Concept and creative process
Titles for a series in which David Attenborough examined the ways in which animals and plants adapt to their surroundings. The idea behind the title sequence was to illustrate the similarity in the intricate structures of the Natural World, from macro to micro, from space shots to microscopic images, from a river delta to the organic branches of a tree and so on, ending with a tiny cellular structure which transformed into a shot of the earth from space. Designer Maggie Perry (now Bone) recalls: “David Attenborough was very excited by the idea and loved the storyboard. However, I can’t help thinking how much better and easier this sequence would have been using today’s technology. The image of the Earth at the end is in fact a huge painted model, shot at Stewart Hardy films on a motion control rig, with the clouds as a separate layer, airbrushed white onto a black sphere. This model was used throughout the series in the content of the programmes, and we were able to rotate the cloud layer at a faster speed to the globe to give it movement, fading the clouds in and out as necessary. My husband Ron Bone actually painted the globe - it was very realistic. I’d love to have another go at it using today’s technology!”