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[Kaladin]

Going to wait on the blu-ray for this one.

 

[desku]

I'm well gutted there's only 6 episodes.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I'm well gutted there's only 6 episodes.

Longer series are a rarity these days. The Natural History Unit have settled on a 6-8 episode average and will continue this with the flagships of 2015; Oceans and One Planet.

 

[NekoFever]

I'm well gutted there's only 6 episodes.

It's got to be ridiculously expensive to make.

 

[Jimrpg]

Planet earth was the first blu ray I got, imported day 1 from the US. Blew my mind.

I don't have a 4k tv but I want one now...

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Life Story: chasing cheetahs

Watching a cheetah chase its prey may feel heart-poundingly compelling, but wildlife documentary producer Mike Gunton thinks it's a cliche of natural history filmmaking. "The chase is always the same," he says. "In slow motion, a cheetah races at great speed after an antelope, catches up with it and pounces."

But in Life Story, the latest BBC nature series to be fronted by David Attenborough, Gunton's team successfully reframes a genre staple. The six-part series observes animals, birds and insects from across the globe as they undergo various rites of passage from birth to death - moments that define their unique character, such as the maiden voyage of a black-footed albatross who will open her young six-foot wings and fly out to sea, unaware that she will not touch ground again for three years.

The cheetahs appear in episode two as a pair of sisters face the toughest task of their young lives - making their first big kill. The only survivors of a litter of five, the sisters have roamed hungry for weeks after being kicked out by their mother. "It's a tough time. Cheetahs are delicate and super-lightweight, their only tool is speed really," says Gunton. The machinations of the ambush are extraordinary. "These sisters improved their chances by collaborating. Cleverly they waited until a male impala was tired from rutting. One sister spooked him and chased him while the other hid. At the right moment, she ambushed him."

The only reason the crew was able to catch this narrative on camera is because of plucky cameraman Kim Wolhuter. He spent a long time getting to know the mother whom he believed was showing remarkable indifference to his presence. Over time he gained enough trust to film next to her and her cubs. "It was a unique situation," says Gunton. "The cubs looked on him as a sort of running tree. He had to literally run around to keep up with them. We devised a camera that smoothed out the jiggling.

"What's different about the sequence is that it [was filmed] so close to the action. It's less God's perspective, it's your perspective. It's exactly like being in Rocky's boxing ring. I genuinely thought that was an un-filmable thing."

The 56-year-old Gunton has worked on all of Attenborough's major series since 1987's The Trials of Life and has been the BBC's Natural History Unit's Creative Director since 2008. He believes, however, that this latest series is particularly illuminating. As well as the cheetahs, the team pinned down a specific troop of chimps that were rumoured to have adopted sophisticated tools for hunting. "The behaviour reported is so rare that in fact the academic scientific community didn't believe the scientist who first reported it. They thought it was too extreme. One of the good things about being able to film it was to be able to provide concrete evidence," he says.

Gunton describes the moment a young chimp learned to use his intelligence at the end of a brutal dry season. "It was mindblowing," says Gunton. "He suspected a rodent was hiding in a dead tree trunk, so he broke off a branch, made it into a sharp spear with his hands and teeth, and started spearing it into the hole. He kept checking the end to see if it was wounded, if there was any blood on it. You can see him thinking, 'Have I got anything?'

"It was a weird window on our own past - like looking back two million years in human history."

The journey towards documenting such extraordinary behaviour often begins with hearsay in the scientific community, or through a show researcher stumbling upon an obscure Japanese website. This was the case with the tiny puffer fish seen in this series making a perfect "crop circle" in the sand to get itself noticed. Until they found it, the team suspected the creature's perfect underwater creations would prove to be a mere internet hoax.

It takes real dedication for a crew to capture these moments. For those like Gunton, the ultimate highs come from those moments of what he calls "sheer fieldcraft". Gunton's particularly proud of following the chase of a pack of African wild dogs, which they've never been able to do before because the creatures maintain speeds of over 40mph for around 20 minutes in very rough terrain. "We were able to take our helicopters much lower than in [previous series] Planet Earth. You feel you're looking over their shoulder."

