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BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP FULL
BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP PROFESSIONAL
BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP SERIES
BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP TV

Honeyborne, who commissioned Blue Planet II, told the session’s chair, Torin Douglas, that, in conceptualising Blue Planet II, the aim had been to bring new stories to screen that viewers could connect with emotionally. Ice diving is uncomfortable but you do it because, if you want to show that world.… It’s the professionalism of the crews that enables you to work in such a hostile environment as the ocean.” “People put in the hours and put up with the hardships to do it. How would people sit at home on a Sunday evening and feel a connection to this world?

BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP FULL

“The ocean is an alien, dark world, cold and full of slimy fish, which is sometimes terrifying. There is a driving passion and a dedication. For all of us, the health of the oceans is really important. There were a few bleeding ears.”Įxecutive producer James Honeyborne added: “Everyone involved has a passion for the ocean, that’s what unites the team. There is so much risk analysis and so much vetting. Health and safety is fundamental to what we do. “It is their professionalism that enables us to do what looks dangerous and risky.

BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP SERIES

“We work with only the best underwater teams, people who’ve been at it a long time and really know what they’re doing,” said series producer Mark Brownlow. After a few minutes, they lost interest and returned to tearing lumps of meat from the whale carcass. The predators were distracted by the presence of the sub from feasting on the decomposing body of a whale, which was lying 700m below the surface, a gruesome sight never filmed at that depth. In one, crew members were seen filming from inside a small submarine as it was attacked by sharks. The audience at the RTS event was shown a number of clips revealing how the programme was filmed. Left to right: Torin Douglas, Mark Brownlow, Sarah ConnerĪnd James Honeyborne (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian) The scene is widely regarded as one of Blue Planet II’s most terrifying sequences. It was Conner’s efforts that made it possible for viewers to see the Bobbit worm stalk and capture its prey in episode 3.

“Your imagination and I did end up with an ear and sinus infection, and nausea. “I was kneeling there in complete darkness. It wasn’t until various lighting configurations had been tried that the deep-sea monster finally emerged from the seabed off the coast of Indonesia and filming could commence. Their natural reticence was exacerbated in waters chilled by an El Niño weather system, rendering them less active than usual. In common with a lot of other animals, they often play hard to get. These fierce creatures eat fish and can grow up to a metre long. Her extraordinary patience, not to mention stamina, was deployed to get pictures of a Bobbit worm. Part of the job involved kneeling on the ocean floor for several eight-hour shifts, in sub-zero temperatures and utter darkness, using rebreathers, to direct cameraman Hugh Miller. It’s an amazing job, but it is still us going there to deliver the product based on our experience and research.” When you are down there you are in work mode.

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“We were given 50 pages of risk assessment, which tell us about everything that could happen and how to mitigate any risk. We take to the seas after a lot of research, so we know what to expect. “We all came to Blue Planet II with a lot of experience. “I don’t know if what I did was brave,” she told the RTS audience. Sarah Conner, an assistant producer and “hardcore diver” on the team, suffered from a middle-ear infection and acute nausea. The collateral damage included several bleeding ears. One of the most successful series of recent times (see figures below), the seven-parter presented by Sir David Attenborough was the result of 125 separate filming expeditions undertaken over four years.Īssistant Producer Sarah Conner (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)Īround 1,000 people across the globe were involved as the BBC’s Natural History Unit corralled oceanographers, scientists, conservationists and local fixers and divers to make jaw-dropping TV.

BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP TV

The lengths that these men and women go to in the cause of producing iconic TV was explained in detail during an RTS event, “Diving beneath the waves – the making of Blue Planet II”. Less well known, when it comes to seeking unique footage of life deep in the world’s oceans, is how programme-makers put their health on the line.

BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE THE DEEP PROFESSIONAL

Professional skill, time, money and the latest camera technologies are all vital to making landmark natural-history shows.

Blue planet seas of life the deep