Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1208556
UNSCRIPTED TV www.postmagazine.com 17 POST JAN/FEB 2020 U nscripted television shows have long been bringing view- ers on journeys to extreme locations and delivering some intense moments. CBS's Survivor, marking its 20 th anniversa- ry this year, remains one of the format's earliest innovators; stranding contestants in remote locations, with little more than the clothes on their back, and forcing them to team up or fend for themselves. Here's a look at two shows — PBS's Expedition with Steve Backshall and Animal Planet Canada's and ITV Studios Global Entertainment's Biggest & Baddest — and what it takes to deliver compelling content from out in the wild to viewers at home. EXP E D I T IO N W I T H S T EVE B A C K S H A L L The new PBS series, Expedition With Steve Backshall, follows modern-day adventurer Backshall as he tackles unexplored re- gions of the planet. The 10-episode doc series premiered in early January and will wrap up by the end of May. The show's goal is to reveal to viewers that there are still parts of our planet that are yet to be discovered. Explorer and naturalist Backshall pursues various journeys and world firsts — tackling unclimbed peaks, unexplored cave systems and uncharted landscapes — setting foot where no human has been before. "In Expedition With Steve Backshall, PBS gives a glimpse into some of the incredible parts of the world that have yet to be explored," says Bill Margol, senior director, general audience pro- gramming & development for PBS. "The world is full of surprising discoveries and journeys to be made, and we hope to spark view- ers' curiosity and ignite their spirit of adventure." According to Backshall, "There are still countless expeditions to be conquered and world discoveries to be made, and I am honored to have had the ability to be among the first to set foot in these incredible places. It is thrilling to not know what you will find next. That's what exploration is all about." To capture each and every step, a stellar behind-the-scenes crew takes to the wilderness, and then sends the footage to post, so the network can deliver the final product to viewers at home. According to Susanna Handslip, series producer at the show's production company True To Nature, some of the biggest produc- tion challenges include facing some pretty intense conditions and finding the right gear that will step up to the task. "All 10 expeditions were filmed in extreme conditions — ranging from the deserts of Oman to the jungles of Borneo and the flood- ed caves in the Yucatan to the white-water of the Himalayas," she says. "We needed cameras that would be robust, flexible and rela- tively lightweight. We needed to find cameras that could deal with 90-degree humidity, heat of up to 50 degrees, cold Himalayan nights — the Panasonic Varicam LT and Panasonic EVA1 dealt with everything without failure." Breaking down each of the camera choices, Handslip says the Panasonic Varicam LT features, such as the dual ISO ranging from 800 to 5000 "allowed us to capture great quality images in dense jungle where not much light filters through to the forest floor. The moment the noise appears you can change the ISO to make it disappear. The compact form of the Varicam LT allowed us to shoot with a CN7 lens — giving us 4K image quality at a manageable weight." She continues that the Panasonic EVA1 offered the team dual ISO functionality ranging from 800 to 2500, which "worked well with the Varicam in terms of image quality" and the team used the Canon 18-80mm lens with the EVA1, which was "compact and easy to use whilst remaining robust. When running around the jun- gle and hiking up limestone karst pinnacles, this was important."