A career in Biology Movies (I.E. Educational Media)

[WindwagonSmith]

Does anyone know where I can get more information specifically on this line of work?

Or have personal anecdotes relating to this profession.

 

Thanks.

WWS

[Mokele]

It depends on what you mean. The 'talking heads' and technical consultants on most Discovery Channel shows and the like are all professional academics. The narrators, when they're always off-screen, are frequently famous actors, as in

.

 

On-screen presenters like David Attenborough aren't common, and the odds of getting that position are pretty long without special skills in animal handling, a willingness to get really mucky, or a total blatant disregard for safety and common sense (as in Steve Irwin).

 

As far as personal annecodotes, all I know is that several of the faculty here have stopped working with TV shows, because the shows are more interested in ratings than in accuracy (this is especially the complaint of the paleontologists).

 

Plus, a friend of mine had to kick Jeff Corwin out because he kept making big gestures on set...right next to her (rather ill-tempered) 14 foot king Cobra. Apparently, showmanship was a stronger drive than the warning "This snake can kill everyone in this room 10 times over, and will do so at the drop of a hat."