Our Planet: Behind the Scenes

As a standalone film, there's really no reason to make this. The exciting parts just tease the awesome sights seen in the full series Our Planet, and any sort of narrative that they build is thrown out the window with the final segment. I'm glad they didn't hold back and kept the last part in, but that part is probably what forced them to make this a separate film. From an editing perspective, the ending is terrible, and not just in the most obvious way. It's cut very awkwardly and gave me the feeling that I had accidentally stopped a movie right at the climax. A few more moments were needed to solidly conclude the episode.

However, as an episode of the show, it would fit perfectly. It still shows some great shots, and it's extremely informative to see the successes, failures, and wild adventures of the film crew.

I have always been fascinated with nature documentaries and wonder "how did they get these shots?" Well if you have ever wondered that, this is a must watch for you! I have already watched this about 5 times! It is amazing!

I love this documentary.

You got to see what it takes to get just a couple minutes worth of clip. The fact that there are times where the team would spend time in a camouflage hut the size of a small apartment shower room, and had to spend 2 winters in some of the coldest part of the world. Or the time where their nights got disrupted by the tusks of walruses. So exciting.

But of course there are some moments where you simply couldn't help but feeling devastated and emotional because what we human has done to the earth, that climate change have changed the behavior of some animals, doing things their body are not built for, that then leading up to their demise. That was hard to watch. I cried together with the team, as you get to watch the scenery has taken toll on them, but they still have to shoot it, because the world needs to see it, to believe it. Because even if you don't suffer from climate change where you are, does not mean there are no suffering on the other parts of the world. The animal are the most vulnerable due to climate change.

If your friends, family members, or just acquaintances thinks climate change it a hoax, tell them to watch this.

Whereas the usual Silverback Productions on the BBC have little ten-minute "behind the scenes" segments bolted onto the end of them (something to do with making up the ad breaks on lesser networks) the Netflix series never had to do this - so all of these bits are condensed into this extremely pleasant but fraught supplementary documentary. I often find these addendums as interesting as the core series and this is no exception - showing the incredible lengths the production teams go to capture the wildlife and scenery. Some moments are particularly intense, and most of those involve the humble walrus. Worth seeking out if you've seen the series!

This is a sort of "bonus" episode for enthusiasts of the "Our Planet" series. It shows the preparations and execution of some of the most difficult shots. As a photographer and filmmaker, I was mesmerized by the crews' dedication, spending in some cases up to two years to get a few minutes of precious footage. My wife, who is not interested in the technical portion of filmmaking, was as excited as me about this film. We watched this before watching the actual series, and I think it could work both ways. Besides seeing what it takes to get each shot, one also experiences the devotion these filmmakers have for their craft. And, more importantly, their love for the animals. It feels like you're on an expedition with them.