
How natural are nature documentaries? - galaktor
http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/15/12471540/the-hunt-bbc-nature-documentary-realism-predators-truth-and-art
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newman8r
People define things like 'nature' and 'documentary' differently. Some people
assume something is a 'documentary' genre even if there is no verbiage to
suggest it. Fortunately it's not that tough to research which documentaries
are legitimate and have a good reputation if you really care that much.

Narrative techniques and emphasis on 'the interesting stuff' is to be expected
on TV. If you're trying to learn by watching docs airing on TV you're taking
the wrong approach anyway IMO. I haven't had cable in years but I don't mind
'nature' footage in the background at all.

as a sidenote - I like the 'documentary' Koyaanisqatsi - to those who have not
seen it, there's no spoken words, just a soundtrack. It's an interesting
juxtoposition of scenery ranging from untouched by civilization to the heights
of scientific achievement.

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bcook
Regarding your side-note, I enjoy Samsara _much_ more than Koyaanisqatsi.

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jxramos
Haha, good catch and revelations in this article. It's funny, I find myself
explaining to my daughter whenever she watches any form of video footage while
we're out and about during our day that "they're only actors". I remember once
watching some old Kurosawa movies and he did this one take bit or some other
really long scene that moved so slowly, I found myself getting edgy and bored.
And then it struck me, "wait, this guy is like letting parts of the film
unfold at real life pace". And that's the crux, when filmed things transpire
at the pace of real life they seem slow and dull. Most produced and edited
material adds a great deal of effect and storytelling, but it's funny to see
that apply to something you'd think was completely unadulterated natural
footage. Good oxymoronic effect.

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sosuke
I was recently disappointed to see loads of computer-generate shots in
documentaries. I feel cheated by it I guess? Stuff like Shark Week being half
fake
[http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2014/08/anger_bui...](http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2014/08/anger_builds_over_shark_weeks.html)

[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/nature-
documentary-...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/nature-documentary-
tricks_n_7249528.html)

