MEDIA VS REALITY: When what is real is too real
My husband and I like to travel. It was something that brought us together ten years ago. Our attitude is that we want to see the world while we are ambulatory, spunky, and still curious about it. My work takes me to a lot of places. If he can come, enjoy, and not be in the way, I welcome him. We’ve explored Scotland, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and other places between business meetings or shoots.
We also regularly vacation, taking breaks every quarter or so. I recognize this privilege. Not everyone can, and I’m thankful my life can afford this. I also know my brain is like a cabinet overloaded after a few months of intense work. Like Dumbledore’s pensieve filled with his memories, I need to unload my noggin and start anew.
When I travel, I rarely talk about my career. I think others in television, especially in the non-fiction genre, can empathize. It opens the door to many questions and an inevitable impromptu pitch session. Like folks who perhaps want to leave case law or accounting principles back home, television folk sometimes want to block out what pays our bills. Dear lord…. I don’t want to be pitched on vacation.
One advantage of working in documentary films for so long and across many genres is the inadvertent education on many things in this world. We learn just enough about science, natural history, health, history, engineering….you name it….to structure an accurate and provocative program. We’re the best pub trivia teammates. I love learning, so my career feeds this passion. When I travel, I relax, but I also explore, listen, and observe.
On my most recent vacation, it struck me how the media has perhaps skewed what is obvious to some and misunderstood by others the tricks of our trade. To quote my husband, common sense is not a common virtue. Let me give a few examples:
FILMS CREATE A REALITY, BUT IT IS NOT REALITY
I recently visited Morocco, docking in Casablanca. The cruise offered many tours, including a visit to Rick’s Cafe, a replica of the famed bar from the 1941 movie Casablanca. While imagining a saucy Claude Raines flirting and extorting money from me would be exciting, I passed. My sights were set elsewhere–on the capital city of Rabat and its historic sites. I heard some fellow Gen X or older passengers asking about the cafe.
“Was the film shot at the cafe? Was it shot here in Morocco?”
I stared at the poor guide. For a movie shot today, this may be a perfectly logical question. But in 1941, two things prevented this from even remotely being real: films were rarely, if ever, shot on location, and THERE WAS A WAR GOING ON. A big war. You know, the one the whole movie is about. I applaud the guide for not rolling her eyes. She calmly explained that the cafe was built in 1997 as a replica of the movie set and had done very well since its opening.
I’ve experienced this in my work. We ask the audience to accept an illusion of reality. When the host jumps off a cliff to escape a bear or the diver just avoids a great white shark, we’ve used filmmaking techniques to give the illusion of reality. This could have happened, but it did not occur.
Don’t think too hard about it, but don’t forget common sense. Like ... Nazis, Vichy France, and air transportation of the 1940s.
OCEANS ARE HUGE.
On more than one occasion, I’ve heard fellow tourists complain about not seeing dolphins, whales, sharks, or other sea life.
“I’m on a big ship, and I haven’t seen one dolphin! It’s been five days!”
It’s hard for the human brain to grasp the size of our planet’s oceans—these bodies cover 139 MILLION square miles. Mankind has explored only 5% of our world’s oceans. Here is a sad example of its breadth. The wreckage of Malaysian 370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has never been found after 10 years. It likely went down into the Indian Ocean. Over $200 million has been spent searching for any sign of the wreckage. Many believe in various theories, some of which are incredibly bizarre. Most likely? It crashed into the ocean, making it a metaphorical needle in a haystack.
Sea life is not just hanging around. It goes where there is food, and it's safe. Scientists spend years researching where wildlife might be and then weigh the odds of success. They work with local experts, including sailors, fishermen, and guides. And even then, they wait and hope. My most recent trip sailed across the Atlantic. Dolphin spottings by the crew? Once.
I’ve worked on programs where we’ve been lucky and got the shot in a few days. Others, nothing to film for weeks. For example, there is a remarkable scene in Planet Earth 3 where four wild snow leopards are captured on film at the same time. For the casual viewer, it’s a beautiful shot. As filmmakers, we were gobsmacked, and understandably so. It took years of collaboration with local scientists and guides, hiking to over 16,000 ft, carefully placing 24 high-end camera traps, and recording off and on for over 8000 hours. For one scene.
