A nature documentary or wildlife documentary is a genre of

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

or series about

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s, or other non-human living creatures. Nature documentaries usually concentrate on video taken in the subject's natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

, but often including footage of trained and captive animals, too. Sometimes they are about

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

in relationship to human beings. Such programmes are most frequently made for

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, particularly for

public broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

channels, but some are also made for the cinema. The proliferation of this

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

occurred almost simultaneously alongside the production of similar television series which is distributed across the world.

Cinema

Robert J. Flaherty's 1922 film '' Nanook of the North'' is typically cited as the first feature-length documentary. Decades later, Walt Disney Productions pioneered the serial theatrical release of nature-documentaries with its production of the True-Life Adventures series, a collection of fourteen full length and short subject nature films from 1948 to 1960. Prominent among those were '' The Living Desert'' (1953) and '' The Vanishing Prairie'' (1954), both written and directed by James Algar. The first full-length nature-documentary films pioneering colour underwater cinematography were the Italian film '' Sesto Continente'' (''The Sixth Continent'') and the French film '' Le Monde du silence'' (''The Silent World''). Directed by Folco Quilici ''Sesto Continente'' was shot in 1952 and first exhibited to Italian audiences in 1954. ''The Silent World'', shot in 1954 and 1955 by

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the ...

and Louis Malle, was first released in 1956.

Television

In 1954, the BBC started airing Zoo Quest, featuring David Attenborough. Other early nature documentaries include ''Fur and Feathers'' shown on CBC from 1955 to 1956 and hosted by Ian McTaggart-Cowan., and ''Look'', a studio-based BBC magazine-program with filmed inserts, hosted by Sir Peter Scott from 1955 to 1981. The first 50-minute weekly documentary series, ''The World About Us'', began on BBC2 in 1967 with a color installment from the French filmmaker Haroun Tazieff, called "Volcano". Around 1982, the series changed its title to '' The Natural World'', which the BBC Natural History Unit in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

continued to produce . In 1961, Anglia Television produced the first of the award-winning ''

Survival Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...

'' series. Between 1974 and 1980, the Spanish nature documentary television series '' El Hombre y la Tierra'' (The Man and the Earth), produced by TVE and presented by naturalist Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente used 35 mm film, which posed significant logistic and technical challenges at the time. The show gained international recognition. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, several other television companies round the world set up their own specialized natural-history departments, including the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and TVNZ's unit in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

— both still in existence, the latter having changed its name to " NHNZ". ITV's contribution to the genre, ''Survival'', became a prolific series of single films. It was eventually axed when the network introduced a controversial new schedule which many commentators have criticized as " dumbing down". Wildlife and natural history films have boomed in popularity and have become one of modern society's most important sources of information about the natural world. Yet film and television critics and scholars have largely ignored them. The BBC television series ''Walking With'', narrated by

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

, used computer-generated imagery (CGI) and

animatronics An animatronic is a puppet controlled electronically to move in a fluent way. Animatronics are the modern adaptation of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films, video games and in theme park attractions. Anim ...

to film prehistoric life in a similar manner to other nature documentaries. The shows ('' Walking with Dinosaurs'', '' Walking with Beasts'', and '' Walking with Monsters'') had three spinoffs, two of which featured Nigel Marven: '' Chased by Dinosaurs'' and ''Sea Monsters: A Walking with Dinosaurs Trilogy''.

Robert Winston Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston (born 15 July 1940) is a British professor, medical doctor, scientist, television presenter and Labour peer. Early life Robert Winston was born in London to Laurence Winston and Ruth Winston-Fox, ...

presented '' Walking with Cavemen''.

Content

Most nature documentary films or television series focus on a particular

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

, or

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

idea (such as

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

). Although most take a scientific and

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

al approach, some anthropomorphise their subjects or present animals purely for the viewer's pleasure. In a few instances, they are in presented in ethnographic film formats and contain stories that involve humans and their relationships with the natural world, as in '' Nanook of the North'' (1922), '' The Story of the Weeping Camel'' (2003), and '' Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' (1925). Although almost all have a human presenter, the role varies widely, ranging from explanatory

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

s to extensive interaction or even confrontation with animals. Most nature documentaries are made for television and are usually of 45 to 50 minutes duration, but some are made as full-length cinematic presentations. Such films include: * '' Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh'' (2009) * '' Animals Are Beautiful People'' (1974) * '' Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927) * '' Coral Reef Adventure'' (2003) * '' The Cove'' (2009) * '' Encounters at the End of the World'' (2007) * '' Grizzly Man'' (2005) * '' The Last Paradises: On the Track of Rare Animals'' (1967) * '' The Leopard Son'' (1996) * '' The Living Desert'' (1953) * '' March of the Penguins'' (2005) * '' Microcosmos'' (1996) * '' Sharkwater'' (2006) * '' Serengeti Shall Not Die'' (1959) * '' The Silent World'' (1956) * '' The Story of the Weeping Camel'' (2003) * '' Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life'' (1925) * '' The Vanishing Prairie'' (1954) * '' The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill'' (2003) * '' White Wilderness'' (1958) * '' Winged Migration'' (2001) In addition, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's '' The Blue Planet'' and '' Planet Earth'' series have both been adapted by

