A nature documentary is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat. Such programmes are most frequently made for television, particularly for public broadcasting channels, but some are also made for the cinema. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Public broadcasting is a form of public service broadcasting (PSB) intended to serve the diverse needs of the listening public. ...

History

Television documentaries started on BBC television, with the long-running series Look, a studio-based magazine progamme with filmed inserts, hosted by Sir Peter Scott. The first 50-minute weekly documentary series was The World About Us, which began with a colour installment from the French film-maker Haroun Tazieff, called "Volcano". Around 1982, the series changed its title to The Natural World and is still in production today at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol. During the late 1970s and early 1980s several other television companies round the world set up their own specialised natural history departments, including ABC in Melbourne, Australia and TVNZ's unit in Dunedin, New Zealand — both still in existence, the latter having changed its name to NHNZ. ITV's contribution to the genre was Survival, a prolific series of single films. It was eventually axed when the network introduced a controversial new schedule which many commentators have criticised as 'dumbing down'. The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Statue of Sir Peter Scott at the WWT London Wetland Centre Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC, FRS, FZS, (September 14, 1909 – August 29, 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter and sportsman. ... Natural World (formerly The World About Us) is the longest-running nature documentary strand on British television. ... The BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of the BBC dedicated to making TV and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries. ... This article is about the English city. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... The TVNZ Television Centre in Central Auckland. ... Dunedin (ÅŒtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... Dumbing down is a usually derogatory term which refers to the simplifying of a subject, often education, news and TV amongst others. ...

For a chronology of wildlife films, shown in cinemas and on television see the Appendix in Bousé (2000)^[1]

Wildlife and natural history films have boomed in popularity and have become one of modern society's most important sources of information about the natural world. Yet they have been largely ignored by film and television critics and scholars.

Content

Most programmes or series focus on a particular species, ecosystem or scientific idea (such as evolution). Although most take a scientific and educational approach, some anthropomorphise their subjects or present animals purely for the viewer's pleasure. The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Although almost all have a human presenter, the role varies widely, ranging from explanatory voiceovers to extensive interaction or even confrontation with animals. VoiceOver is a feature built into Apple Computers Mac OS X v10. ...

Well-known nature documentary makers and presenters include Oscar-winning Bernhard Grzimek, David Attenborough, Richard Brock, Jacques Cousteau, Marlin Perkins, Heinz Sielmann, Jeff Corwin, Mark Strickson, Neil Harraway and Steve Irwin. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sir David Frederick Attenborough, OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS (born on 8 May 1926 in London, England) is one of the worlds best known broadcasters and naturalists. ... Richard Brock worked in the BBC as a Natural History film producer Unit for 35 years producing, among others, the highly successful Life on Earth, the Living Planet series and The Blue Planet, collaborating with David Attenborough. ... Jacques-Yves Cousteau (June 11, 1910 - June 25, 1997) was a French naval officer, explorer and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. ... Richard Marlin Perkins (March 28, 1905 – June 14, 1986) was a zoologist, best known as a host of the television program Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom. ... Heinz Sielmann (born June 2, 1917 in Rheydt [now Mönchengladbach], Germany ) is a world renowned wildlife photographer, zoologist and documentary filmmaker. ... Jeff Corwin Jeffrey Samuel Corwin (born July 11, 1967 in Norwell, Massachusetts), better known as Jeff Corwin, is the host and executive producer of The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwins Quest, two American television shows about animals airing on the Animal Planet cable channel. ... Mark Strickson (born 1961 in Stratford-upon-Avon) is a British actor best known for his role as the character of Vislor Turlough on the cult television series Doctor Who. ... Stephen Robert Steve Irwin (February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006), nicknamed The Crocodile Hunter, was an Australian wildlife expert and television personality. ...

The Panda Awards for nature documentaries are given every two years, by the Wildscreen Trust, in Bristol, UK.

Most documentaries are for television and are usually of 45–50 minutes duration, but some are made as full-length cinematic presentations.

