Natural history documentaries allow viewers to witness a distinct side of the planet that they may never have seen before, however one aspect is not entirely as it appears.
The most recent technological breakthroughs have given us the opportunity to see how animals interact in their natural environment, yet what we see and hear is not captured simultaneously.
Poppy Dixon, Sky wildlife’s Director of Documentaries and Factual, revealed the secret at a special event to commemorate the debut of the company’s latest wildlife show, which Sir David Attenborough voiced.
‘Not a lot of people know that many natural history programmes don’t actually record sound on location. It’s all done in post,’ she revealed.
However, Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough has gone against the grain and has put what can be heard centre stage.
Sharmila Choudhury, the Series Producer, explained how the sound is usually created in this type of programming.
‘There is always some element of sound – like we’d always have a guide track the environment sounds that we’re filming in, but many of the actual sounds of the animals come from existing sound libraries or recordings.’
‘Most of the sound is traditionally added by a very talented sound team who know exactly what each animal sounds like,’ Sharmila added.
Hopefully, the dubbed animals aren’t too offended when they watch the show only to discover that it’s not their voice.
Producers of nature shows will also use musical scores to up the drama, and compliment the visuals. However, this time Sharmila tried to rely instead on what nature had already provided and used music ‘very sparingly’.
Viewers will instead listen to earthworms forcing their way through the soil, baby caiman communicating with each other from within eggs, and lions and hyaenas battling in the dark. Sharmila described the process as ‘challenging’, especially as some of the sounds had never been documented before.
The very latest in audio technology which includes microphones so tiny they fit on your fingertip and specially adapted cameras and laser vibrometers, has allowed humans to truly eavesdrop on the animal world for the first time.
To assist us understand the creatures, Sir David delivers an interesting commentary. Throughout the three episodes, the 97-year-old appears on camera, his excitement for the subject matter showing through once more.
‘He is the best in the business, and brings something special to every project,’ shared Sharmila.
‘We were surprised and even more delighted that he agreed to do some pieces to camera.
‘He’s 97 but still wants to get the best shot. We filmed him with a wild dipper, and it was a challenge to get him into that position but he was determined. To get a shot of the bird and David in the same scene, he had to be on the ground and get himself in the position. He was amazing. A trooper.’
Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough will launch on Sunday 25 February on Sky Nature, as well as streaming service NOW
Source My Celebrity Life.