Camera Magic: Images of Nature
(1989)
A fascinating peak behind the scenes of wildlife filmmaking, this special takes a look at the group of scientists-turned-filmmakers at Oxford Scientific Films (OSF), and reveals the secrets behind how they succeeded in capturing the mysteries of nature on film.
Narrated by Dudley Moore, Camera Magic focuses primarily on the work of the ‘compulsive inventor’ Peter Parks and his colleagues Sean Morris and Ian Moar, telling the story behind the creation of OSF. From the original inspiration, Gerald Thompson’s ‘The Alder Woodwasp and its Insect Enemies’, Camera Magic shows the motivation behind the creation of the Academy Award-winning ‘optical bench’, the development of incredible high-speed and time-lapse photography, and the use of special effects for television specials, commercials, music videos and feature films.
Highlighting the need for a great deal of time, patience and indeed luck, the OSF filmmakers expand the limits of film and capture many wondrous natural sights, from a water shrew giving birth, to flowers bursting into bloom, and ‘killer cucumbers’ that disperse seeds by explosive methods.
Look: The Alder Woodwasp and its Insect Enemies (1960)
Peter Parks
