A nature documentary or wildlife documentary is a genre of documentary film or series about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on video taken in their natural habitat but also often including footage of trained and captive animals. Sometimes they are about wildlife or ecosystems in relationship to human beings. Such programmes are most frequently made for television, particularly for public broadcasting channels, but some are also made for the cinema medium. The proliferation of this genre occurred almost simultaneously alongside the production of similar television series.

History

In cinema

Robert J. Flaherty's 1922 film '' Nanook of the North'' is typically cited as the first feature-length documentary. Decades later, Walt Disney Productions 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'' (1953) and '' The Vanishing Prairie'' (1954), both written and directed by James Algar. 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 ''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 Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...

and Louis Malle, was first released in 1956. Many other nature-documentary films followed in subsequent years, such as those made by Nicolas Vanier (''The Last Trapper'', 2004), Luc Jacquet ('' March of the Penguins'', 2005), and Alastair Fothergill ('' African Cats'', 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 ...

, 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 Ian McTaggart-Cowan (June 25, 1910 – April 18, 2010) was a Scottish-Canadian zoologist, conservation movement, conservationist, and television presenter. He has been called "the father of Canadian ecology". He was the brother of meteorologist P ...

., and ''Look'', a studio-based BBC magazine-program with filmed inserts, hosted by Sir Peter Scott 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 in Bristol continues to produce . In 1961, Anglia Television produced the first of the award-winning '' Survival'' series. Between 1974 and 1980, the Spanish nature documentary television series '' El Hombre y la Tierra'' (The Man and the Earth), produced by

TVE TVE may stand for: Television * Televisión Española, a Spanish state-owned public-service television broadcaster ** TVE HD, a high-definition channel run by Televisión Española * Televisão Educativa, a defunct Brazilian TV network * TV Eduk ...

and presented by naturalist Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente 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 in Melbourne,

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, New Zealand — 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, Natio ...

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". 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, used computer-generated imagery (CGI) and

animatronics Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

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'') had three spinoffs, two of which featured Nigel Marven: ''

Chased by Dinosaurs ''Land of Giants'' and ''The Giant Claw'', marketed together as ''Chased by Dinosaurs'' in the United States, are two special episodes of the nature documentary television series ''Walking with Dinosaurs''.' Created by Impossible Pictures and p ...

'' and ''Sea Monsters: A Walking with Dinosaurs Trilogy''. Robert Winston 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, ecosystem, or scientific idea (such as evolution). Although most take a scientific and educational 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 formats and contain stories that involve humans and their relationships with the natural world, as in '' Nanook of the North'' (1922), '' The Story of the Weeping Camel'' (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-overs 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'' (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 un ...

'' (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 81s ...

'' (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 fil ...

'' (2005) * '' The Last Paradises: On the Track of Rare Animals'' (1967) * ''

The Leopard Son ''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 m ...

'' (1996) * '' The Living Desert'' (1953) * '' March of the Penguins'' (2005) * '' Microcosmos'' (1996) * '' Sharkwater'' (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'' (1956) * '' The Story of the Weeping Camel'' (2003) * '' Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' (1925) * '' The Vanishing Prairie'' (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's '' The Blue Planet'' and '' Planet Earth'' 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

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'' (1950) * ''The Land'' (1942) 45-minute documentary made for the U.S. Department of Agriculture * '' The Plow That Broke the Plains'' (1936) * '' The River'' (1938) * '' Seal Island'' (1948) Every two years the Wildscreen Trust, of Bristol in the UK presents the

Panda Awards The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes use ...

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's '' White Wilderness'' (1958), lemmings were herded to their deaths from a cliff by the filmmakers. Examples also occur in modern nature documentaries, such as ''

Hidden Kingdoms ''Hidden Kingdoms'' is a British documentary television series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 16 January 2014. The three-part series is narrated by Stephen Fry and shows how animals experience the world from their perspective. Animals sh ...

