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Wildlife and nature films are a hugely popular entertainment genre: networks such as Animal Planet and Discovery are stars in the cable television universe, viewers flock to IMAX theaters to see jaw-dropping footage from the wild, and the venerable BBC still scores triumphs with series such as Planet Earth. As cinematic technology brings ever more breathtaking images to the screen, and as our direct contact with nature diminishes, an ever-expanding audience craves the indirect experience of wild nature that these films provide. But this success has a dark side, as Chris Palmer reveals in his authoritative and engrossing report on the wildlife film business. A veteran producer and film educator, Palmer looks past the headlines about TV host Steve Irwin’s death by stingray and filmmaker Timothy Treadwell falling prey to his beloved grizzlies, to uncover a more pervasive and troubling trend toward sensationalism, extreme risk-taking, and even abuse in wildlife films. He tracks the roots of this trend to the early days of the genre, and he profiles a new breed of skilled, ethical filmmakers whose work enlightens as well as entertains, and who represent the future that Palmer envisions for the industry he loves.
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Longtime producer Palmer provides an in-depth look at wild animals on film, covering the history of wildlife documentaries, safety issues, and the never-ending pressure to obtain the “money shot.” Marlin Perkins, Jacques Cousteau, Steve Irwin, Timothy Treadwell, and many other familiar names are discussed along with their work, accidents, and in some cases, untimely deaths. Palmer is highly critical of Irwin, and offers fascinating revelations about game farms used by exploitative filmmakers and photographers looking for easy shots and willing to use caged animals to obtain them. He also considers the subliminal messages of many wildlife films, considering everything from Shark Week to Happy Feet and how they manipulate audiences toward preset conclusions about animal behavior. In all this is an engaging and exceedingly timely look at a form of entertainment the public has long taken for granted and which, as Palmer points out, really needs a fresh and careful reconsideration. --Colleen Mondor
Review
Praise for Shooting in the Wild
“A well-reasoned yet passionate argument for changing wildlife filmmaking practices and creating ethical guidelines, this is an accessible and engaging read.” —Library Journal
Chris Palmer is a professor, speaker, author, and environmental and wildlife film producer who has swum with dolphins and whales, come face-to-face with sharks and Kodiak bears, camped with wolf packs, and waded hip-deep through Everglade swamps.
Over the past thirty years, he has spearheaded the production of more than 300 hours of original programming for prime time television and the giant screen IMAX film industry. His films have been broadcast on numerous channels, including the Disney Channel, TBS Superstation, Animal Planet, and PBS. His IMAX films include Whales, Wolves, Dolphins, Bears, Coral Reef Adventure, and Grand Canyon Adventure. He has worked with many celebrities, including Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Jane Fonda, Ted Turner, and Ted Danson.
Chris's career as a film producer began in 1983 when he founded the nonprofit organization National Audubon Society Productions, for which he served as president and CEO for eleven years. In 1994, he founded another nonprofit, National Wildlife Productions (part of the National Wildlife Federation, the largest conservation organization in the United States), which he led as president and CEO for ten years.
Chris is currently president of One World One Ocean Foundation, which, thanks to Greg and Barbara MacGillivray, has launched a $150 million global multimedia and education campaign to restore and protect the health of the world's oceans. He is also president of the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation, which produces and funds IMAX films. MacGillivray Freeman Films is the world's largest and most successful producer and distributor of IMAX films.
In 2004, Chris joined American University's full-time faculty as Distinguished Film Producer in Residence at the School of Communication. There he founded, and currently directs, the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, whose mission is to train filmmakers to produce films and new media that effectively strengthen the global constituency for conservation.
His book, Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom, was published in 2010 by Sierra Club Books and has been widely praised. Jane Goodall called it "a very important and much-needed book." Now in its second printing, Shooting in the Wild pulls back the curtain on the dark side of wildlife filmmaking, revealing an industry undermined by sensationalism, fabrication, and sometimes even animal abuse.
Profiles about Chris have appeared in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. He has been interviewed on the Today Show, ABC Nightline, NPR, the Fox News Channel, and other networks. He publishes articles regularly (including a bimonthly column for Realscreen Magazine) and currently serves on the board of fourteen nonprofits.
Chris is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences and film festivals, and regularly gives workshops on a variety of topics, including how to radically improve one's success and productivity, how to raise money, how to give effective presentations, how to network effectively, and how to motivate and engage students.
Chris and his colleagues have won numerous awards, including two Emmys and an Oscar nomination. Chris has also been honored with the Frank G. Wells Award from the Environmental Media Association, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Media at the 2009 International Wildlife Film Festival. In 2010 he was honored at the Green Globe Awards in Los Angeles with the award for Environmental Film Educator of the Decade. In 2011 he received the IWFF Wildlife Hero of the Year Award for his "determined campaign to reform the wildlife filmmaking industry," and in 2012 he was named the recipient of the Ronald B. Tobias Award for Achievement in Science and Natural History Filmmaking Education.
In his twenty years before becoming a film producer, Chris was a high school boxing champion, an officer in the Royal Navy, an engineer, a business consultant, an energy analyst, an environmental activist, chief energy advisor to a senior U.S. senator, and a political appointee in the Environmental Protection Agency under President Jimmy Carter. He has jumped out of helicopters and worked on an Israeli kibbutz.
Chris holds a B.S. with First Class Honors in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture from University College London, and a second master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University where he was a Kennedy Scholar and received a Harkness Fellowship.
Born in Hong Kong, Chris grew up in England and immigrated to the United States in 1972. He is married to Gail Shearer and the father of three grown daughters (Kim, Christina and Jenny). For five years he was a stand-up comedian and performed regularly in DC comedy clubs. He is currently writing a book about a different kind of wild life--his three daughters and how to be an effective father.
Chris Palmer, a veteran wildlife film producer, lays bare the artifice of his industry and asks audiences to consider the many ethical challenges that a filmmaker faces. Driven for successful shots, captivating stories, and ultimately higher ratings, nature film producers have fibbed, misled, or outright lied to audiences in order to tell the most exciting story their budget could afford. At the same time, the "stars" of these films are animals who are misrepresented, victimized, vilified, abused, or even killed for the sake of movie making. Palmer admits that he has succumbed to these pressures, yet remains deeply honest about the passion he feels for his craft and the potential for compelling nature films to affect changes in human behavior. Chronicling the many adventures and moral dilemmas that filmmakers face, "Shooting in the Wild" asks environmental filmmakers to hold themselves to higher standards. At the same time, this book encourages readers to expect more than cheap thrills from wildlife documentaries; Palmer suggests that in order to protect the wild outdoors, people must first love it.
Chris Palmer's book brings alive for us the world of wildlife filmmaking in a way that is at once exciting and captivating. It leaves the reader with a thirst for a higher standard and a conviction that individuals can make a difference. Chris' presentation of the subject reflects his firm appreciation and deep understanding of larger issues including ethics, morality, finance, politics, entertainment and sociology. As such, it is excellent reading for any active mind, and I certainly recommend it as a book club topic.
I was fascinated by this book. While it should be required reading for any filmmaker (the chapter on fundraising alone is worth it!) it's great storytelling from an experienced insider. I even think it could be used as a tool for businesses and educators to open a dialogue on the ethical dilemmas within their field-to ask the question, "where do WE draw the line?". I am starting right now to incorporate the author's 8 Steps to Wildlife Filmmaking Reform into my own professional goals!
