A Bee’s Diary will launch on Love Nature’s platforms internationally this year, followed by premieres on Sky Nature (UK) and Smithsonian Channel (US)
Produced in association with CBC Canada and WDR Germany
Official trailer released today ahead of the film’s theatrical screening event at Wildscreen 2020
Blue Ant International oversees licensing for the film in markets outside of Germany and Canada and will debut the film at MIPCOM next month
(Washington, D.C. – September 17, 2020)– Love Nature, a family-friendly wildlife and nature brand with online and linear platforms reaching 200 million homes around the world, announced today that its latest original commission, A Bee’s Diary (1×50 and 1×90; 4K and HDR) has wrapped production in Germany. Produced by Taglicht Media, in association with CBC Canada and WDR Germany, the film is a dramatization of the trials and tribulations of two particular honeybees from birth to death, capturing the easily overlooked drama of their little lives. With proprietary macro-imaging technology, CGI based on rigorous science and first-person narration and storytelling, consistently at eye level with the bees, audiences will be given an intimate portrait of this intelligent and surprisingly resourceful species. The film’s official trailer was released today ahead of its theatrical screening event at Wildscreen 2020. Love Nature will begin launching the film on its international linear and streaming video platforms this fall, followed by premieres on Smithsonian Channel (US) and Sky Nature (UK). Blue Ant International oversees licencing for the film in markets outside of Germany and Canada and will debut the film at MIPCOM next month.
Produced over two years, A Bee’s Diary provides an extraordinary look at life in the beehive from the point of view of just two bees – an elderly “winter bee”, Winnifred, who nurtures the new generation, and a young forager “spring bee”, named B, who grows as the colony expands. Through an alpine spring and summer, the film follows these two star bees as they tend to their colony, forage, scout, get lost and fight off invaders – each with her own unique style and personality.
This fresh and moving perspective captures the beauty and complexity of a honeybee’s world, the challenges she faces and the decisions she’s tasked with. It highlights recent scientific discoveries that show how every bee in a hive is an individual, with her own personality. Some are timid, some are brave. Some like it hot, others don’t. Some are smart, and some not so much. As it turns out, their diversity is the secret to their success, enabling the collective to respond and adapt to their environment quickly and efficiently.
“Love Nature is always looking for ways we can bring captivating stories and compelling, strong wildlife characters to our audience, creating a meaningful and heartfelt connection between them and the natural world,” said Carlyn Staudt, Global General Manager, Love Nature. “With Taglicht Media’s innovative technology and filmmaking prowess, A Bee’s Diary unpacks the lived experience and life’s work of these tiny superheroes, a species that has fascinated humans for centuries.”
“Once you get down to eye-level with the bees, slow down their movements and magnify their anatomy and their environment, you discover a whole new world. A world in which rain drops become lethal bombs, flowering apple trees become the ‘land of plenty’ and bees become personalities. You almost don’t want to leave this place, if it wasn’t for the bee stings!” said Dennis Wells, Director, Producer and Writer of A Bee’s Diary.
Pushing the boundaries of traditional natural history filmmaking, A Bee’s Diary uses innovative technology and filmmaking techniques to give wildlife and nature fans a fascinating look at the inner workings of a bee colony. Production highlights include:
- Ground-breaking imaging technology and a specialized, remote-controlled macro-rig operated by servo-motors, creating a visual language hitherto reserved for feature film
- A camera at eye level with the bees, the use of dolly-shots, rack focus, over-shoulder-shots, shot-reverse-shots to capture the drama of a bee’s life in a completely new way
- State-of-the-art, high speed 4K shooting with at least 60 frames per second. This frame rate slows down insect behaviour, capturing bee interaction as never seen before
- To create the film’s scientific, CGI bee models, producers consulted with Professor Jurgen Tautz, one of the world’s leading experts on bees and a professor at the Biocenter of the Julius-Maximilian University in Wurzburg; Professor Tugrul Giray, Professor and Interim Head of Biology, University of Puerto Rico; and Dr. Mehmet Ali Doke, Post Doctoral Researcher, with a focus on gene regulation mechanisms in honey bees, University of Puerto Rico
- Subtle post production effects making it possible to distinguish between main and supporting characters in the story to make the bee characters more relatable (i.e. control antennae movement to communicate emotion of the bee)
- Live orchestral score by Darren Fung
A Bee’s Diary was directed, produced and written by Dennis Wells. Berndt Wilting serves as Executive Producer and Niobe Thomson is Producer. Cinematography for the film was led by Brian McClatchy. James Manfull is Executive Producer on behalf of Love Nature. Executive Producers for the Smithsonian Channel are Tria Thalman and David Royle. A Bee’s Diary was produced with support from Filmstiftung NRW, DFFF, CMF and Alberta Film.
Love Nature is available via its branded linear and streaming platforms in 114 countries on traditional pay-TV platforms such as Sky, Rogers, Virgin, Starhub, Bell, Ziggo Vodafone, Tricolor, TVB MySuper TV, Startimes and many more as well as growing streaming outlets like The Roku Channel, Xumo, Amazon Channels, Bilibili, Apple Plus, Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus.
Love Nature is a family-friendly wildlife and nature brand that brings audiences powerful stories about the natural world that foster a deeper understanding of and connection to the planet we call home. Our award winning library of 4K natural history series and documentaries are available on Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms available around the world and through partnerships with top-tier pay-TV platforms and streamers, reaching over 200 million households globally. Love Nature is a joint venture between Blue Ant Media and Smithsonian Networks. Engage with us at lovenature.com / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Instagram
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