Blue Planet - The Deep

The Deep is Part IV of BBC's Blue Planet series from 2001. I found it extremely interesting that more humans have visited outer space than inner space; by the latter I mean the deep ocean. Creatures found in this realm are the inspirations for creatures in movies, specifically Aliens and The Abyss... hm, these are both James Cameron films. And, if you have seen his latest creation, Avatar, you probably noticed some really cool plant-like organisms that have a remarkable resemblance to giant christmas tree worms and the seeds of the great eywa tree behave like jellies. I have included a photo I took of 2 little worms seen while snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas.
I'll get the annoyances about The Deep out of the way first. The same idiot who master minded the insertion of ridiculous sound effects in the previous program Open Ocean got his sticky fingers all over this one too. The film could also use some well placed analogies to put size in perspective as well, since there is nothing else in the shot to give scale. For instance, "a siphonophore 40 m [105 feet] in length" doesn't really hit home unless you compare it to something else... like a 10 story building. Overall, this film gives a deep water snapshot of the biota hiding down there; realize there is still so much yet to be discovered. To give a few noted examples from the program - the black smokers (hydrothermal vents) were discovered in 1979, and the brine pools (aka cold seeps) were seen for the first time in 1990. Thank you, Johnson-Sea-Link and HBOI. It can only leave you thinking, "what else is out there?" Maybe creatures that can survive without sunlight in the food chain at all? Oh wait, they found those ecosystems in the deep sea already, didn't they? And that, my friends, is why I rate as follows:

RATING: ~~~~ (4 out of 5 waves) a must see, especially if you want to start a classroom-type discussion

What types of things inspire you? Everyone around you is passionate about something, even the most boring person you know... maybe you should ask what inspires them?
-Callie

P.S. I totally considered name dropping on this one from the thank you credits... but I choose humility and a smirk instead.

Blue Planet - Open Ocean

Part III of BBC's Blue Planet series reminded me to give a proper shout out of credit to the BBC Orchestra, who plays the opening sequence of music for the series. The extreme talent of those first bars of music really sets the tone, literally, for the show with a sense of majesty and elegance.
Open Ocean will satisfy a few curiosities about the watery desert that covers most of this planet, but in reality only exposes the fact that we still know very little about the largest area of livable space on earth. Think about it... wide open clear blue water... where there is no place to hide, and yet to find life can take days of swimming in any given direction. It is like a crazy game of Battleship where you start out with no idea of where to look, but once your prey is identified, GAME OVER. (insert Pac-Man like bleeps and bloops HERE)
This program really reminds those of us lucky to have actually been in the ocean with a de-fogged mask how different photos are from video when it comes to underwater media. The footage of the shoals / schools (depending on whom you ask) is awe inspiring. The photo to your left I took while snorkeling off a local beach in Boca Raton on a day when all I wanted to do was photograph budding staghorn coral. Needless to say, none of those shots turned out. Now compare that to the video clip below to really get the impact of how many fish are present. Yeah, I took that video clip on the same day so you really can see the difference of still vs. real time; and those darkish spots at the end of the clip are large chunks of rock only about 10 feet down.
The documentary does sport rare shots of animals like the Mola mola, a.k.a. sunfish, coming up from the depths to floating kelp lines that are sheltering cleaner fish. As a very loose storyline, Open Ocean also gives snapshots of the life cycle of the yellow fin tuna: floating eggs, helpless hatchlings, schooling juveniles, and hunting adults. In order for foot webs to really work, there must be massive quantities of the little stuff including plankton, fish eggs, and bait fish just to name a few. This is well explained and shown numerous times in the film.

All is not amazing. The presence of trash, or "flotsam" as referred in the program, is treated as another shelter source, and not, well... trash. It is NOT supposed to be there in the ocean at all, but this is not mentioned as a negative in any way. Disappointment #1. Then, some editor decided the footage of comb jellies requires goofy sci-fi sound effects and a floating crab merits strange and poorly inspired Asian music (I swear you can hear the *gwong* resonating)? Disappointment #2. That is enough in the end to knock the whole picture down a ripple.