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

and Greenlight Media for theatrical release. In some cases, nature documentaries are produced in the short subject form and are subsequently screened in theaters or broadcast on television. Often they are about the relationship between humans and nature. Notable examples include: * ''Agafia's Taiga Life'' (2013) * ''

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

'' (1958) * '' In Beaver Valley'' (1950) * ''The Land'' (1942) 45-minute documentary made for the U.S. Department of Agriculture * '' The Plow That Broke the Plains'' (1936) * '' The River'' (1938) * '' Seal Island'' (1948) Every two years the Wildscreen Trust, of Bristol in the UK presents the Panda Awards for nature documentaries.

Criticism

The "naturalness" of nature documentaries has been disputed. Some, particularly those involving animals, have included footage of staged events that appear "natural" while actually contrived by filmmakers or occurring in captivity. In a famous example,

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's '' White Wilderness'' (1958), lemmings were herded to their deaths from a cliff by the filmmakers. Examples also occur in modern nature documentaries, such as '' Hidden Kingdoms'' (2014) and '' Blue Planet II'' (2017), indicating that such practices are still routine. Due to the difficulties of recording sounds on locations, it is common for nature documentary makers to record sounds in post-production using Foley and to use sound effect libraries. Compositing and

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...

are also sometimes used to construct shots. Wild animals are often filmed over weeks or months, so the footage must be condensed to form a

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

that appears to take place over a short space of time. Such narratives are also constructed to be as compelling as possible—rather than necessarily as a reflection of reality—and make frequent use of voice-overs, combined with emotional and intense music to maximise the audience's engagement with the content. One common technique is to follow the "story" of one particular animal, encouraging the audience to form an emotional connection with the subject and to root for their survival when they encounter a

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

. In 1984, David Attenborough stated:

There is precious little that is natural … in any film. You distort speed if you want to show things like plants growing, or look in detail at the way an animal moves. You distort light levels. You distort distribution, in the sense that you see dozens of different species in a jungle within a few minutes, so that the places seem to be teeming with life. You distort size by using close-up lenses. And you distort sound. What the filmmaker is trying to do is to convey a particular experience. … The viewer has to trust in the good faith of the filmmaker.

Nature documentaries have been criticized for leaving viewers with the impression that wild animals survived and thrived after encounters with predators, even when they sustain potentially life-threatening injuries. They also cut away from particularly violent encounters, or attempt to downplay the

suffering Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence (psyc ...

endured by the individual animal, by appealing to concepts such as the " balance of nature" and "the good of the herd".

Notable filmmakers

Among the many notable filmmakers, scientists, and presenters who have contributed to the medium include: * James Algar * Sir David Attenborough * Harry Butler * Gordon Buchanan * Richard Brock *

* Jeff Corwin *

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservation movement, conservationist, and television presenter. He was born in Jamshedpur in British Ind ...

Alastair Fothergill Alastair David William Fothergill (born 10 April 1960) is a British producer of nature documentary, nature documentaries for television and cinema. He is the series producer of the series ''The Blue Planet'' (2001), ''Planet Earth (2006 TV ser ...

* Robert Flaherty * Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente * Bernhard Grzimek * Tim Haines * Judy Irving * Steve Irwin * Hugo van Lawick * Jasper James * Nigel Marven *

Greg MacGillivray Greg MacGillivray (born 1945) is an American film director and cinematographer. Career MacGillivray was first nominated for an Academy Award in 1995 for directing ''The Living Sea'' (Best Documentary Short Subject), and was nominated in the same c ...

* Ian McTaggart-Cowan * Desmond Morris * Neil Nightingale * Marlin Perkins * Coyote Peterson * Jacques Perrin * Louie Psihoyos * Eugen Schuhmacher * Heinz Sielmann * Marty Stouffer * Mark Strickson * David Suzuki * Valmik Thapar

