Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom

Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom

by Chris Palmer
Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom

Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom

by Chris Palmer

Paperback

$24.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
    Choose Expedited Shipping at checkout for delivery by Thursday, April 4
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

Wildlife and nature films are a hugely popular entertainment genre: networks such as Animal Planet and Discovery are stars in the cable television universe, viewers flock to IMAX theaters to see jaw-dropping footage from the wild, and the venerable BBC still scores triumphs with series such as Planet Earth. As cinematic technology brings ever more breathtaking images to the screen, and as our direct contact with nature diminishes, an ever-expanding audience craves the indirect experience of wild nature that these films provide.

But this success has a dark side, as Chris Palmer reveals in his authoritative and engrossing report on the wildlife film business. A veteran producer and film educator, Palmer looks past the headlines about TV host Steve Irwin's death by stingray and filmmaker Timothy Treadwell falling prey to his beloved grizzlies, to uncover a more pervasive and troubling trend toward sensationalism, extreme risk-taking, and even abuse in wildlife films. He tracks the roots of this trend to the early days of the genre, and he profiles a new breed of skilled, ethical filmmakers whose work enlightens as well as entertains, and who represent the future that Palmer envisions for the industry he loves.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781578051489
Publisher: Catapult
Publication date: 05/11/2010
Pages: 264
Sales rank: 749,290
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Chris Palmer has produced more than 300 hours of original programming for prime-time television and theatrical release over the past 25 years. His films have been broadcast on the Disney Channel, TBS Superstation, Animal Planet, and PBS, as well as in IMAX theaters, and they have won many awards, including two Emmys and an Oscar nomination.

Table of Contents

Foreword Jane Goodall xiii

Preface xix

Introduction Movies That Can Change Your Life 1

1 State of The Art The Many Faces of Wildlife Filmmaking 11

2 How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of the Business 31

3 Behind The Camera How Wildlife Films Are Made 52

4 The Money Chase Finding Funds without Selling Out 78

5 Cult of Personality The Celebrity Connection and Presenter-Driven Shows 90

6 Audience Abuse Staging and Other Deceptions 102

7 Too Close For Comfort What Filmmakers Do for the "Money Shot" 124

8 Nature Porn and Fang TV The Temptations of Sex and Violence 145

9 Sins of Omission Leaving Conservation Behind 154

10 Doing It Right Profiles in Ethical Entertainment 167

11 The Way Foreward How Wildlife Films Can Make a Difference 180

Acknowledgements 199

Notes 202

Index 215

About The Author 223

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews