Are some planets capable of supporting life? What activities occur on planets like Mars, Jupiter and Saturn? What is the history of the solar system? You can find the answers to all these questions on ‘The Planets’, Sony BBC Earth’s new series. The makers of this series have put together some thrilling stories that are narrated using groundbreaking visual effects.
In a quick chat with Metrolife, Gideon Bradshaw, the producer of the show, talks about the challenges involved in capturing the most dramatic visuals.
What kind of technology do you use in telling these stories?
We would do special photography on location using things like the full scope, for example, which makes images appear dramatic. We use high-speed cameras like the Phantom to heighten the visual effects, for instance, of when rain first came to Mars. And we also use the latest kind of visual effects and CGI to create not only the planet for space, but also dramatic shots with asteroids striking the early planets. They would all be digitally created.
What kind of research has gone into making this episode?
We had a team in every episode — a researcher, assistant producer and directors — who worked very closely with the scientists to make sure that we were getting all the information from the mission specialists. We had great fun in the production, trying to choose the moments where we could find drama and change within a theme.
What were the challenges involved in execution?
The challenge was in visualising the story we had in hand. We had to figure out how to show that Mars is a water world. The other challenge was showing the exploration of Mars with the probes and spacecraft above it and the rovers that have gone down onto the surface. Across the series, we talk about feature films and the amount of visual effects across our theory — all with a limited budget. Shooting this episode required a lot of ingenuity and experimentation to find the techniques that would allow us to tell the story.
Tell us some interesting facts that you discovered about the planets.
In the last episode, we journey out to the most distant planet Pluto, with a probe called view horizon. Pluto has mountains, taller than Mount Everest, that rise from a great frozen plane where we can see evidence of activity. And so, it shows you that the Pluto surface is alive with you, geologically. We call Saturn, the jewel of the solar system because it is the most beautiful kind of icy world with rings. So, there is a whole episode in fashion, where we discover some extraordinary things. For example, the rings probably weren’t there. So, for most of its history, it was ringless. We call Jupiter, the Godfather, because it is by far the biggest planet in the solar system. And it seems to have had an extraordinary history where it kind of moves throughout the solar system, creating all kinds of chaos and controlling the other worlds. We tell the story of how Earth and Mars began quite differently, and how they have ended up quite differently. Through our episodes, we tell people that the environment doesn’t stop at the top of the atmosphere on Earth. You have to keep going out, know the environment and that the wider environment includes all the other planets.
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