“Here we are friends, on the Serengeti
Plains in the wilds of Serengeti.” As the crowd leans in closer to the
television we see the swaying Boab trees… an endless sea of grass waving
off into the horizon. We hear the quiet buzz of Tsetse flies humming
strains of ‘Baby Elephant Walk’. Just as we are becoming mesmerized into
the peaceful surroundings on the screen, a lone gazelle suddenly bursts
on the scene!
It leaps and dives,
with graceful arcs, nimble footwork, and darting back and forth like a
cockroach wearing cleats. Then, out of the savannah, like a big shoe,
streaks the jungle’s answer to LeBron James; Charlie the Cheetah.
Charlie pounces on the gazelle and drags him to the ground.
Another
example of nature’s survival of the fittest. But did you ever wonder
how the film crew happened to be there at that exact moment? As you may
have heard, nature programs are always under close scrutiny. The film
makers are accused of staging scenes, of using tame animals or zoo
animals and of staking out ‘prey’ for the predators to pounce on.
But
may I point out to those who are shocked by this revelation that this
is television. Movies. Show Business! The media of revisionist history,
docu-drama, infomercials and reality shows. A business where the facts
are altered and endings changed to make a more entertaining program.
Wanton acts of animal cruelty should be avoided. But filming an anteater
licking the inside of a termite mound from the termite’s point of view
takes a little more planning. I mean, how long can a camera man wait
inside a termite’s living room? Anybody that’s ever tried to get a dog
or kid to repeat a trick while you run and get the camera knows how hard
it is to film spontaneous acts.
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