The Short Video series explores why the relatively new Planet Earth II looks so much more cinematic than it’s predecessor. Moreover it deals with other advancements made to make the visuals of Planet Earth more fascinating. The starting episode however was from its title the most interesting to me since I want to make a cinematic documentary for my thesis. They found that the main factor contributing to the more cinematic look and feel is advancements in stabilization. For Planet Earth II it was possible for the first time to use hand held gimbals and small drones which it made it possible to incorporate moving shots more frequently and film entire sequences like a wolf hunt in one shot. Also they filmed their shots from the animals perspective for a more personal take without being anthropomorphic. The Video is interesting however for someone with knowledge in that area there is nothing really shocking in it. I will definitely actively remember to include moving shots in my film however. But there are surely a lot more factors contributing to a cinematic look. The other parts of the series deal with ways to film the earth by night which are also interesting bit not really applicable since slow motion cameras and infrared cameras neither suit my budget nor my story ideas.