'' (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 libraries. Compositing 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 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. 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 Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence of a ...

endured by the individual animal, by appealing to concepts such as the "

balance of nature The balance of nature, also known as ecological balance, is a theory that proposes that ecological systems are usually in a stable equilibrium or homeostasis, which is to say that a small change (the size of a particular population, for example) w ...

" 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 * Sir David Attenborough * Gordon Buchanan *

Richard Brock Richard Brock (born 1938) worked in the BBC as a natural history film producer for 35 years. He was a member of the production team on the highly successful '' Life on Earth'', and served as executive producer on ''The Living Planet'', collaborati ...

* Jeff Corwin * Gerald Durrell * Alastair Fothergill *

Robert 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 reputatio ...

* Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente *

Bernhard Grzimek Bernhard Klemens Maria Grzimek (; 24 April 1909 – 13 March 1987) was a German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West Germany. Biography Early years and education Grzimek was born in Neisse (N ...

* Tim Haines *

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 * Hugo van Lawick *

Jasper James Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

* Nigel Marven *

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 same c ...

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 televisi ...

* Neil Nightingale * Marlin Perkins * Coyote Peterson * Cotee Peterson * Jacques Perrin * Louie Psihoyos *

Eugen Schuhmacher Eugen Schuhmacher (actually Eugen Josef Robert Schuhmacher) (4 August 1906 – 8 January 1973) was a German zoologist and pioneer of animal documentaries. Besides Bernhard Grzimek and Heinz Sielmann he belongs to the German wildlife documentary fi ...

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 Martin Luther Stouffer Jr. (born September 5, 1948), is the narrator and producer of the wildlife and nature documentary television program '' Wild America'' that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the 1980s. Stouffer was ...

* Mark Strickson *

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at th ...

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

'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: * ''

'' (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'' (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'' (1993), 6 episodes *'' The Private Life of Plants'' (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 m ...

'' (1998), 10 episodes *'' The Blue Planet'' (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 ''Life in the Undergrowth'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 23 November 2005. A study of the evolution and habits of invertebrates, it was the fifth of Attenborough ...

'' (2005), 5 episodes *'' Planet Earth'' (2006), 11 episodes *''

Life in Cold Blood ''Life in Cold Blood'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first broadcast in the United Kingdom from 4 February 2008 on BBC One. A study of the evolution and habits of amphibians and reptiles, it ...

'' (2008), 5 episodes *'' Life'' (2009), 10 episodes * '' Nature's Great Events'' (2009) *'' Frozen Planet'' (2011), 7 episodes *''

Kingdom of Plants 3D ''Kingdom of Plants 3D'' is a natural history documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, which explores the world of plants. It was filmed over the course of a year at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. The series premiered ...

'' (2012), 3 episodes *'' David Attenborough's Conquest of the Skies 3D'' (2015), 3 episodes + Extra *'' Planet Earth II'' (2016), 6 episodes *''

'' (2017), 7 episodes *'' Our Planet'' (2019), 8 episodes *'' Seven Worlds, One Planet'' (2019), 7 episodes *'' The Green Planet'' (2022), 5 episodes *''

Prehistoric Planet ''Prehistoric Planet'' is a British-American nature documentary streaming television series about dinosaurs that premiered on Apple TV+ beginning May 23, 2022. It is produced by the BBC Studios Natural History Unit with Jon Favreau as showrunn ...

'' (2022), 5 episodes

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin's documentaries, based on wildlife conservation and environmentalism, aired on

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

, and Animal Planet. The series comprises: *'' The Crocodile Hunter'' (1992–2004), 74 episodes *'' The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course'' (2002)'', Movie'' *'' The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files'' (1999), 52 episodes *'' Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World'' (2001) *'' The Crocodile Hunter Diaries'' (2001–2003), 30 episodes *''

New Breed Vets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

'' (2005), 6 episodes *'' Ocean's Deadliest'' (2006)

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 ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

, 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 ''

'' (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.

References

External links

Light & Shadow Productions: German nature documentary company

"The Mysterious Bee" An award winning documentary about Honey Bees

Trouble 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 film genres