After six weeks, the crew chanced upon a school of spinner dolphins, which in turn led them to a shoal of tuna. The open ocean proved more difficult and over 400 days were spent in often unsuccessful filming trips. The camera team spent three years on standby, using a microlight to land on the water nearby when they finally caught up with the creatures in the Gulf of California. The producers were helped by marine scientists all over the world with state-of-the-art equipment.īlue whales – whose migration routes were previously unknown – were located by air, after some of the animals had been given temporary radio tags. Besides witnessing some animal behaviours for the first time, the crew also observed some that were new to science. The fact that most of the ocean environment remains a mystery presented the production team with many challenges. The series took almost five years to make, involving nearly 200 filming locations. Attenborough narrated this series before presenting the next in his 'Life' series of programmes, The Life of Mammals (2002), and the same production team created Planet Earth (2006).Ī sequel series, Blue Planet II was aired on BBC One in 2017. The executive producer was Alastair Fothergill and the music was composed by George Fenton. The series won a number of Emmy and BAFTA TV awards for its music and cinematography. The underwater photography included creatures and behaviour that had previously never been filmed. It is narrated by David Attenborough.ĭescribed as "the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world's oceans", each of the eight 50-minute episodes examines a different aspect of marine life. It premiered on 12 September 2001 in the United Kingdom. More information on “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” is available here, and more information on “Our Blue Planet” is here.The Blue Planet is a British nature documentary series created and co-produced by the BBC and Discovery Channel. “One inspired person can serve as a nucleus for action to protect the ocean.” “I feel compelled to use any opportunity to educate and empower the public to generate positive change in the world,” she said. Joye’s involvement in projects like the Blue Planet II series reflects her commitment to communicating with the public about ocean science and ocean conservation. In addition to serving as a science adviser for “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II,” Joye is featured in two digital shorts films co-produced by BBC Earth and Alucia Productions powered by OceanX, including “ The Future of the Oceans” and “ Brine Pools: Exploring an Alien World.” Other shorts and a large-screen format film will be released in coming months. By using breakthroughs in science and cutting-edge technology to explore this final frontier, the seven-episode series reveals the astonishing characters, otherworldly places and extraordinary new animal behaviors. “ Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” is presented by Sir David Attenborough and scored by Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer. Samantha Joye with Sylvia Earle of Mission Blue on the Alucia. “What we’ve learned is that every single one of them is unique, and that means the microbiology is unique and could have very real potential for biotechnology and biomedical use.” “In the Gulf of Mexico, there are hundreds of brine pool ecosystems we’ve explored less than 10,” she said. The team descended in the Alucia submersibles to visit the brine pools where Joye, a world-renowned marine scientist, collected samples from this rarely visited ecosystem - which could lead to medical breakthroughs or provide clues to the origins of life. Sylvia Earle of Mission Blue were aboard the research vessel Alucia for several weeks to observe and advise. Samantha Joye, Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences, is one of the very few humans who have seen the mysterious brine pools of the ocean floor, and her expertise informs the new BBC documentary, “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II.”Īs a team from Alucia Productions powered by OceanX worked with the BBC to film the brine pools for “Blue Planet II,” Joye and Dr.