BBC Dumbing down?

i've only seen the bit with the sea cows, that was pretty funny for all the wrong reasons.

My original complaint was about the behaviour of the dive them. Despite all the comments, adverse and (rather fewer) positive, I still don't see how there is any justification for sloppy diving and poor conservation role modeling by anyone (pleasant as they may be personally) on the dive team. Given that tv companies try to produce what they think the public might want to see, content and presentation will always be debatable (although I did think that the Beeb do have some form of educational remit...), but poor underwater abilities and lack of care are in my view simply unacceptable and should not be shown or accepted by an organisation such as the BBC.

But I am interested to hear that 'informed' viewers (as wetpixelers undoubtedly are) seem to have found the series to be poor in general and are generally critical of its content. Sadly it seems that this was a real opportunity for some really great tv wasted!

Well my mum says they should have had me on there... And believe me what she says go's... So next time the BBC think about doing a prime time, blue chip programme i'll expect a call...

Dive safe

Dean(thanks Ma)B

While I was in no way associated with BBC Oceans, I did happen to be on a ship the BBC chartered in Tanzania during their production of the series. I have to say I have never seen so much kit, so many people continuously planning, and shooting that seemed absolute chaos and never following the plan. We were even held in port in Zanzibar over a permitting issue. I was there studying whale sharks and we asked them several times if they wanted to do any segments with them or my research. They seemed highly disinterested, and told me they were going to do whale sharks in Mozambique. Feeling useless, I hopped off the ship at Mafia Island so I could get some observations done for a few days. After I left, they decided to go out a film whale sharks - very irritating as I could have used the familiar boats and crew of the MV Kairos for observations. Oh well. I enjoyed meeting Phillippe - and his heart is in the right place - but I wasn't impressed with the overall production and I guess that translates into the end product. That being said, I was just involved in another BBC shoot - presenter based and aimed at children called the Deadly 60. They had a small crew that got great footage and covered several of our shark research projects from the Bimini Biological Field Station. Though the segments are short and it is geared towards a young audience, I hope and believe this program will live up to a higher standard. Small, efficient, and effective seems a lot better than the cluster*$#@ that was the Oceans shoot. Maybe that had something to do with the end product as well...

 

cheers!

 

- MDP

Nice to hear that you are still in action Matt. They certainly didn't seem to want any real experts like you near what they were doing!

Paul, I once was asked to attend a preproduction meeting by a TV company. They asked me if I knew any young expert divers. They wanted a Jamie Oliver of diving.

JB

Paul, I once was asked to attend a preproduction meeting by a TV company. They asked me if I knew any young expert divers. They wanted a Jamie Oliver of diving.

Enough said John!

PS - our favourite game with Oceans now is to see how long it takes the narrator to tell us that Phillipe Cousteau is grandson of Jacques.

Just fast forwarded through the last episode on the Arctic Ocean - 3 minutes 53 seconds. Apart from that, some nice underwater footage but still too much topside drivel. But the website is quite good - http://www.bbc.co.uk/oceans/

Let's hope the forthcoming big BBC production on the underwater world (can't remember what it's called) is better on screen than Oceans has been.

I didn't manage to catch any of Oceans in the end. But my faith was restored considerably, by Mike Rutzen's excellent Great White Shark film last night on the BBC. Which dealt with a much more difficult subject (swimming with white sharks) in a respectful and sensitive way and including some excellent behavioural sequences and beautiful photography.

The commentary - both Mike live and voice over was informative and cliche and gushing free. Plus plenty of good, digestible marine facts. Mainly anthropomorphic free too - except for confusing instinct with intelligence towards the end. I thought the bit about Steve Irwin wasn't needed, although was funny. The film also avoided too much man-eater stuff (only one bit) - so many shark films I have seen set out and conclude that sharks are maligned in this respect - yet still do a good 10 minutes on what the public thinks - getting out all those teeth and chomping shots again just for the ratings. The criticise it, yet still show it. This film didn't.

Main critics that many of the sequences were shown several times during the film - felt like it was a 40 minute film stretched to 50. And did present the subject as if Mike was the only person to ever get out of cage with a white shark, ever tow a decoy etc etc which I am sure will pee-off others in the field. But that is entirely understandable from a TV point of view.

All in all the best film on great whites I have seen. Excellent viewing.

Alex

p.s. None British readers should note that Brits love to moan about their TV. We pay for it, so we moan about it.

I didn't manage to catch any of Oceans in the end. But my faith was restored considerably, by Mike Rutzen's excellent Great White Shark film last night on the BBC. Which dealt with a much more difficult subject (swimming with white sharks) in a respectful and sensitive way and including some excellent behavioural sequences and beautiful photography.

Agree with you Alex - I have just finished watching it and it was very good. Good photography, basic facts, educational and non-sensationalist.

I didn't manage to catch any of Oceans in the end. But my faith was restored considerably, by Mike Rutzen's excellent Great White Shark film last night on the BBC. Which dealt with a much more difficult subject (swimming with white sharks) in a respectful and sensitive way and including some excellent behavioural sequences and beautiful photography.

I've just watched it and thoroughly enjoyed doing so; thanks for the heads-up Alex.

R

Agree.. some lovely photography, behaviour and a great story in that programme... But why oh why do they use what was probably 'stock footage' that has no colour !!???? its in all programmes and okay its for 'fillers' But they have colourists in post... Reef scenes of schools of fish nearly bluer than the back ground...lol..

Then again im probably guilty somewhere...

Dive safe

DeanB

p.s. None British readers should note that Brits love to moan about their TV. We pay for it, so we moan about it.

I certainly agree with this statement....

Stew

Main critics that many of the sequences were shown several times during the film - felt like it was a 40 minute film stretched to 50. And did present the subject as if Mike was the only person to ever get out of cage with a white shark, ever tow a decoy etc etc which I am sure will pee-off others in the field. But that is entirely understandable from a TV point of view.

 

All in all the best film on great whites I have seen. Excellent viewing.

 

Alex

 

p.s. None British readers should note that Brits love to moan about their TV. We pay for it, so we moan about it.

Well Mad Mike is Discovery's Sharkman so it's gotta be about the star . He isn't the first guy to free dive cageless (I believe that honor goes to Andre Hartman in SOuth Africa) but he's VERY willing to take people out (Cooper Anderson among quite a few others). I do find it interesting though because I believe it's illegal to do so now in South Africa since 2001/2. It would be interesting if MCM watched this show.

None British readers should note that Brits love to moan about their TV. We pay for it, so we moan about it.

You must have been watching "The best of British Whinging" & "The Top 100 British Moans and complaints". Not that British TV is anything to complain about of course....

But seriously, there is some good stuff on but you do have to sift through a lot of junk, repeats, reality shows, etc., etc., to find it !

All in all the best film on great whites I have seen. Excellent viewing.

 

Alex

For those of us across the pond starved of the good stuff, any chance of this being released as a DVD or something?

Jeff, it'll come over. It's a coproduction between DC and BBC. BBC paid more so they get to broadcast first

Maybe Fox bought BBC; wouldn't that be the end of the empire!

watch it here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00gf..._Living_Legend/

stew

Well im looking forward to the next BIG daddy BBC production called 'life'.. a few friends have been working on this epic for months now and it sounds amazing... Hopefully any underwater sequences will feature some 'colour'...

But this is where the Natural History Unit shines in the natural world filmmaking genre...

Dive safe

DeanB

That's UK only Stew. We don't pay for UK TV licenses.

That's UK only Stew. We don't pay for UK TV licenses.

is that a joke !!! can you not watch bbci player from overseas. i think someone is pulling my leg here