[Hawk_Eye]

Wondering what others thought about the filming of the Polar bear mother and cubs in a zoo for Frozen Planet. Personally I wasn't bothered by it, having known that a few things from previous series haven't been filmed in the wild usually for logistical reasons.

[Deimos]

I would agree. Not an issue.

I think it is the history of BBC (and other stations) "demeanours" that has caused the outcry. Remember those where competitions were fixed (where people voted using premium rate numbers), etc.. And now people have become over sensitised and far too ready to leap-up with over reactions and ill-considered outrage.

There are so many issues the BBC has to address but this is not one of them.

When we see pictures of sub-mm sized organisms in the oceans, do we all start complaining (because I bet the dive team did not take a microscope down with them).

But, that said I have my suspicions about the recent "Dinosaur Planet" series (the one showing all those dinosaurs running around). I have some suspicions that there may have been some trickery with the shot of the T-Rex attacking the Diplodocus because either the Diplodocus was already unwell or there was something because the Tyrannosaur killed it's prey far too quickly (and, although they made no announcements about anything not real film from he wild ... well maybe I just have a suspicious nature).

Ian

[Thylacine]

I remember a cameraman from one of the much earlier Life on Earth/Living Planet/Trials of Life series, say they couldn't get a shot of a "flying snake" in the air (Chrysopelea spp). So they trapped one, took it to the nearest airfield, put it in a remote controlled weather balloon, raised it into the sky and triggered the trapdoor. Hence they got one falling snake, obliged to fly/glide for it's life filmed against a blue sky background....all for the armchair naturalists . I was slightly surprised they went to those limits when I heard this. Fakery? well, yes... in that the snake was gliding in an unnatural setting but genuine in that it was a gliding snake gliding (or flying) It's been going on in the BBC Natural History Unit for decades. Am I offended? No....that is unless they got the identification wrong!

[Hawk_Eye]

In David Attenborough's autobiography he mentions several similar situations where they had to do that.

[capester]

nope- as long as they aren't digitally created I have no problems with it. I think it would have been far worse to actually go poking around inside a wild polar bears den!

[Hawk_Eye]

nope- as long as they aren't digitally created I have no problems with it. I think it would have been far worse to actually go poking around inside a wild polar bears den!

Great point capester hadn't thought of that. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[cabbage]

But, that said I have my suspicions about the recent "Dinosaur Planet" series (the one showing all those dinosaurs running around). I have some suspicions that there may have been some trickery with the shot of the T-Rex attacking the Diplodocus because either the Diplodocus was already unwell or there was something because the Tyrannosaur killed it's prey far too quickly (and, although they made no announcements about anything not real film from he wild ... well maybe I just have a suspicious nature).

Got no problem with it at all. I think the furore raised around it came from media organisations who have their own agenda against the BBC.

Its not as if the BBC tried to hide what they'd done - in fact I believe the actual source of the earthshattering revelation was not some investigative reporter at the Daily Mail but the BBC's own Frozen Planet website which published a story and video showing how they'd done it. With hindsight perhaps this film should have been shown in the ten minute 'making of' bit that comes on after the main problem just to nip the whole thing in the bud.

nope- as long as they aren't digitally created I have no problems with it. I think it would have been far worse to actually go poking around inside a wild polar bears den!

Agreed, CGI is where it crosses the line for me - except in Planet Dinosaur obviously . I think David Attenborough himself actually said that filming this sequence 'for real' in the wild would have resulted in either dead polar bear cubs or dead cameramen. There was and is no other option.

Incidentally, one of the cubs shown in the controversial footage is actually Walker, the male Polar Bear now in residence at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig.