David Attenborough’s new nature documentary on Netflix, Our Planet was released on April 5 and already has fans in awe. The documentary, which appears to be a Netflix’s answer to BBC’s Planet Earth, has such impressive footage, many fans on Twitter were convinced that it was CGI.
The footage in Netflix’s Our Planet is seriously stunning. You almost wouldn’t believe it’s real, that such breathtaking wonders exist, it looks like CGI. Especially to a through-and-through city girl like me, who’s never seen a desert or snow.
I kept thinking of Psalm 8:3-4
— SS. (@silent_shipper) April 6, 2019
The new David Attenborough doc on Netflix OUR PLANET is so ridiculously beautifully well shot i thought it was cgi. It’s unlike any other doc ive seen. How did they do this?
— Ross Plaskow (@rossplaskow) April 6, 2019
I’m so amazed by how the people behind Our Planet managed to capture every single detail of the animals that i actually thought its CGI… like what kind of super saiyan camera lens and drones did they use?! Bet it cost THOUSANDS
— nalisa alia amin (@nalisaaa) April 6, 2019
While it may appear like CGI, Our Planet is more real than you think. The Netflix series is created by the same team behind BBC nature series Planet Earth and the producers have explained how they manage to capture such stunning footage of nature.
One of my favourite photos I took whilst filming for #ourplanet on @netflix pic.twitter.com/FhVSslwrTG
— Sophie Lanfear (@sajlanfear) April 3, 2019
Some of the technology used to filmed the nature series includes infrared cameras to capture footage of animals taken at night. The production team also uses drones, high-definition cameras and a team of highly skilled camera crew equipped with long-range camera lens’.
Netflix has released a new documentary series today titled #OurPlanet. The series has been described as beautiful but uncomfortable as it forces the viewers to witness the unfiltered disastrous impacts we have on our environment.
@netflix @ourplanet https://t.co/iwsWpWICA0
— Climate Consensus (@climaconsensus) April 5, 2019
According to Wired, the crew behind Our Planet use camera technology that is widely available. The technology publication noted that some of the production prefers to use Red Epic Dragon for it 6K footage — it weighs just 5 pounds without a lens and shoots well in poor conditions.
The camera crew also reportedly use The Sony A7S II for low-light filming. The production team also uses Go-Pro cameras and drones for aerial footage.
The docu-series brings a lot of attention to climate change and documents some of its harrowing effects on wildlife.
The David Attenborough narrated Our Planet, in a similar vein to Planet Earth, is likely edited for audio of the animals but the footage is real.
All eight episodes of Our Planet is currently streaming on Netflix.