Notable series

Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough's contributions to conservation are widely regarded, and his television programs have been seen by millions of people throughout the world. Series narrated and/or presented by him include: * '' Zoo Quest'' (1954–1964) *'' Life on Earth'' (1979), 13 episodes *'' The Living Planet'' (1984), 12 episodes *'' The Trials of Life'' (1990), 12 episodes *'' Life in the Freezer'' (1993), 6 episodes *'' The Private Life of Plants'' (1995), 6 episodes *'' The Life of Birds'' (1998), 10 episodes *'' The Blue Planet'' (2001), 8 episodes *'' The Life of Mammals'' (2002), 10 episodes *'' Life in the Undergrowth'' (2005), 5 episodes *'' Planet Earth'' (2006), 11 episodes *'' Life in Cold Blood'' (2008), 5 episodes *''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' (2009), 10 episodes * '' Nature's Great Events'' (2009) *'' Frozen Planet'' (2011), 7 episodes *'' Kingdom of Plants 3D'' (2012), 3 episodes *'' David Attenborough's Conquest of the Skies 3D'' (2015), 3 episodes + Extra *'' Planet Earth II'' (2016), 6 episodes *'' Blue Planet II'' (2017), 7 episodes *'' Our Planet'' (2019), 8 episodes *'' Seven Worlds, One Planet'' (2019), 7 episodes *'' The Green Planet'' (2022), 5 episodes *'' Prehistoric Planet'' (2022), 5 episodes *'' Planet Earth III'' (2023), 8 episodes

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin's documentaries, based on wildlife conservation and environmentalism, aired on

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

, and Animal Planet. The series comprises: *'' The Crocodile Hunter'' (1992–2004), 74 episodes *'' The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course'' (2002)'', Movie'' *'' The Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files'' (1999), 52 episodes *'' The Crocodile Hunter Diaries'' (2001–2003), 30 episodes *'' Ocean's Deadliest'' (2006)

Other

* '' Andes to Amazon'' (2000) * '' Animal Atlas'' (2004–) * '' Ark on the Move'' (1982) * '' Banded Brothers'' (2010) * '' The Bear Family & Me'' (2011) * '' Big Cat Week'' (2013) * '' British Isles – A Natural History'' (2004) * '' Corwin's Quest'': Animal Planet 2005. * '' Congo'' (2001) * '' Cousins'' (2000) * '' Dark Days in Monkey City'' (2009) * '' Earth: The Power of the Planet'' (2007) * '' Earthflight'' (2011) * '' Escape to Chimp Eden'' (2008) * '' Europe: A Natural History'' (2005) * '' Eyewitness (British TV series)'' (1994-1997) * ''

The First Eden ''The First Eden: The Mediterranean World and Man'' is a BBC documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the United Kingdom from 8 March 1987. It comprises four programmes, each of 55 minutes' duration, w ...

'' (1987) * '' The Future Is Wild'' (2002) * '' The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart'' (2010) * ''

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

'' (2007) * '' Great Migrations'' (2010) * '' Going Wild with Jeff Corwin'' (

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

, 1997–1999) * '' El Hombre y la Tierra'' (1974–1981) * '' How the Earth Was Made'' (2009) * '' How the Universe Works'' (2010, 2012, 2014) * '' The Human Animal'' (1994) * '' Human Planet'' (2011) * '' In the Womb'' (2005–2010) * '' Insectia'' (1999) * '' Inside Life'' (2009) * '' The Jeff Corwin Experience'' (2001–2003) * '' Journeys to the Ends of the Earth'' (1998) * '' King of the Jungle'' ( Animal Planet, 2003–2004) * '' Land of the Tiger'' (1997) * '' Last Chance to See'' (2009) * '' Lemur Street'' (2007–2008) * '' The Living Edens'' (1997) * ''

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

'' (2011) * '' Meerkat Manor'' (2005) * '' The Most Extreme'' (2002) * ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' (1982–) * '' Natural World'' (1983–2020) * '' The Nature of Things'' (1960–) * '' Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin'' ( ABC, 2011–14)Official show page for Ocean Mysteries
. Georgiaaquarium.org (2011-08-31). Retrieved on 2012-09-05. * '' Oceans'' (2008) * '' Orangutan Diary'' (2009) * '' Orangutan Island'' (2007) * '' Penguin Island'' (2010) * '' Planet Earth: The Future'' (2006) * '' Really Wild Animals'' (1993–98) * '' The Really Wild Show'' (1986–2006) * '' River Monsters'' (2009) * '' Saving Planet Earth'' (2007) * '' Sea Rescue'' (2012–2018) * '' The Secret Life of Elephants'' (2009) * '' South Pacific'' (2009) * '' State of the Planet'' (2000) * '' The Stationary Ark'' (1975) * '' Supernatural: The Unseen Powers of Animals'' (2008) * ''

'' (1961) * '' Suzuki on Science'' (1971) * '' Weird Nature'' (2001) * '' Wild Africa'' (2001) * '' Wild Caribbean'' (2007) * '' Wild Down Under'' (2003) * '' Wild Kingdom'' (1963–1988) * '' Yellowstone'' (2009)

References

External links

Light & Shadow Productions: German nature documentary company

"The Mysterious Bee" An award winning documentary about Honey Bees

Trouble in Lemur Land
– a professional 50 minute HD film about illegal rosewood logging in Madagascar and the impact on the silky sifaka lemur
List of Nature Documentaries

''Nature'' at BBC

''Nature'' at PBS

''TV/Radio Programmes at BBC''
*
Outdoors Country
', ca. 1957, Archives of Ontario YouTube Channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Nature Documentary Documentary film genres