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Dolphins: Spy in the Pod (Blu-ray)
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Acorn Media Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (22nd February 2014). |
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The Film
 Dolphins: Spy in the Pod (BBC, 2014) The latest in the BBC’s popular ‘Spy in the…’ Wildlife Specials, Dolphins: Spy in the Pod (2014) follows the template established in the first of these documentaries, Lions: Spy in the Den (2000), and developed through subsequent productions, including the recent Penguins: Spy in the Huddle (2013) – principally, the use of unique ‘spy’ cameras to provide an intimate perspective on the creatures chosen as the subjects of the documentary. The first ‘Spy in the…’ BBC Wildlife Special, Lions: Spy in the Den was also the first BBC Wildlife Special to be made by an independent production company, John Downer Productions. The series developed from Downer’s 1987 In-Flight Movie, made for the BBC’s long-running Wildlife on One (1977-2005) strand. Focusing on the flight of various species of birds, In-Flight Movie featured a groundbreaking use of a stripped-down Super 8 camera that was attached to a golden eagle, offering a bird’s-eye-view of its subject; like the early ‘Spy in the…’ documentaries, In-Flight Movie was narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Lions: Spy in the Den developed on the innovative camerawork Downer used in In-Flight Movie, featuring the use of what have been labeled ‘spy’ cameras: to offer an intimate depiction of the lives of lions, Downer and his team developed the ‘Bouldercam’, a remote-controlled camera designed as a boulder. The Bouldercam allowed the production team to get closer to the lions than ever before. The technique was consolidated in Elephant: Spy in the Herd (2003), where the Bouldercam was used alongside a ‘Dung-Cam’, a camera disguised as a pile of dung. Such technology has developed immensely over the past 15 years, and for Dolphins: Spy in the Pod, now narrated by David Tennant rather than Sir David Attenborough, Downer’s team was able to develop a number of high definition digital video cameras disguised as various creatures of the sea: the series utilises a ‘Spy Turtle’, ‘Spy Dolphin’, ‘Spy Tuna’, ‘Spy Pufferfish’ and ‘Spy Nautilus’. (Spy Tuna looks bizarrely like the Titan Terror Fish from Stingray, AP Films, 1964-5.) Downer’s website tells us that although a number of these unique ‘spy’ cameras ran into difficulties, the only one of them to be destroyed was the ‘Spy Squid’, which lost ‘his tentacles to a huge Potato Cod’. Dolphins are notoriously intelligent, and wary, creatures, and Downer’s documentary offers a fascinating glimpse into their lives and rituals. Watching the documentary, a viewer may be struck by the awareness that the dolphins in no way mistake the spy cameras for the creatures they are intended to represent. This may make the documentary seem slightly farcical. However, something not addressed overtly in the documentary itself but outlined on the production company’s website is that the intention in using these spy cameras was ‘not to fool’ the dolphins but to ‘tweak’ their natural sense of curiosity, ‘encouraging the dolphins to let them into their lives, allowing them to capture behaviour that has never been seen before’ (John Downer Productions, 2014). It’s a shame that this aspect of the production isn’t addressed more directly in the narration, as it would give a stronger sense of context to the production company’s methodologies that, otherwise, is only available to a viewer who is willing to research the production of the programme. Downer’s production crew recorded nine hundred hours of footage following various dolphin pods across the world, off the coasts of ‘Mozambique, Canada, Florida, South Carolina, Honduras, Costa Rica, Australia, South Africa and Argentina’ (ibid.). The spy creatures were supported by teams of divers and underwater cameramen who, spending nearly 3000 hours at sea, mostly captured their footage by free diving. The two-part documentary is given structure by David Tennant’s narration, which is warm and familiar – but it’s hard to escape the feeling that, in comparison with Attenborough’s narration of earlier entries into the series, Tennant’s voiceover lacks a little authority. However, his voice is utterly warm and engaging. We are presented with the adventures of a young dolphin, no more than five days old, as he explores the world around him: these scenes in particular offer the excitement of seeing this underwater world for the first time. We also learn that each dolphin has a signature whistle ‘that it uses just like a name’, and we are offered glimpses of ‘the legendary megapod, made up of over 3000 dolphins’. Disc contents: Episode One (59:09) Episode Two (59:09) Both episodes are accessible via a ‘Play All’ option.
Video
The two-part documentary is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It’s a 1080p presentation, using the AVC codec. Shot digitally, the underwater photography is beautiful, especially considering the techniques used to capture it. Contrast is strong, as is colour consistency.
Audio
Audio is presented via a lossless LPCM 2.0 stereo track. This is clear and rich. Optional English subtitles are included.
Extras
A brief stills gallery (0:47) is included on the disc.
Overall
As with the earlier entries into the ‘Spy in the…’ series, Dolphins: Spy in the Pod offers innovative techniques used to capture these fascinating, and notoriously shy, creatures. What Tennant’s narration lacks in gravitas, it makes up for with warmth. The presentation on this disc is very good, showing how far Downer’s techniques have come since the use of the Super 8 camera strapped to an eagle in 1987’s In-Flight Movie. However, it’s frustrating that the main presentation, handsome and fascinating though it is, is presented with little contextualisation: an interview or featurette looking at the production of the series would have been welcome, and would have helped to clarify some of the methods used by Downer’s production company. Nevertheless, regardless of this, fans of nature documentaries will find much to enjoy here. References: John Downer Productions, 2014: ‘Dolphins – Spy in the Pod’. [Online.] http://jdp.co.uk/programmes/dolphins-spy-in-the-pod
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