New technology is also responsible for offering a greater definition of animals' facial expressions. When one of the cheetah sisters eventually pins the impala to the ground and performs the death bite, closing the windpipe to suffocate it, the camera lingers on her face. Is it ridiculous, I wonder, that I read triumph in her eyes? "That's music to my ears," says Gunton. "Anthropomorphism is a curious thing. Many people still have old-fashioned views about it. Animals are cognitive - they're aware, they make choices. That is a rite of passage moment. That cheetah knows she's had a success in that moment, there's no question."

Link

Episode 2 of Life Story airs today on BBC One and BBC One HD at 9.00pm.

 

[Samurai_Heart]

Ahaha watching the 2nd episode and when it gets to the male birds and the senior practices his seduction technique on a junior, who was copying his nest technique, and the junior has no idea what the hell is going on and flies off lmao.

 

[Betta Lines]

Fantastic stuff. Some of the hummingbird shots were outrageously good. That shallow DOF tracking.

 

[Nerdkiller]

Wait a minute, this already started? Well, that was such short notice from when they released the trailer. They couldn't have even tell us of when it was going to air.

 

[freddy]

The first instalment was brilliant. These guys have capturing the imagery down to a fine art.

 

[Poimandres]

I would love to see this in 4K.

 

[Omega]

i should get a 4K TV now

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Life Story review, episode 2 - Growing up

t would have taken something truly mind-boggling for last night’s second episode of David Attenborough’s Life Story (BBC One) to have topped the first: the footage of those barnacle goslings throwing themselves from 400 feet up has been the talk of social media for a week and is probably already being inked in as a suitable subject for a future Pixar movie.

And no, nothing in episode two did boggle the mind in such brutally emotive style, but if those goslings are already the stand-out stars of the series then the arctic fox doing a Tom Daley in order to catch a lemming is a welcome understudy.

The behind-the-scenes “Diary” they like to tack on at the end of the show told of how one woman had spent three years trying to track an animal which is known for its cunning and palpably had no interest in being tracked. But when she did get her shot, it was worth it. They always say the best television should show, rather than tell. And indeed this was excellent television that showed a white-furred mammal pinging up in the air so high it left the shot, then reappeared in a nose dive and plunged through the snowy crust, leaving its legs wriggling like a cartoon character. There was not much the venerable Attenborough could add to that.

My only complaint was that this stunning shot had already been trailed to death for weeks before the programme actually aired. I am calling the thorny hinterland between trailer and spoiler a “troiler”, and the campaign to stamp out “troilers” starts here.

That same feeling of wafty déjà vu hit me when it came to the prospect of cheetah hunting an impala: OK, these were adolescent cheetah so they served the series’ over-arching narrative of animals at crucial life stages fighting to survive, but come on, these days you get cheetah hunting impala on telly almost as often as you get Bargain Hunt.

Yet Attenborough admitted at the launch of this series a few weeks ago that most great sights of the natural world have been filmed already. Here, the cheetahs were filmed in such close-up that it could only have been done by someone sitting practically next to them with a camera. (I checked; it was. I also checked to see whether he is still alive; he is.) Life Story is thus proving groundbreaking in another way - when it can’t find an arctic fox or a barnacle gosling, it will show you the same things, but just do it better.

Link

 

[Edmond Dantès]

The Blu-ray is due for release on 1 December.

http://www.bbcshop.com/science+nature/life-story-blu-ray/invt/bbcbd0281

 

[Amir0x]

cannot wait to see this. BBC Nature Documentaries are basically the best, the absolute best

 

[jmood88]

I had no idea that this existed but I can't wait get the Blu-Ray.

 

[Zeppu]

That puffer fish piece in the last episode was amazing. The talent of their camera crew is incredible.

 

[jb1234]

Anyone know the composer for this? I assume they're bringing back George Fenton but can't find anything online that credits him (or the composer period).

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

The Blu-ray is due for release on 1 December.

http://www.bbcshop.com/science+nature/life-story-blu-ray/invt/bbcbd0281

Any word on the US release?

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Anyone know the composer for this? I assume they're bringing back George Fenton but can't find anything online that credits him (or the composer period).

The music is by Murray Gold of Doctor Who fame.

Any wod on the US release?

The Blu-ray is due in the new year. It's unknown if it will be broadcast in the US as the BBC and Discovery have ended their partnership.

 

[Vanille]

Fantasic series so far. The albatross scenes in the last episode were adorable.

