Behind the Scenes in Wildlife Filmmaking

This week, the 31st International Wildlife Film Festival is happening in Missoula, Montana.  Channel 2's original series "Wild Florida" received two honorable mentions for educational value at the festival this year, and as one of the producers of the series I am excited to attend the festivities and to meet with others in the field of natural history programming.   As producers, we often get so wrapped up in the day-to-day grind of deadline pressures that we find ourselves with little time to step back to examine our work and to share ideas with others in our field.  Having an opportunity to see what others are working on and to bounce ideas off each other is invaluable to make sure we produce quality programming that is not only entertaining but also of value to you, our audience.   Today's focus at the festival is on "Saving our Seas", in particular the environmental pressures our oceans are facing today and how we, as the media, can inform our viewers about important ocean issues.   For us Floridians, the oceans play especially important roles in our lives and their continued health and exploration are vital to our economy.  Here at Channel 2 we are in the process of trying to find funding for a new series  called "Changing Seas" that would explore these types of stories.  Today's sessions are particularly beneficial in helping us determine how such a series would best be presented to get out important information in a way that is not only entertaining, but also meets the neeeds of our community.

Alexa Elliott

Comments

[Susan Sharma]

The visual media is so powerful that it can change attitudes when used effectively. It is good to hear that blue chip film makers are now thinking about the communities around the wildlife we are protecting.