The TV series “Planet Earth II,” produced by BBC, is being hailed as a huge step up for the nature documentary genre, thanks to its cinematography. And the point is made with a short scene involving an iguana hatchling outrunning a horde of hungry snakes.
Before the little iguana’s run, the episode saw each and every one of his compatriots ambushed, crushed, and eaten by numerous racer snakes lying in wait, reports Independent.
Matthew Meech, the person in charge of editing Episode 1, says he’s a big movie fan and that he takes some cues from the works of big-name personalities like Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, Scorsese and Spielberg, among others.
“Cutting wildlife films are like cutting silent movies, it’s all about action/reaction. Also timing, be it for comedy or thrills. The narration can provide some of this, but you don’t want to make the pictures just wallpaper for the commentary. The shots need to speak for themselves,” Meech says.
Meech describes the difficulties of filming animals versus dramas where a documentary can have around 20 hours of footage to work with to make a five-minute-long clip. He says, “It’s a case of meticulously going through the footage to find the key moments.”
Episode 2 of “Planet Earth II” airs on Sunday and will be focusing on mountain-dwelling animals. Alfred Bayle