Such films include:

• Animals Are Beautiful People
• Serengeti Shall Not Die
• The Last Paradises: On the Track of Rare Animals
• The Living Desert
• March of the Penguins

In addition, the BBC's The Blue Planet and Planet Earth series have both been adapted for theatrical release.^[2] Animals are Beautiful People or just Beautiful People is a 1974 nature documentary about the wildlife in Southern Africa. ... Serengeti Shall Not Die (in German Serengeti darf nicht sterben) is a German nature documentary made in 1959, written and directed by Bernhard Grzimek. ... The Living Desert is a 1953 Walt Disney documentary film which shows the everyday lives of the animals of the desert of the southwestern United States. ... March of the Penguins is an Academy Award-winning documentary film by Luc Jacquet, co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. ... The Blue Planet is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 12 September 2001. ... Planet Earth is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough and produced by Alastair Fothergill. ...

David Attenborough

Some documentaries are also presented as television miniseries. The most notable of these are the BBC's 'Life' series, written and presented by Sir David Attenborough, whose contribution to conservation is widely regarded, and whose programmes have been seen by millions of people throughout the world. The series comprises: A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ...

• Life on Earth (1979), 13 episodes
• The Living Planet (1984), 12 episodes
• The Trials of Life (1990), 12 episodes
• Life in the Freezer (1993), 6 episodes
• The Private Life of Plants (1995), 6 episodes
• The Life of Birds (1998), 10 episodes
• The Life of Mammals (2002), 10 episodes
• Life in the Undergrowth (2005), 5 episodes
• Life in Cold Blood (due 2008), 5 episodes

This article is about the television documentary series Life on Earth. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 19 January 1984. ... This article is about the year. ... Trials of Life is a BBC (in conjunction with The Australian Broadcasting Service and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Life in the Freezer is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 18 November 1993. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The Private Life of Plants (1995) is a six-part BBC television series presented by David Attenborough, on the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants around the world. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The Life of Birds is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 21 October 1998. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Life of Mammals is a BBC (in conjunction with The Discovery Channel) natural history television series of ten episodes, about mammals, written and presented by David Attenborough, originally transmitted in 2002. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Life In The Undergrowth is a BBC natural history television series about invertebrates, written and presented by David Attenborough, which began transmission in the UK on November 23, 2005. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Life in Cold Blood is a BBC nature documentary series presented by David Attenborough, which is currently in production. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Steve Irwin

These documentaries are aired on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet. It is based on wildlife conservation and environmentalism. The series comprises:

• The Crocodile Hunter (1992–2004), 74 episodes
• Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files (1999), 52 episodes
• Ten Deadliest Snakes In The World (2001)
• The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2001–2003), 30 episodes
• New Breed Vets (2005), 6 episodes
• Ocean's Deadliest (2006)

Crocodile Hunter redirects here. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The Crocodile Hunter Diaries is a wildlife documentary television series first aired on cable TV channel Animal Planet. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Oceans Deadliest is the final nature documentary made by Steve Irwin before his death, which occurred during filming. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Current production

In recent years most traditional style 'blue chip' programming has become prohibitively expensive and are funded by a set of co-producers, usually a broadcaster (such as Animal Planet, National Geographic or NHK, Japan) from one or several countries, a production company and sometimes a distributor which then has the rights to sell the show into more territories than the original broadcaster. Animal Planet, launched in 1996, is a cable and satellite television network co-owned by Discovery Communications, Inc. ... The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ... NHK Broadcasting Center in Shibuya, Tokyo NHK (, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai), or the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is Japans public broadcaster. ...

Two recent examples of co-productions that were filmed by the BBC are The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, the latter being the first series of its kind to be made entirely in high-definition format. The Blue Planet is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 12 September 2001. ... Planet Earth is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by David Attenborough and produced by Alastair Fothergill. ... Projection screen in a home theater, displaying a high-definition television image. ...

Production companies are increasingly exploiting the filmed material, by making DVDs for home viewing or educational purposes, or selling library footage to advertisers, museum exhibitors and other documentary producers.

References

1. ^ Derek Bousé, Wildlife Films, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2000
2. ^ BBC Press Office: Planet Earth set for movie release