Planet Earth III is the latest instalment in the BBC Studios’ critically acclaimed natural history series worked on by Moonraker VFX, a Bristol-based studio.
Photo credit: BBC Studios
Five years in the making, the eight-part series, presented by Sir David Attenborough, tells the stories of extraordinary animals spanning habitats across the globe, from deserts of ice and sand to lush rainforests and oceans.
Moonraker VFX delivered stunning titles and graphic design, as well as, captivating shots of the Earth from space and editing work for the production. The studio were particularly honoured to be asked to contribute to the new series, having previously worked on Planet Earth II.
For the titles and graphic design, Moonraker carefully considered the legacy of the Planet Earth brand and gave the series a contemporary update that complemented its two predecessors.
Planet Earth first aired in 2006 followed by Planet Earth II in 2016; the series is a global brand with an established visual identity. It was a great experience to return to this project and reimagine the titles and graphic design in a new way while still being respectful of its original iconic style.
Since we worked on Planet Earth II, we have been constantly enhancing our imaging capabilities, which have developed significantly since the last series. Using the latest satellite imagery we have continued to create incredibly detailed and cinematic shots of Earth.
Scott Metcalfe, Executive Producer at Moonraker VFX
On the titles for Planet Earth III we added a small but significant evolution to the iconic end resolve: humanity’s fingerprint on the Earth—the lights of cities at night. Another scene captured the awesome power and swirling clouds of a hurricane formed over the Atlantic Ocean.
In terms of editing, we also undertook a particularly complicated and ambitious multi-camera scene in Episode 7, “Human”, which included time-lapse footage taken with a motion control rig. It was one of the scenes that both BBC Studios and Moonraker had been planning the longest and its success is thanks to some excellent talent and teamwork.
Graham Stott, Creative Director at Moonraker VFX
Planet Earth III is airing every Sunday on BBC One until 10 December and streaming on BBC iPlayer.
