Just a quick note to let you all know that I have uploaded the entire Spirit Bear documentary onto YouTube.
Because of the site's requirements, I had to divide the show up into smaller bite-sized peices, six parts in all.
But if you click on this playlist, you can watch the entire documentary uninterrupted:
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Charith
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
VIDEO: Saving Sarawak's Turtles
A few years ago, I travelled to Sarawak in East Malaysia to find out more about a local conservation project to save the Green Turtle.
Now I have finally managed to edit together and upload a short video snippet of what we saw and the work being done by Sarawak Forestry to ensure the future of this species.
I was extremely fortunate to meet Park Ranger, Christopher Kri who is heading the project. Rarely do I meet a naturalist so in love with their animal wards. Chris' obvious concern and care for the turtles was infectious, and I came away with a much deeper appreciation of this enigmatic animal.
(Chris deserves to be in his own documentary btw - an idea I will continue to work on!)
Here is Part 1:
Now I have finally managed to edit together and upload a short video snippet of what we saw and the work being done by Sarawak Forestry to ensure the future of this species.
I was extremely fortunate to meet Park Ranger, Christopher Kri who is heading the project. Rarely do I meet a naturalist so in love with their animal wards. Chris' obvious concern and care for the turtles was infectious, and I came away with a much deeper appreciation of this enigmatic animal.
(Chris deserves to be in his own documentary btw - an idea I will continue to work on!)
Here is Part 1:
Monday, June 08, 2009
Born at the Right Time?
For those of you who know me well, I am forever lamenting the demise of the classic wildlife documentary. Those hour-long epics filmed on a grand scale, crossing continents within mere seconds to tell the story of an animal little heard of and barely ever seen before.
Their stories were told with a moving, evocative narrative that described more than just their life histories, but evoked a sense of character and personality, and purpose.
Of course I am describing the legacy of David Attenborough and the pioneering members of the BBC's Natural History Unit, who were instrumental in changing our perceptions and awareness of the natural world forever.
Their glory days were during the 80's when little explored corners of the world were suddenly brought to stunning technicolour life on our TV screens. They must have been exciting times, encountering strange species and glorious landscapes for the first time - a total immersion into the wilderness.
And in those heady days of worlds-firsts and ground-breaking discoveries, the BBC were more than willing to put their money where their mouth was. Budgets were sky-high to accommodate long weeks spent in the jungles, and to equip crews with cutting edge and custom-made camera kits. Shoots were orchestrated on a grand scale - but the final results always justified the considerable investments that were made to produce such films.
Those were the golden days. Things have changed considerably in the two decades that have followed. And now that I finally find myself in a position where I feel I have the skill sets and experience to undertake my own natural history epic - I discover that I am too late...
The world has changed, people's expectations have changed. The TV industry itself has changed. We are now part of a fast food society that digests everything feverishly and furiously, and wildlife documentaries are no exception to the rule. I've been told that audiences no longer have the attention span to sit through a natural history film that gradually unwinds through the course of 60 minutes; that stunning panoramas no longer captivate - now regarded as nothing more than so many minutes of televisual wallpaper. We have become blasé about the things that once stopped us in our stride and sent shivers down our spine.
Where has our collective sense of wonder gone? Speaking as an individual, I still get goosebumps when I see a finely crafted piece of TV or film. Music also does that to me - often. I spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to imbue some of that essence into my own productions - whatever the creative medium may be. I even find my days haunted by a great piece of narrative or a clever and insightful tagline. Such distractions tend to get in the way of all my other daily priorities - but I wouldn't have it any other way. And I know I am not the only one.
There are so many of us that still retain wonder within ourselves. Those of us who remain addicted to the creative process - to the things that make our hairs stand on end. Surely we are not in the minority? Surely we are not alienated to the millions out there who we create our products for? It confuses me. It exasperates me. It makes me question my own creative decisions.
Sometimes I come to this conclusion - I should have been born much earlier, and started my career in the 80's. When things were still so new, when technology and individual expression and risk-taking were just starting to bear fruit on the TV screen. Those would have been the real Wonder Years.
But then again, I catch myself in the midst of my melancholy, and set myself straight... Perhaps I am in this business at the right time...
Complacency, tedium and carbon-copy television may rule the airways - for now. But then I guess thats where a new way of thinking has to come in - to approach the obstacle from a different point of view - to catch an audience before they even know they've been caught. To make 'em think once more, to give them back their child's eye...
And suddenly, perhaps this challenge is going to be worth the effort after all...
Their stories were told with a moving, evocative narrative that described more than just their life histories, but evoked a sense of character and personality, and purpose.
Of course I am describing the legacy of David Attenborough and the pioneering members of the BBC's Natural History Unit, who were instrumental in changing our perceptions and awareness of the natural world forever.
Their glory days were during the 80's when little explored corners of the world were suddenly brought to stunning technicolour life on our TV screens. They must have been exciting times, encountering strange species and glorious landscapes for the first time - a total immersion into the wilderness.
And in those heady days of worlds-firsts and ground-breaking discoveries, the BBC were more than willing to put their money where their mouth was. Budgets were sky-high to accommodate long weeks spent in the jungles, and to equip crews with cutting edge and custom-made camera kits. Shoots were orchestrated on a grand scale - but the final results always justified the considerable investments that were made to produce such films.
Those were the golden days. Things have changed considerably in the two decades that have followed. And now that I finally find myself in a position where I feel I have the skill sets and experience to undertake my own natural history epic - I discover that I am too late...
The world has changed, people's expectations have changed. The TV industry itself has changed. We are now part of a fast food society that digests everything feverishly and furiously, and wildlife documentaries are no exception to the rule. I've been told that audiences no longer have the attention span to sit through a natural history film that gradually unwinds through the course of 60 minutes; that stunning panoramas no longer captivate - now regarded as nothing more than so many minutes of televisual wallpaper. We have become blasé about the things that once stopped us in our stride and sent shivers down our spine.
Where has our collective sense of wonder gone? Speaking as an individual, I still get goosebumps when I see a finely crafted piece of TV or film. Music also does that to me - often. I spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to imbue some of that essence into my own productions - whatever the creative medium may be. I even find my days haunted by a great piece of narrative or a clever and insightful tagline. Such distractions tend to get in the way of all my other daily priorities - but I wouldn't have it any other way. And I know I am not the only one.
There are so many of us that still retain wonder within ourselves. Those of us who remain addicted to the creative process - to the things that make our hairs stand on end. Surely we are not in the minority? Surely we are not alienated to the millions out there who we create our products for? It confuses me. It exasperates me. It makes me question my own creative decisions.
Sometimes I come to this conclusion - I should have been born much earlier, and started my career in the 80's. When things were still so new, when technology and individual expression and risk-taking were just starting to bear fruit on the TV screen. Those would have been the real Wonder Years.
But then again, I catch myself in the midst of my melancholy, and set myself straight... Perhaps I am in this business at the right time...
Complacency, tedium and carbon-copy television may rule the airways - for now. But then I guess thats where a new way of thinking has to come in - to approach the obstacle from a different point of view - to catch an audience before they even know they've been caught. To make 'em think once more, to give them back their child's eye...
And suddenly, perhaps this challenge is going to be worth the effort after all...
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