Planet Earth
An Iowa State astronomy professor provides his knowledge on space hurricanes.
April 16, 2019
Planet Earth
Global influence is a pretty high level of influence. What makes something reach that level? Viewership? Impact? Content? In any of these cases, maybe a value in the billions could be a qualification for global influence. BBC has that.
BBC refers to their nature documentaries as “Global Phenomenons.” Between Planet Earth and five of their newest documentaries: Planet Earth III, One Planet Seven Worlds, Perfect Planet, Frozen Planet II and Green Planet, BBC has accumulated 12,500 days of filming, 182 countries and content from every continent. Alone, Planet Earth II has had over a billion views in the last three years since its debut.
All these documentaries and all this time spent creating “global phenomenons.” Why is viewing our planet on ultra HD, slow motion footage so intriguing to people? Here are a few of my perceptions of the influence of these rand documentaries.
First, there is an educational aspect of the films. I remember in elementary and middle school science class watching these films. It allows people from different regions to gain perspective on wildlife, and sometimes culture, away from home. The director if Islands from Planet Earth II mentioned in a small documentary about the making of the series that they goal was to give the perspective of the animals life through very close shots and angles. So, in hopes that the documentary would inform people of life as an animal, it was created.
Second, showcasing our planets immensity can influence cultivation and care for our planet. The new series scheduled to be released in 2022, Planet Earth III is projected to reflect new realities of our Earth and the new challenges nature faces in the 21st century. Bob Ross puts his care for our planet simply, “There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.”
Third, students have various ways to relieve their stress. At least for a couple of classmates of mine and a large population of my acquaintances, BBC’s earth documentaries are sometimes the avenue to go down. Enticed by super high quality footage, incredible soundtracks by world famous, Hans Zimmer, and a very low stress environment; the combination only calls for enjoyment. On top of this add a nice book, some yoga exercises, a cup of coffee, and if you really want to go far, a candle or fire to complement the voice of David Attenborough.
In all, if you are looking to be educated on Earth’s vast environments, or be pumped up to plant a backyard garden, or you need to relieve some stress; maybe Planet Earth is the option for you.