Let’s respect the work they do behind the scenes. And when there is wildlife….
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS USE BIG LENSES.
Wildlife filmmakers work closely with experts to know where to film the imagery people worldwide have come to love. Sometimes, a wildlife rehabilitation center or reserve allows the cameras to get close. Not so close to being harmed but closer than the wild. Some camera operators are experts in animal behavior. Folks like Andy Casagrande, Eli Martinez, Casey Anderson, and others recognize when an animal is agitated or threatened. It took years of training to gain this expertise. They are the special 2% and deserve the highest kudos. (All are also wonderful guys and absolute pleasures to work with.)
Most of the time, our cameras are far away. We use long lenses to capture intimate moments. Sometimes, the filmmakers are hidden in a blind so as not to alarm or upset the natural environment. One producer pal was hidden in one such blind deep in the Arctic when two curious juvenile polar bears started poking around. Noises weren’t deterring them. He remained hidden, but the bear’s noses were getting closer and closer. Finally, he smacked one on the snout, teaching the youngsters that “blinds were not friendly places.” Was it dangerous? Yes. But it is better than a full-grown mother bear coming near and not being curious but threatening.
I bring this up because I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve seen tourists run up to wildlife with their iPhones or small cameras, hoping to get a shot. Once in Juneau, rangers at the Mendenhall Glacier rushed into action, leading tourists to the side because a mama grizzly and her cubs were using the path. (All animals will use the path of least resistance.) Out of nowhere, a woman sprints straight towards the bears, iPad ready to get the shot. A ranger snatched her in his arms about 15 yards from the bears. Thankfully, the mama grizzly was not bothered. A ranger nearby said under her breath, “Well, that’s one way to die.”
Callous–yes. But it’s the truth. Wildlife filmmakers and photographers are experts at getting the shot. We know what can and cannot be done around animals. Even then, it can be fatal. In 2018, wildlife cinematographer Carlos Carvalho was killed by a giraffe. He set up his camera near the animal, and the giraffe, perhaps feeling threatened, swung his head down and fatally struck him. Rangers warned to keep a safe distance, but he wanted the shot.
Give wildlife space and respect their home.
Speaking of home….
HOME AND LIFE IS NOT THE SAME WORLDWIDE.
My father was never afraid to give life lessons. There is one that made a significant impact on my philosophy towards life. I was a teenager, visiting my brother Mike in San Diego. We were heading to a great lobster restaurant south of the border in coastal Tijuana. Along the way, we saw many rundown shacks, lean-tos, and other abodes that were very different from what I knew back in suburban Washington, DC.
“Wow….look how poor they are,” I said.
“No,” my father said. “Think about how rich we are as Americans. We are the richest country on Earth. More people live like this than live like us. And they still are living, marrying, working, enjoying life. Don’t ever forget that.”
This lesson is always with me, especially when I travel. Living in a home with more than one bathroom, car, and bedroom…..the concept of traveling for fun and relaxation! This is not the reality for much of the world. It is a gift to learn and share with others who may not be able to experience what I have.
One experience comes to mind. I was in Beijing, representing the Discovery Channel on its Discovery Atlas series. I was with the marketing art director and a local photographer to capture stills for the show’s promotion. We walked through one of the city’s slums, neighborhoods that had existed for centuries. They had limited electricity and no plumbing. A toddler wandered up to us, wanting to play. We obliged. His mother came up to us and invited us in for tea. Note: I spoke no Mandarin; they spoke no English. Our photographer knew the language enough to accept the invitation.
We were welcomed into the home of some of China’s poorest citizens and shared a cup of tea. It was wonderful. Despite their protestations, I gave them a few dollars as a thank you. I experienced generosity and kindness. I experienced life.
Cultures and life are different around the world. I’m not saying poverty is noble because that attitude angers me. I’m not saying that poverty is a way of life, and we should accept it. Absolutely not. I am saying that we sometimes use what we’ve learned through the media as gospel when, instead, it can be unnecessary stereotypes. It can and does remove humanity from people. It makes us look through a lens that disconnects us from life. Take away the camera. Take away the cliches. And make your own impressions.
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Be open to exploring life with and without media. Absorb, learn, respect, and use common sense.
And dear lord–don’t run at a grizzly bear.
