Planet Earth III
The most ambitious natural history landmark series ever undertaken by the BBC. Nearly two decades since the original series of Planet Earth aired, it shows how science and technology has advanced, but also how our planet has changed. Journeying to the far reaches of our planet, the series narrated by David Attenborough tells extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.
Trailer for Planet Earth III
Filming Giant Kapok Trees
I worked as director of photography filming all the cable dolly shots of the “Forests” episode. I also worked on the treefall sequence for the same episode and the Amazon rainforest sequence of the “Heroes” episode.
The biggest challenge was to film a single take with the camera rising from the forest floor into the crown of a 50-meter tall kapok tree.
Kapok trees are the tallest trees in the rainforest, towering over the canopy of the rest of the forest. To achieve this single shot, rope and rigging specialist Ollie Laker, assistant producer Alex Walters, and I spent multiple days scouting, climbing, rigging, and filming.
For the opening of the episode, we also completed several additional rigs to film Peruvian tree climber Carlos Huamani and provide a sense of scale.
Technical Details
Some of the equipment used:
Red Gemini 5K camera
Sigma Cine lenses
Figure Nine Monarch cable dolly system
DJI Ronin 2
Freefly Movi Pro
Drone
Production Details
Documentary series
8 × 60 minutes, 1.78:1
Produced by BBC Studios
Released on BBC One, BBC America, and AMC+ in 2023
Credits
Ep. 5, “Forests”: Photography
Ep. 8, “Heroes”: Additional Photography
