National Geographic: Great Migrations

I was truly impressed at the incredible lengths the film crews went to in order to reach and capture the footage that I enjoy so much. This behind the scenes video is an eye-opening experience that generates intense respect for the photographers who regularly risk their lives to “get the shot”. Throughout this footage there are many instances where people, individuals or even entire crews, almost die. Normally we do not see or hear about the struggles that these people face. That blindness to their sacrifices can lead to an overly critical spirit as we try to “armchair quarterback” their work.

This behind the scenes video was a brilliant and visceral look into the lives of the crew taking the footage, and contains many very candid moments that drive home the reality of what they are trying to do. As a Christian I know that many other Christians may not appreciate the bleeped out profanity often caught on camera, but these are real people facing dangerous situations. These people have emotions and are being pushed past the breaking point in many cases. Most of us cannot imagine the fear of not being able to find our way back home, the aggravation of getting repeatedly stuck in a war-torn land that no one knows how to navigate, or the frustration of waiting all day every day for almost a month to shoot a single hunting sequence.

These expeditions are very expensive, and the photographers risk both their lives and reputations on each excursion. What happens if they do not get the shots? How will they handle unforeseen circumstances that threaten to block their efforts? These are legitimate questions that we often overlook. These folks do not pick their shots from a catalog. They risk everything in an attempt to capture a single moment in time that is only hoped for, and cannot be guaranteed. Consider for a moment how much faith and hope that takes.

On behalf of everyone who appreciates good nature photography, I thank the crews for risking their lives and making such painful sacrifices to get this footage for us. While I strongly disagree with some of National Geographic’s philosophies, I do enjoy many of the materials they produce. I am excited to see the actual Migrations video after watching this, and believe that knowing more about these people and their hardships will greatly enhance the viewing experience. We are very spoiled and blessed to have this footage captured for all time.

I would like to make some closing comments about the reviewer who had a nervous breakdown over the wildebeest baby being attacked by a crocodile. First, the baby is not being eaten in the footage. It is being dragged away. The sequence is longer in the behind-the-scenes footage than the actual Migrations film. Though sad, it is not graphic, and my four-year old daughter watched it just fine. I shelter my children carefully from PG and above materials, but allow them to see moderate nature scenes. My kids are under no delusions about how nature works, its dangers, or hardships. In my opinion nature is the best place for young children to begin experiencing and understanding the cycle of life and death that perpetually occurs in our world, regardless of whether you are a Christian or Atheist. The inability to cope with that cycle is what produces hysterical reviews such as that.

A generation is being raised to believe that it can save the planet, which is the wrong terminology. Children can be taught to maintain and restore the planet, but not to save it. That bad philosophy behind the idea that any person can “save” the planet is what creates nightmares for the reviewer who is unable to cope with a situation in nature that he or she is unable to change. Good photography does not intervene in nature, it captures it as it really is so that we can think through the sometimes painful ramifications of why the natural world exists in this state. Many people have devoted their entire lives to the pondering of philosophical and theological questions based on what is evidenced by nature, and that is only possible by a complete evaluation.

It is a great injustice to the photographers to ask that they not film what they see. These people arrive at the location and capture reality on film. It is up to each of us to interpret the meaning of it. I am thankful that they provided this extra footage in the Behind the Scenes video for my family to see, and hope that other viewers will not be discouraged from watching this amazing film because of one misplaced and greatly exaggerated review.

This was a good film, but there are two things that I wish would have been different.

One: the sequence for the film was setup very choppy and they tried to create “cliff-hangers” by cutting away from the climax of a scene and taking you to something entirely different… I understand the point, but it wasn’t done very well.

Two: The narrator was very distracting. His word-choices were very strange and forced. If you have seen the movie you will understand.

National Geographic never disappoints

Il cofanetto comprende 3 bluray di cui i primi due riguardano strettamente le migrazioni degli animali, e le spiegazioni per cui questi le compiono affrontando pericoli e condizioni estreme. Il terzo ci propone i contenuti extra e ci mostra il lavoro che c’è dietro a tutte queste riprese. Bellissimo il filmato finale che ci mostra le scene più belle accompagnate dalla musica.
Tutti i documentari sono girati in HD con delle riprese veramente fantastiche.
Considerando poi il prezzo, è un’opera che deve far parte di una videoteca di un appassionato di animali.
Consigliatissimo. Forse nel caso lo veda un bambino, è consigliata la presenza di un adulto, dato che forse qualche scena cruenta potrebbe impressionare.

I have been a fan of Nat Geo’s nature documentaries since the days when Richard Kiley narrated them on PBS, and I have many nature docs on Blu Ray, but even though I have only watched the first episode of this excellent series I would rank it in the top 5 of my collection. Picture quality is excellent as is AQ. Some of this animal behavior has been seen before, but it is presented in a very compelling way with excellent narrative spoken by Alec Baldwin, who also does the “Planet Carnivore” narration for Nat Geo Wild channel. I rate my experience watching nature blu rays by the “Wow” factor, that is, how many times did I say “wow” while watching and in the first episode it was at least 5 times, which is good. I am very much looking forward to viewing the remaining episodes and the behind the scenes pieces as well. I would highly recommend this blu ray to anyone who loves nature documentaries, it is really excellent.

We’ve all seen footage before… But not like this! The crews hired by National Geographic to film this series are daredevils to put it mildly. Give Evil Knievil a camera instead of a motorcycle and this is what you get! The color is vibrant beyond the norm. Within this film series, the animal kingdom is not captured. A captured creature does not act as if in the wild. This film melds camera crew with wild beast to tell the story of great animal migrations. I guarantee you and your family will enjoy this. My four year old son liked this film series as much as I did. Have fun!