 

[Kers]

The pufferfish and last scene were beautifulI. I cracked up at the peacock jumping spider part. Only one episode left...

Does anyone know when the next BBC nature documentary is planned? This and Wonders of the Monsoon were really great.

 

[Zeppu]

The pufferfish and last scene were beautifulI. I cracked up at the peacock jumping spider part. Only one episode left...

Does anyone know when the next BBC nature documentary is planned? This and Wonders of the Monsoon were really great.

Check out Human Universe as well. Not nature but equally stunning and eye-opening. Adored it.

 

[Boom Boom Pow]

Life Story: Episode 1 preview

Base-jumping barnacle goose

how the fuck did it live? i almost feel like they presented two baby goose..

 

[90TilInfinity]

The Wild Dogs pack and the BTS footage are probably my favourite moments so far, but the whole series has been great, as usual.

I honestly find it kind of hard to watch other wildlife shows after seeing hours upon hours of the BBC's narrated by David Attenborough. Nothing else comes close.

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

Mountain Goats are GODLIKE

 

[Edmond Dantès]

The pufferfish and last scene were beautifulI. I cracked up at the peacock jumping spider part. Only one episode left...

Does anyone know when the next BBC nature documentary is planned? This and Wonders of the Monsoon were really great.

In terms of 2015, four region specific documentary series, three Attenborough specials, a 4K shark series and the two flagship series; Oceans and One Planet which are billed as sequels to The Blue Planet and Planet Earth.

how the fuck did it live? i almost feel like they presented two baby goose..

They are robust little creatures, not many actually survive this 'right of passage' and even those that survive are very prone to predators. A previous family that the production crew filmed was subject to an attack which resulted in one of the cliff jumping chick's death.

 

[BishopLamont]

man i wish there was more episodes

In terms of 2015, four region specific documentary series, three Attenborough specials, a 4K shark series and the two flagship series; Oceans and One Planet which are billed as sequels to The Blue Planet and Planet Earth.They are robust little creatures, not many actually survive this 'right of passage' and even those that survive are very prone to predators. A previous family that the production crew filmed was subject to an attack which resulted in one of the cliff jumping chick's death.

2015 can't come soon enough

Mountain Goats are THE GOAT

fixed

The Wild Dogs pack and the BTS footage are probably my favourite moments so far, but the whole series has been great, as usual.

I honestly find it kind of hard to watch other wildlife shows after seeing hours upon hours of the BBC's narrated by David Attenborough. Nothing else comes close.

yeah david's narration is just beyond words, i can revisit his docos and it's always amazing.

I'm in. The old boy can't have too many left in him unfortunately. In a perfect world he would live to 300.

in a way he'll live forever, what an amazing legacy he will leave behind and such an inspiration for anyone to follow on

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Final episode - Parenthood

In the final episode of Life Story, animals attempt to rear their offspring. This takes extraordinary commitment, and a parent may even need to risk its own life for its offspring. A female turtle, returning to the island where she was born 30 years ago, hauls herself up the beach to lay her eggs in a safe place above the tide line. But her commitment may prove her undoing. The low tide traps her on the island behind a wall of coral. If she cannot climb over it the heat of the sun will kill her.

A mother bonobo chimpanzee lavishes care on her son for five years, deep in the Congo forest. Their bond will endure for the rest of her life. She will teach him how to survive in the jungle. One of her most important lessons is showing him a hidden forest pool where they harvest lilies rich in minerals essential for their good health.

A mother zebra must decide where to lead her young foal across the Mara river so that they can reach new grazing grounds. Should she cross where they will face predators such as crocodiles? Or should she lead her foal through treacherous rapids? Her foal's life may rest on the decision she makes.

In a touching scene elephants delicately stroke the bones of an ancestor. We cannot know what they are thinking, but perhaps like humans they have a sense of a shared history? It is a communal experience that appears to draw the family members closer together.

 

[Arondight]

In terms of 2015, four region specific documentary series, three Attenborough specials, a 4K shark series and the two flagship series; Oceans and One Planet which are billed as sequels to The Blue Planet and Planet Earth.They are robust little creatures, not many actually survive this 'right of passage' and even those that survive are very prone to predators. A previous family that the production crew filmed was subject to an attack which resulted in one of the cliff jumping chick's death.

