Climate change storytelling and Frozen Planet II

Frozen Planet II and Blue Planet II are landmark natural history series and masterclasses in climate change storytelling. Via captivating sequences, charming characters and compelling stories, the viewer is deliberately drawn into a world they can’t help but care about before being told about the severe threats facing it. Such powerful storytelling can have a significant impact; Blue Planet II, for example, persuaded people worldwide to give up single-use plastics. But how are these films made? Who crafts the stories? And how do you engage people in the climate emergency without freaking them out? At Wildscreen film festival in Bristol, Our host Isla sat down with film-makers Rachel Butler Scott and Yoland Bosiger, producers who have worked on both Frozen Planet II and Blue Planet II among many other series, to chat about filming in the most remote and hostile environments on earth, diving under sea ice, and connecting people to life under the waves.

We begin by welcoming Yolly and Rachel to The Whole Tooth by asking them about their most memorable ocean experiences [4.05]. Yolly’s involves being surrounded by no less than 50 false killer whales in the water as they try to work out what she is. Rachel talks about waking up in the Arctic, looking out of her porthole to see an entire frozen landscape. Both Rachel and Yolly have spent a lot of time in places many of us will never get to see!

This leads us to discuss how their passion for the marine environment began. Yolly tells us of her unconventional upbringing, circumnavigating the world on her parent’s sailing boat [7.30]. She says this is why she gets antsy whenever she’s been away from the sea for too long. We go off on a tangent about seasickness and reveal some tricks of the trade to avoid it, even at the poles [10.14]. Rachel’s upbringing was slightly different but no less ocean-focused [12.10]. Growing up on the small island of Guernsey, she remembers summers spent by the sea and a fascination that grew from watching the documentaries she now works on. We also chat about their university life. Yolly undertook a combined degree in marine biology and law, which she still uses daily in her work [13.10]. Starting out as researchers for film production, Rachel and Yolly both used skills formed during their scientific degrees to source new research that could be translated into an exciting new story, and figure out the when, where, why, who and how [16.04]. Another translatable skill is fact-checking; before a script is sent to the likes of Sir David Attenborough to provide narration for the film, it has to be rigorously checked against scientific research to ensure it is as factually accurate as possible [20.10]. This responsibility falls mainly to the researcher.

So – how do you make your way in such a competitive industry? Yolly’s advice is to learn as much as possible on the job and to take opportunities as they come your way [23.46]. Also important is to take your time and to ensure you have the necessary skills before climbing the ladder. Rachel talks about the ‘3 P’s’ to finding success: Professionalism, Passion and Persistence [26.05]. Equally, when trying to break into the industry, a good place to start is just by making your own films, even if that’s just of wildlife in your back garden on your phone!

Throughout their careers, Rachel and Yolly have spent a lot of ours diving and filming beneath the surface. I ask them if there are any experiences that really stand out (although this is a tough question for people who have spent the last decade or so diving for a living!). Rachel’s recollection is shark-related, from her time working on the BBC series Shark [29.05]. She describes going from being fearful of them to diving outside of a cage with white sharks in Guadalupe and discovering respect, awe and admiration for these animals. Yolly talks about her first time on Frozen Planet II, diving under sea ice in Antarctica in the coldest waters on earth [32.40]. She was there to be a safety diver on a shoot filming Weddell seals, which can emit a sound louder than a jet engine [34.26]! Being under a ceiling of ice and listening to their astonishing calls was a truly unforgettable experience.

Obviously, diving in the coldest and most remote places on earth is not without its challenges [35.35]. We discuss the training and equipment you need to be able to do so, including getting used to wearing incredibly thick gloves and many, many layers under your diving suit whilst trying to operate equipment [38.08].

We spent the last twenty minutes of our chat talking about climate change storytelling, particularly regarding the episodes Rachel and Yolly worked most closely on for Frozen Planet II, ‘Frozen South‘ and ‘Frozen Ocean‘ [42.20]. We discuss some of the stories they chose to tell and how these stories go from inception to the final product [47.01]. An important factor in climate change storytelling is balancing the light and dark sides of each story [50.26]. The audience has to be drawn in with humour or amazement before being given some hard truths about the climate emergency. And, most importantly, there has to be hope. We end the podcast by discussing how filmmaking can help science and conservation [53.06]. The teams behind Frozen Planet II and Blue Planet II have assisted scientists in filming new behaviours and even contributed to published papers. The fields of science and natural history filmmaking are closely intertwined – both can help the other in many ways.

About our guests

RACHEL BUTLER SCOTT

Rachel started her career with the BBC in 2010, working on Great Barrier Reef in Australia. She has since been part of the core production films on several landmark natural history series, including Shark, IMAX oceans: our blue planet and Blue Planet II, for which she spent 600 hours underwater. She was Producer-Director for the BBC’s Natural History Unit, working on Frozen Planet II, namely directing the episode ‘Frozen Ocean’. Rachel is now a senior producer on Oceans for Netflix.

Instagram @rachelbutlerscott

YOLAND BOSIGER

Yoland has a combined BSc in Marine Biology and LLB (Bachelor of Law) from James Cook University, Australia. She was selected as the 2012 OWUSS Australasian Rolex scholar. Her diving has taken her all over the world, from working as a polar dive guide to research assistant in tropical waters, studying coral reef fish. She started her career with the BBC as a researcher and has since worked on Blue Planet II as a series researcher and on Frozen Planet II as an assistant producer. She is currently working as an assistant producer on Planet Earth III.

Instagram: @yolandbosiger