Blue Planet II is a 2017 British nature documentary series on marine life produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough. As the series received almost universal critical acclaim, and achieved great success with global influence, I decided to study and analyse this documentary to find out what can I learn from that.
This documentary established with a series of bird eye view shot to set down the style and concept for the audiences, with the diegetic sound of ocean and non-diegetic sound of a peaceful instrumental music, reveals a feeling of sacred and hope.
With the coming tracking mid shot of a group of dolphins from over the ocean to under the ocean, telling the audience this documentary is going to take everyone to explore the ocean and with different views.
A high angle shot tracking around David Attenborough on a ship, has crated extreme contrast of the ocean surrounding him and the tininess of him, this represents the powerful of ocean/nature, but on other hand this could also represents there are still lots of mystery of ocean waiting human to explore.
Then there’s a mid-shot of David Attenborough speaking to the camera, his not wearing any strong colour clothes and make ups, and accessories. Just a light blue colour shirt with light brown colour trousers, and an easy style watch, the colour blue and brown could represent as nature, sky, ocean, and ground, which telling us that we are a part of nature, and with the wind is blowing his hair, giving audience a feeling of realism, which is just what this documentary wanting audience to know, everything is real and objective, we are just a viewer of the nature, and we are not interrupting. His unbuttoned shirt and his body language of two hands and body on the rail of the boat has revealed a feeling of informal and approachable, like his chatting with friend, which would’ve make audiences feel more relax and comfortable, instead of feel been taught with information for a hour.
His dialogue, the diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and camera shots, are all supporting each other, for example when he says the ocean invoke in us a sense of awe and wonder and fear, the non-diegetic sound’s tone has rising to supporting to create the emotion. When he said the ocean covers 70% of the planet, the camera shot has turns to a bird eye view extreme long shot of the ocean and the ship, to highlight the dialogue.
Before the title of this documentary is introduced, lots of rare shot has been showed, like close up of fishing swimming, sharks hunting, birds flying, all these shot has giving audience feeling of realism, feels like we are just right there and seeing what’s happening, but also with different angles, and also audiences are aware that it’s impossible to see it that close and that detailed with our own eyes and our own.
When the documentary comes to exactly 3 minutes, the title ‘Blue Planet II’ has been showed with background of earth surrounded by black colour. When they introducing the title, the colour of the title is changing as well, from golden yellow to sea blue, and to sky white, this is just the representation of nature, the golden yellow means the sun light, hope, start of the day, and the blue means life, ocean, and joyfulness, the colour white, means purity, objective, and freedom, this means this documentary is going to take audience to explore the nature with its whole picture. The blue planet and the black background are responding the title, everything of this documentary is only about this blue planet, there’s nothing else, this is telling audience the specialize of this documentary.
A high angle shot tracking around David Attenborough on a ship, has crated extreme contrast of the ocean surrounding him and the tininess of him, this represents the powerful of ocean/nature, but on other hand this could also represents there are still lots of mystery of ocean waiting human to explore.
His dialogue, the diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and camera shots, are all supporting each other, for example when he says the ocean invoke in us a sense of awe and wonder and fear, the non-diegetic sound’s tone has rising to supporting to create the emotion. When he said the ocean covers 70% of the planet, the camera shot has turns to a bird eye view extreme long shot of the ocean and the ship, to highlight the dialogue.
Before the title of this documentary is introduced, lots of rare shot has been showed, like close up of fishing swimming, sharks hunting, birds flying, all these shot has giving audience feeling of realism, feels like we are just right there and seeing what’s happening, but also with different angles, and also audiences are aware that it’s impossible to see it that close and that detailed with our own eyes and our own.
When the documentary comes to exactly 3 minutes, the title ‘Blue Planet II’ has been showed with background of earth surrounded by black colour. When they introducing the title, the colour of the title is changing as well, from golden yellow to sea blue, and to sky white, this is just the representation of nature, the golden yellow means the sun light, hope, start of the day, and the blue means life, ocean, and joyfulness, the colour white, means purity, objective, and freedom, this means this documentary is going to take audience to explore the nature with its whole picture. The blue planet and the black background are responding the title, everything of this documentary is only about this blue planet, there’s nothing else, this is telling audience the specialize of this documentary.
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