Sea Rescue (TV show), Sea Rescue'' (2012–2018)
* ''The Secret Life of Elephants'' (2009)
* ''South Pacific (TV series), South Pacific'' (2009)
* ''State of the Planet'' (2000)
* ''The Stationary Ark (TV series), The Stationary Ark'' (1975)
* ''The Predators of the Wild'' (1992–1996)
* ''Super Cats: A Nature Miniseries'' PBS (2018) – 3 Episodes
* ''Supernatural: The Unseen Powers of Animals'' (2008)
* ''
Survival
Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
'' (1961)
* ''Suzuki on Science'' (1971)
* ''Weird Nature'' (2001)
* ''Wild Africa'' (2001)
* ''Wild Caribbean'' (2007)
* ''Wild Down Under'' (2003)
* ''Wild Kingdom'' (1963–1988)
* ''Wild Russia'' (2009)
* ''Yellowstone (UK TV series), Yellowstone'' (2009)
Current production
In recent years, most traditional style 'blue chip' programming has become prohibitively expensive and are funded by a set of co-producers, usually a broadcaster (such as Animal Planet, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic, or NHK) from one or several countries, a production company, and sometimes a distributor which then has the rights to sell the show into more territories than the original broadcaster.
Two recent examples of co-productions that were filmed by the BBC are ''Planet Earth II'' (2016) and ''
Blue Planet II
''Blue Planet II'' is a 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, ''The Blue Planet'' (2001), it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
After ...
'' (2017).
Production companies are increasingly exploiting their filmed material, by making DVDs and Blu-rays for home viewing or educational purposes, or selling library footage to advertisers, museum exhibitors, and other documentary producers.
See also
* List of documentary films
* List of insect documentaries
Further reading
*Bush, W. Stephen (1915) Wild Life in Films ''The Moving Picture World'' Vol 23 #10:1462-1463
*Gregg Mitman: ''Reel Nature: America's Romance with Wildlife on Film'' (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classics), Paperback (Second Edition), Combined Academic Publishers, 2009,
*Chris Palmer (film producer), Chris Palmer: ''Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom'', Sierra Club Books, 2010,
References
External links
Light & Shadow Productions: German nature documentary company"The Mysterious Bee" An award winning documentary about Honey BeesTrouble in Lemur Land– a professional 50 minute HD film about illegal rosewood logging in Madagascar and the impact on the silky sifaka lemur
List of Nature Documentaries''Nature'' at BBC''Nature'' at PBS''TV/Radio Programmes at BBC''*
Outdoors Country', ca. 1957, Archives of Ontario YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nature Documentary
Documentary films about nature,
Documentary film genres