EXCLUSIVE: The BBC looked to unusual places for inspiration for its next generation of films, including Oscar-winning films and Netflix's nature shows basketball documentaries.
In a saturated market hit by rising costs, head of natural history Sreya Biswas told Deadline she is focused on telling dramatic narratives and ordering low-cost dishes that leverage the latest technological advances, including artificial intelligence.
With this in mind, Biswas was given the green light Earth Hour, that uses hyper-lapse technology to tell the story of nature's rush hour, Mother, which explores the contemporary and retrospective history of the world's oldest female chimpanzee Jane Goodalli latest issue Spy in… series, discovering how primates communicate.
“Currently our landmarks are diversified and we are trying to spin the wheel,” Biswas said. “We want to invite different audiences and still entertain people. “Natural history has traditionally been closed episodes, but nowadays people don't necessarily feel the need (to watch closed episodes), so we have to think about how to encourage people to keep watching.”
Shows
Inspired by the various “golden hours” found throughout the natural world, Earth Hour With A planet at risk producer Offspring Films employs a one-shot narrative technique inspired by the Oscar winner's work 1917using the latest drone technology and hyper-lapse function. The spectacle will move from dawn in the Kalahari, through an hour after the rains in the Amazon, to high tide in the Australian coral reef. “It's an assault on the senses,” Biswas said. “It's a burgeoning new field of science that examines how animal behavior changes at certain times of the day.”
The film was produced in cooperation with long-time American collaborator PBS, under the Biswas brand Mother ” The Last Dance for chimpanzees,” referring to the popular Netflix documentary series that chronicles Michael Jordan's time with the Chicago Bulls. Mother delved deep into the archives of the Jane Goodall Institute to study for the first time females from the Gombe region of Tanzania, specifically the oldest recorded chimpanzee mother. As Gremlin's strength begins to wane, other females wait in the wings to snatch her crown. “It's rare that you can tell a story about incredible female strength in the present tense and then go back and tell that story retrospectively,” Biswas said.
Finally John Downer Productions A spy in the squad sees the BBC coming closer than ever to understanding how primates communicate. Using Spy Creatures camera technology and advanced artificial intelligence computer learning techniques, the series examines monkeys' conversations and facial expressions to understand their thoughts, feelings and problem-solving skills. Biswas said A spy in the squad uses the most advanced technology its team has ever used, and it is the only program on the new platform that uses artificial intelligence.
The three shows were revealed as rising costs and a global economic slowdown hit Natural History in a similarly scripted fashion, with multiple Natural History producers telling Deadline in recent months that streamers are slowing down in the space. But Biswas, the 100-year-old national broadcaster, is optimistic that her team will continue to roll out mass programming, citing internal research that showed 73% of natural history in the UK was watched on the BBC last year.
“I can't talk too much about streamers, but the overall slowdown has been problematic and businesses and people are really struggling,” she added. “But from our perspective, we commission, produce and publish, and that's why people like to come to us.”
Creating natural history monuments can take several years, and Biswas stressed that this will not change in a difficult financial climate, with upcoming programs such as Hidden planet AND Blue Planet III is scheduled to launch in a few years. She said there is plenty of collaborative funding available to help reduce rising costs. “There is a reason why our landmarks are amazing because of the care and time that went into making them, and I absolutely believe that we should continue to put in the time,” Biswas added.
David Attenborough and the search for authentic talents
“Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster.” Photo: BBC Studios
The extraordinary success of the BBC's natural history program over the decades has been largely the work of one man, Sir David Attenborough.
The 98-year-old has been less involved in directing series in recent years, but Biswas said it provides opportunities to discover new talent and new audiences through them.
She gave the example of Hamza Yassin's ex Strictly come to the dance winner and children's show host who directs the Silverback Films film Hamzy Hidden wild islandsa continuation of the initiative led by Attenborough Wild Islands about nature in the UK.
Wanting to tap into local talent, Biswas' team has quietly started commissioning several shows on the condition that they hire presenters from the region where they are filmed.
One example was a recent one Big Cats 24/7, which was presented by Gordon Buchanan alongside local Botswana filmmakers Gaokgonwe Seetsele Nthomiwa and Reatile Schulte Brinke, while others are in development.
“It's kind of like an emphasis on diversity,” Biswas said of the strategy. “Instead of making a big deal out of it, you embed it and move on. Because who knows a place better than the people who live there?”
