ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Curiosity Stream The Making of Planet Insect: Filmmaking In A Pandemic
Insects are fascinating creatures found all over the world, from bustling cities to remote rainforests. However, when the production of “Planet Insect” began, an unexpected challenge arose: a global pandemic. This situation forced the team to rethink their approach to filming. Instead of traveling to exotic locations, they decided to bring the rainforest to their studio.
A rainforest is characterized by its frequent rainfall, and replicating this environment in a studio was no small feat. The advantage, though, was that the crew and equipment remained dry. While a real rainforest hosts hundreds of thousands of insect species, the team had a secret weapon: Graham and Janice Smith from Metabugs UK. Located just outside London, Metabugs has an impressive collection of insects, making it the perfect resource for the production.
Graham and Janice’s journey with insects began in a small bedroom, but as their collection grew, they moved to a larger space. Their collection includes a variety of species, from the impressive Grandfather Rhino roach to the more dangerous assassin bug. The latter is known for its painful venom, which Graham experienced firsthand.
The Metabugs facility is a haven for insects, consuming around 40 pounds of bananas weekly. The temperature is carefully controlled, mimicking the natural fluctuations of a rainforest, ensuring the insects thrive in their artificial habitat.
To capture the intricate world of insects, the production team had to become skilled interior designers and builders. They constructed a custom kitchen set, allowing cameras to access angles that would be impossible in a real kitchen. This required a collaborative effort from carpenters, electricians, and prop makers to create a convincing environment.
While much of the filming took place in the studio, some scenes required venturing into the real world. One such location was the flooded caves beneath a lake on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Here, the team sought to film remipedes, unique crustaceans that offer insights into insect evolution.
Fortunately, the scientists who discovered these creatures were also expert cave divers. They navigated the hazardous underwater environment, dealing with toxic chemicals, salinity changes, and even crocodiles, to capture footage of these elusive creatures.
Despite the pandemic’s challenges, the production team successfully adhered to their schedule. Through a combination of innovative studio setups and the dedication of adventurous scientists, “Planet Insect” was brought to life, showcasing the incredible diversity and adaptability of insects.
Join a virtual tour of a studio set designed to mimic a rainforest. Observe the techniques used to recreate natural environments indoors. Discuss with your peers how these methods can be applied to other filmmaking projects.
Participate in a workshop where you identify various insect species from the Metabugs collection. Use online resources to learn about their habitats and behaviors. Share your findings with the class to deepen everyone’s understanding of insect diversity.
Work in teams to design a miniature set that replicates a specific natural environment. Use materials available to you and present your set to the class, explaining the choices you made to ensure authenticity and functionality for filming.
Attend a seminar on the challenges and innovations in documentary filmmaking during a pandemic. Engage in discussions about how filmmakers can adapt to unforeseen circumstances while maintaining the integrity of their projects.
Analyze a case study on the exploration of Mexico’s caves for filming remipedes. Discuss the risks involved and the strategies used to mitigate them. Reflect on how these lessons can be applied to other scientific or adventurous filming endeavors.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
[Music] There are insects everywhere around the globe, in all manner of exciting and exotic locations to visit. [Music] But just as the production kicked off, a global pandemic began, prompting a change of plan. We had always planned some sequences in our dedicated macro studio, but now, to keep the production schedule on track, we needed to scale up significantly. If we can’t go to the rainforest, the rainforest will just have to come to us. [Music]
A rainforest, by definition, is a forest where it rains a lot. [Music] Yes, we had to recreate that as well. One good thing, though, is that in this rainforest, the crew and the equipment stayed dry. There are hundreds of thousands of different kinds of insects in any one patch of real rainforest—maybe a bit of a tall order for our creation. [Music] Or maybe not, if you have friends like Graham and Janice Smith of Metabugs UK. [Music]
They have a whole rainforest’s worth of insects just outside London, a couple of hours’ drive from our studio. We originally had a bug collection and used one of the little bedrooms upstairs, which was fine until the collection started to grow. I left the collection and came downstairs, and it wasn’t until about three hours later that I realized I hadn’t closed the enclosures. I went upstairs to find probably a thousand giant cockroaches walking up the walls. At that point, Janice helped me decide that we were going to move into an external unit.
