Hi

I have posted the 'Planet Earth' link in the Area 51 board but cannot believe the apparant lack of interest!

There are loads of clips to view on the BBC site but the most interesting is the Film Techniques section.

Ten clips showing stunning footage of Slow Motion, Time Lapse, Elapsed Time and incredible moving aerial shots from anything up to 400metres high and rock solid.

Why does a post about beer get hundreds of views and scores of posts and so far my post on Area 51 has about sixty views and two posts (one of them mine!)

Come on guys you're missing something here...http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/planetearth/realmedia/


Cheers

Tony

Why does a post about beer get hundreds of views and scores of posts and so far my post on Area 51 has about sixty views and two posts

Well, for one thing, I can grab a cold beer out of the fridge whenever I like, but if I go to the link you posted it says the following ;-)

Non UK users
Unfortunately you are unable to access this content. This is offered only to audiences in the UK.

If you are resident in the UK and cannot access it please let us know on our feedback page. Thank you.

Boyd

That's real shame! I don't know why they have done that..I'll be thinking of you tonight while I'm watching the show on TV ( cold beer in hand!!!!)

Cheers

Tony

Hey, perfectly understandable.... you gotta protect the crown jewels. But just you wait until you want something from PBS here! ;-)

But seriously, awhile ago I read that the BBC was going to put their library of historic footage online for viewing over the web. The article said it would only be available to citizens of the UK however. So I guess it has something to do with the BBC's charter to serve its citizens. No doubt you pay good money for their operations through your income taxes!

Boyd

We pay a license fee to the BBC! It's around £120 ($200) per year.

Still I don't mind....no commercials...sweet!

Cheers

Tony

ps. can you not get BBC on cable over there?

There may be some premium cable or satellite services which carry the BBC, but I don't get it myself so I'm not really sure how available it is in the US. Some programs are occasionally picked up by other outlets I think, like PBS. There are also some public radio stations which carry the BBC news.

"Planet Earth" is a co-production with Discovery Channel (I think) and a few others. In all likelyhood the BBC has no distribution rights outside the UK, which is why the link is only available to UK residents. Discovery channel might be willling to put up some linksof their own, or choose to put them on a special edition DVD.

Tom, internationally, there's a BBC World, which is just a rejigged BBC News 24 with episodes of Panorama and top gear thrown in, and BBC Prime, which shows Eastenders and cookery shows for homesick expats. Prestige shows like the nature docs and the big drama shows (soaps aside) get sold off too or a co-producitons with local channels. Rome was a BBC/HBO co-production for example.

I think in America there's a BBC USA, which is even more carefully put together regarding international distribution deals.

also, you might have had more reaction by posting this in the wildlife forum or in the totem poll area, where films are generally under discussion. instead of the beer 'n' rumors area. just a thought.

the link is tantalizing, however. too bad i can't access it either! even worse is that i can't access the open earth archive and slurp up all the free footage.

Meryem

You're probably right, still trying to find out what goes where!

But I would have thought most people check 'new posts' which takes in all boards, right?

Cheers

Tony

For non-UK citizens interested in this footage, take a look here:

http://forums.dvdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=37336

OH.....MY.....GOD!!!!

I cannot believe what I have just seen! There was too much to even begin to explain but the only thing I can think to say is that Speilberg,Jackson and Lucas, et al, have devoted their lives to making the unbelievable, real....this film just made what is real, unbelievable!

If you have seen it....opening shots, flock of white birds......polar bears....great white shark....birds of paradise......snow leopards...ALL the aerial shots using the HD Heli Gimble!

What a fantastic place we inhabit, thank God for these people who bring it to us in such spectacular fashion.

I really liked the 'Diaries' section at the end, where they show you a little of how the footage was gathered.

If you cannot get BBC in your part of the World wait for the DVD to come out and BUY IT. You will not be dissappointed, and this was only the first episode!

Imagine what this would look like in a theatre or even on an HD DVD and HD TV!

One thing that was easy to miss with all the great images was how good the sound was.

Cheers


Tony

Couldn't agree with Tony more!!

This series is INCREDIBLE!

The 1000fps shot of a Great White jumping 10ft out of the water and catching a seal took my breath away!

If you can't get the show in the USA, move to the UK, it's that good!

If you can't get the show in the USA, move to the UK, it's that good!
Agreed - although waiting for the DVD may be easier! :-)

It's just a shame that although produced in HD it can't yet be transmitted that way in the UK.

Which brings up an interesting thought. Will it be released on HD-DVD/Blu-Ray as well as DVD in countries such as the US where HD is more established?

Mike & David

Some confusion here but I have just read on the BBC site that there are definitely FOUR (maybe even FIVE) more episodes this time around and SIX more in the Autumn!!!

I think I just went into sensory overload! I am now signing off to have a lay down in a dark room

Cheers

Tony

Probably the most stunning images I've ever seen. The footage of the Emperor Penguins huddling in the chill of the Antarctic winter, the mind-boggling display of the bird of paradise, the shark... 50 minutes of TV that totally justified the licence fee! But the epic and incredible subject matter aside, I couldn't believe the clarity, colour and beauty of the footage even on my sd tv so I'm sure it will look even more exquisite when it is broadcast in HD. Also, so many of the shots would have been impossible or ludicrously difficult / expensive to do on film. Why would anybody want to shoot film ever again when stuff like this can be achieved with hi def digital image capture?

I forgot to mention the seasonal, full motion time lapse shots! And like Tony mentioned, even the sound design was top notch.

Anyone know what camera they used for the high speed Shark footage? I was wondering how they could have got those shots as at 1000fps you can't just "leave the camera running" and hope to something happens.

I keep thinking how perfect P2 would be for shooting this kind of thing because of the Pre-roll function. I'm sure the Varicam 2 won't disappoint wildlife cinematographers.

Actually, material was aquired on 35mm, S16mm, HDCAM and DVCproHD, so some of that stunning imagery WAS captured on film. I gather that S16 was considered bottom of the pile in terms of image quality, but some of the underwater stuff (for example) couldn't be got on HD or 35mm. That may change with the advent of the HDV cameras or the HVX (all came out after the series was done shooting).

I saw a very informative talk on this programme from a BBC rep at VideoForum 2005.

Anyone know what camera they used for the high speed Shark footage? I was wondering how they could have got those shots as at 1000fps you can't just "leave the camera running" and hope to something happens.

.
There is a discussion here:
http://forums.dvdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=37235&page=3
See the foot of the page, where the belief is that it was shot with an Arri Tornado.

There is a discussion here:
http://forums.dvdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=37235&page=3
See the foot of the page, where the belief is that it was shot with an Arri Tornado.

Thanks David!