Critical Diary Entry - David Attenborough's 'Planet Earth'

I found the latest David Attenborough series ‘Planet Earth’ extremely fascinating and I was particularly impressed by the camera and extreme scale and scope of footage that was captured. For the first time on a wildlife series, a high definition camera attached to the bottom of a helicopter was used to access and capture some of the most remote areas on Earth. The scenery was breathtaking, accentuated by the swooping camera that sailed so gracefully through the air; it was like being on a guided tour of the planet’s most secret and secluded hot spots. The birds-eye view also allowed wildlife to be followed with an insight to the scale of their environment and habitat. Also the animals were less likely to be frightened off by the helicopter which could be several kilometres away and yet still zoom in and show such detail from a great distance.

My growing interest in film and video making has lead me to be looking out for techniques and effective scene cuts in whatever it is I am watching. In the first episode of ‘Planet Earth’, my favourite clip was of a Great White shark leaping clear out of the ocean catching a seal in its massive jaws on the way up to the surface. The clip was in extreme slow motion, allowing the audience to take in just how magnificent a predator this animal is. It is so impressive that the camera crew could capture such a fast moving and powerful event with the clarity and detail that they did.