Metabugs breeds, cares for, and handles a whole range of species for film and television. [Music] I’ve kept these since I was a kid; they’re always a winner. [Music] That gorgeous one is one of the world’s larger roaches—it’s actually a Grandfather Rhino roach, which is a great name for a big roach. Most of these insects are very obliging, but some are not so much. Meet the assassin bug—it’s the only thing I’ve been envenomated by in here. I won’t do it again; the pain is quite intense.
Getting through roughly 40 pounds of bananas a week, the bug house is practically a five-star hotel for its residents. The main temperature range goes from 65°F in the mornings to 90°F by the end of the day, and then we cool down again overnight. We try to replicate what happens naturally; insects do just as well in our world as in remote rainforests. [Music]
So we had to become interior designers as well as gardeners. In the end, it was much easier to build our own kitchen than to find a real one. This way, we could design it to allow the camera into places that would otherwise be impossible. To do this convincingly, we needed a team of carpenters, electricians, and prop makers all working together to achieve the perfect result. At least we didn’t have to invest in a real kitchen with roaches.
A busy schedule of studio shoots, planned and executed with feature film precision, kept the show on the road. There were some things we simply couldn’t do in our studio, like building the vast network of flooded caves that extend below a lake on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. This is one of the few places we could find the strange crustaceans called remipedes, which give us clues about how insects may have evolved. [Music]
Luckily, the scientists who discovered these creatures were also elite cave divers and knew how to film the remipedes. It’s going to take us between 10 and 15 minutes to get to where the remipedes are. First, we need to find them. My goal is to remind you to stay and save time. Please, as soon as I make that signal, I command the exit. Okay, you say 50 first, so we start to exit, monitoring stops at 15, 12, 9, 6, and 3 meters. The idea is not to fall into decompression. Okay, nice, let’s go. [Music]
As the team made their way deeper into the cave, they had to deal with hazards such as toxic chemicals in the water and sudden changes in salinity. [Music] And of course, crocodiles—probably just as well we couldn’t go ourselves. [Music]
This somewhat perilous journey took the dive crew far from their own world and into the world of one of the most mysterious creatures on planet Earth: the world’s only venomous crustacean. This is one of the first times these creatures have been filmed in such detail. Between ingenious studio setups and intrepid scientists, we managed to stick to our production schedule despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. [Music]
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Insects – Insects are a class of invertebrates within the arthropod phylum that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body, three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and one pair of antennae. – Insects play a crucial role in pollination, which is essential for the reproduction of many plant species.
Rainforest – A rainforest is a dense, warm, wet forest that receives high amounts of rainfall annually, and is home to a vast diversity of plant and animal species. – The Amazon rainforest is often referred to as the “lungs of the Earth” due to its ability to produce large amounts of oxygen.
Species – A species is a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. – The discovery of a new species of frog in the rainforest highlights the rich biodiversity of the region.
Habitat – A habitat is the natural environment in which a particular species of organism lives, including all biotic and abiotic factors. – The destruction of natural habitats is one of the leading causes of species extinction.
Evolution – Evolution is the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the Earth. – Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection explains how species adapt to their environment over time.
Environment – The environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, which provide the conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage. – Human activities have a significant impact on the environment, often leading to pollution and climate change.
Production – In an ecological context, production refers to the creation of organic compounds by organisms, primarily through the process of photosynthesis. – Primary production in ecosystems is largely driven by the availability of sunlight and nutrients.
Collection – Collection in biology often refers to the gathering of specimens or data for scientific study and analysis. – The collection of soil samples from different habitats can provide insights into the biodiversity and health of an ecosystem.
Challenges – Challenges in environmental studies refer to the difficulties faced in understanding, managing, and mitigating the impacts of human activities on the natural world. – One of the major challenges in conservation biology is balancing human development with the preservation of biodiversity.
Filming – Filming in the context of environmental studies involves capturing video footage of natural environments and wildlife for research, education, or conservation purposes. – Filming the behavior of nocturnal animals in their natural habitat can provide valuable data for ecological studies.