Nature's Great events also shows something similar but with guillemots where some if unlucky, the chicks crash land on ground and bounce around and are easy pickings for the fox. Great show to watch. Can't wait to watch this one as well.

 

[Jeff Albertson]

FUCK YOU CUCKOOS!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

And thus it comes to an end. A very accomplished series. It certainly is up there with the likes of Planet Earth, the Blue Planet, Life, Africa and Attenborough's Life Collection.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Met Sir David Attenborough today, and finished with Life Story this evening. Not a bad goings.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Life Story review, episode 6

There are few sights in the animal kingdom more moving than elephants in mourning. As an extended family padded across the Kenyan savannah in Life Story (BBC One), they chanced across the bones of a dead female and seemed to stop to pay their respects.

They touched the skull tenderly with their trunks, gathered around in quiet contemplation, their wise eyes blinking with emotion. The experience seemed to bring the herd’s three generations closer together and they embraced (in a sort-of trunk cuddle) before thoughtfully plodding on their way. We’re lucky to live in an age where such rare occurrences – private moments taking place 8,000 miles away – can be beamed so handsomely into our homes.

This final episode brought things full circle, with a look at parenthood – and David Attenborough’s exemplary series signed off by putting us through the emotional wringer. On the Great Barrier Reef, a green turtle struggled up the sand to lay its eggs, flippers failing, wheezing like Darth Vader in a shell, only for the tide to trap it behind a wall of coral. It grunted and groaned, close-ups making it resemble a dying dinosaur, before getting stuck between two rocks. Oh no, Sir Dave, not a mother turtle death. In the nick of time, the waves lifted her free. Phew.



There were similar narrow escapes elsewhere. A mother bison bravely fought off three wolves trying to kill her calf. A mother zebra led her foal, its Bambi-like legs slipping and sliding, across a treacherous river. Mothers, as if we needed reminding, are pretty extraordinary. I’ll be buying mine an extra big present this Christmas to say thank you.

This has been a spectacular series, studded with memorable moments: the cliff-jumping barnacle goslings, the snow-diving Arctic foxes, the hermit crab housing chain, last week’s reunited albatross lovers.

Here the highlight was the first ever footage of bonobos harvesting lilies, as mother patiently taught her infant son essential survival skills. Deep in the Congo rainforest, these endangered apes are our closest relatives and the scenes looked for all the world like a human mother weaning her little darling onto solids. Life’s great story was complete. Bravo to the committed camera crews, to Attenborough himself but most of all, to the real star: Mother Nature. Let’s buy her a big present too. Socks? Bath salts?

Link

 

[Edmond Dantès]

It should be noted that Life Story is the poorest performing flagship series, in terms of ratings, for a very long time. Will that stop the Natural History Unit and BBC Earth? No, of course not. But is interesting nonetheless.

 

[Matt_]

Although I've enjoyed it, I will say its not been as interesting as some of the other stuff theyve put out

 

[Decado]

How was last years' big documentary, Africa?

 

[Dizzan]

Holding out for 4k. Can't wait.... well, clearly I can.

 

[Stereogatari]

dafuck. I've watched every episode and I had no idea they were shot in 4K.

Now I'm wondering if the Blu-Ray will be in 4K?

Can someone explain the reason 4K looks better even on lower resolution screens? I'm not denying it, just interested in the technical reasons?

Planet earth was the first blu ray I got, imported day 1 from the US. Blew my mind.

Funnily enough that's how I got into Attenborough. When I got my first HDTV (720p) 8 years ago I decided a nice way to enjoy it was by watching Planet Earth.

I did the very same thing with my new 1080p TV I got last month .

 

[Edmond Dantès]

How was last years' big documentary, Africa?

Highly accomplished and very well received and features a lot of material never filmed before. The score too received plaudits, although some found it slightly overbearing.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

dafuck. I've watched every episode and I had no idea they were shot in 4K.

Now I'm wondering if the Blu-Ray will be in 4K?

Can someone explain the reason 4K looks better even on lower resolution screens? I'm not denying it, just interested in the technical reasons?

Essentially it comes down to the increased amount of detail.

The Blu-ray will be standard 1080p as the 4K Blu-ray standard is yet to be finalised. The first 4K Blu-rays are expected in time for Christmas 2015, so I expect a 4K version of Life Story will be released next Christmas.