Three years of production in 20 countries on all seven continents.
More than 800 shooting days, or more than two years of real filming.
More than 150 hours shot from helicopters.
More than 400 hours underwater.
Nearly 250 hours spent filming at night.
Crew worked in temperatures ranging from subzero to more than 48 degrees Celsius.
THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE SERIES
Specially designed hot-air balloon camera mount for silent aerial approaches in the wild.
Use of a highly navigable sub for intimate open-water perspectives of great white sharks.
Specialized “Frankencam” system, a rigged series of motors and controllers that enabled a camera with special lenses to fly over the forest trails and into the thick of the action, catching ants raging across the forest floor.
“Black Widow” cable dolly system that allowed a remote camera to be pointed in any direction while travelling on a line of any angle – horizontal, vertical, diagonal – through the forest canopy.
Underwater and polar uses of the ultra-high-definition RED camera system.
Widespread use of Phantom HD super slow-motion camera system, shooting up to 1,000 frames per second in true HD.
Specially designed cable-cam systems that allowed for complete control of a cameraperson to ride through a shot.
Extensive use of Heligimble – a super-stabilized aerial steadicam system mounted under a helicopter.