RATING: ~~~ (3 out of 5 waves) still worth watching

Enjoy the Olympics and try watching a sport you may have not paid attention to in the past. And I will happily explain the scoring system of "curling" if you are interested!

-Callie

Blue Planet - Frozen Seas

This evening I was able to delve into the 2nd program of BBC's The Blue Planet: Seas of Life called Frozen Seas. Be prepared for a tighter episode than the introductory program of Ocean World, and I mean that as a good thing. The theme is much easier to follow since, naturally, it focuses on the frozen portions of the ocean. The editors must have used an actual storyboard this time as it flows much better (no pun intended). Perhaps the most interesting term that is only used once though, is polynya, the natural formation of holes in sea ice. I misunderstood Sir Attenborough to pronounce it as 'polenta' and knew that had to be wrong. It took way longer than it should have to figure out what the word was supposed to be, so I have now taken the time to include a definition and an explanation of the process below for your reading pleasure!

Just for fun, let's review: the ARCTIC is the NORTH pole where you will find polar bears, belugas, and all sorts of charismatic macro-fauna. ANTARCTICA is the large, continental land mass at the SOUTH pole. Moms and Dads... you can explain to your munchkins that this is where Happy Feet would have taken place. One of my favorite points made in the film about going down south is how the food chain is masterfully based around krill, who in turn are eating algae off the pack ice. Now that footage is cool, especially when you consider these tiny creatures are facilitating a life cycle that includes huge whales. However, I do not recommend wearing "I like Krill" t-shirts, particularly if your body is on the heavier side or you are opening up for some pointing and giggling.

RATING: ~~~ (3 out of 5 waves) worth watching
NOTE: < ~~~~ if you are using this as a teaching tool; be sure to include it at the beginning of your unit as a fantastic introduction into the biology of both the Arctic and Antarctica>

I also went to the special features section of the DVD to see "the making of..." Ocean World (the 1st program in this series). THAT was a sweet surprise. It focused almost solely on the months of work it took to capture just a few minutes of usable footage that graced the beginning of the documentary. It really puts into perspective how dedicated the crews of documentary work truly are, and it also sheds light into how the BBC put $10million into the making of the entire series.

Wow... that is not exactly chump change, eh? Something to dwell on during tight economic times... how should money be spent? Personally, education and conservation remain fairly high on my list. How about yours?

-Callie

Definition:
Polynya or polynia is an technically an area of open water surrounded by sea ice. It is now used as geographical term for seas which remain unfrozen for much of the year. In Russion it means "a natural ice hole" (and haven't we all known a few of those). The term was eventually adopted to refer to navigable waters in both Arctic and Antarctic seas.

Blue Planet - Ocean World

The Blue Planet series was produced in 2001 (released in 2002) by the BBC. They are narrated by Sir David Attenborough, a name you may not recognize but a voice you certainly will if you are a regular documentary watcher. The style of this opening program is very similar to the Planet Earth series, and I would be shocked to find out that Blue Planet wasn't part of the inspiration.
Ocean World gives a very rough representation for the entire series, and therefore does not focus on any one part of the ocean. That means it goes from the blue whale to tides and currents to deep water migrations. So be prepared for lots of video "teasers" that will give extremely basic facts, leaving you wanting more information. I think that is the whole point, but it can lead to this specific documentary being disjointed and your mind might wander off... no disrespect Sir David. This also means the footage is spectacular, and sometimes brutal, so you may not want to watch this with your little one until you have pre-screened it for content. Hey, if your munchkin can handle gray whale calf vs killer whale pod, knock yourself out. No, seriously, knock yourself out because that's just a mean thing to do to a little kid.
There are some great comparisons of ocean animal behaviors to more well known land animal behaviors; this makes it a little easier to digest, particularly for those not so well versed in the ways of the ocean. So, it is a good film for a group without a ton of prior knowledge.

RATING: ~~~ (3 waves out of 5) worth watching

This is a good way to get started for the entire series, and the footage will get your mind primed and ready for future episodes. (which of course we will discuss later!)

Dolphins were probably the original surfers riding the swells far out in the open ocean... think on this when you catch your next wave much closer to shore: who ELSE has ridden this wave?
-Callie