It is actually possible to deliver an entire series of nature programmes without a single sporting metaphor.
The real world does not end every story with a last-minute hair's-breadth escape.
But, I have been spoiled by long-term exposure to the BBC Natural History Unit.
Also - who drenched the bat on the ceiling to get that shot, after the catfish had finished its lunch? I can't see how else that footage was put together.
I was lucky enough, on one starry night, to see the first spectacle unfold in real life. On the Rio Ampiyacu, a tributary of the Amazon in Peru, dozens of fishing bats swooped and swerved across the water, plucking the hapless fish from the river. Of course, I didn't have the benefit of narration, but I will remember this experience the rest of my life.
On a different occasion, I also saw an arowhana leap three feet out of the water to grab a baby sloth from an overhanging branch. But that's another story!
You can actually see the bat escape from the fish and swim up to the surface, and the next shot is the bat leaping out of the water and flying off. I didn't see anything that looked faked there.
cool vid, but i wan2 kill the narrator. i think its natgeo's horrible attempt to be hip and appeal 2 a younger audience. ugh...
anyone else think this could be faked though? i mean wat r the odds of having an underwater camera and perfect shots of the bat and catfish? surely they would think nothing of setting this up. Disney has done it.
Oh, sure. These shots are all elaborately staged.
I wouldn't say "faked"; I mean, the bat really does catch a fish and then (probably) another bat really eats one, etc., but these are not glimpses of unspoiled nature for sure.
I'd like to be forgiving to the producers of this video, since it's apparently aimed at kids and is trying to be clever. But I have an eight-year-old son, and he's loved science since he was a toddler. My wife and I have gotten him lots of videos from the library over the years, and we've been surprised how often the narration has been just terrible. The humor can be very lame; but worse than that, it's often not at all age-appropriate. Puns and other word-play, literary references, sports analogies, even sexually suggestive double entendres when discussing mating habits! I can even recall one aimed at pre-schoolers that had a catch-phrase reference to, I believe, the 60s TV show 'Laugh-In'. And, no, the video was not from the 60s; it was from the 90s!
We gave up trying to explain the references he just didn't have the background to understand. But we always wondered, Who is writing this stuff?
so...you know, right?, that they didn't have multiple cameas all set up to perfectly capture a single entire attempted-predation event before, during, and after, above and below water, all zooms nicely focused and everything, etc. That little story is stitched together from a whole day's work (in which somebody's job was to repeatedly toss bats into the water).
I love the combination of the jokey, hokey narrator and the word phrase, "lest you think..."
I suspect this godawful narration is the combination of more traditional writers trying to write hip-ly, and then hiring a sports commentator to narrate it.
Maybe some enterprising soul will steal the footage and redub it? Hint hint?
I really like football and because of that, the narration sucks even harder. A tight end has it easier because a football doesn't fight back?? A fish doesn't have one or two other fish trying to knock the bat out of the air, either!
National Geographic, would you please hire another commentary writer. The one you have is so cutesy-wootesy that I feel barfy-warfy.
What the hell is up with that cheesy narration, NatGeo? You took an awesome video of bats and turned it into a crunge-worthy suck fest.
Good job.
* That was supposed to be cringe...
... but I think crunge still gets my point across.
Attenborough would never use football references. Learn the rules, National Geographic.
So you see children, this is how Jesus designed bats and catfish.
Fantastic photography, dreadful presentation.
It is actually possible to deliver an entire series of nature programmes without a single sporting metaphor.
The real world does not end every story with a last-minute hair's-breadth escape.
But, I have been spoiled by long-term exposure to the BBC Natural History Unit.
Also - who drenched the bat on the ceiling to get that shot, after the catfish had finished its lunch? I can't see how else that footage was put together.
Yuck! Handegg.
I wouldn't mind some tight end, though.
I was lucky enough, on one starry night, to see the first spectacle unfold in real life. On the Rio Ampiyacu, a tributary of the Amazon in Peru, dozens of fishing bats swooped and swerved across the water, plucking the hapless fish from the river. Of course, I didn't have the benefit of narration, but I will remember this experience the rest of my life.
On a different occasion, I also saw an arowhana leap three feet out of the water to grab a baby sloth from an overhanging branch. But that's another story!
get out!!?
The brainless narrator has got to go. "Called a uh..pup." *Facepalm*
Ha! I've reached the point where for every Nat Geo vid I watch, I hit mute before I hit play.
@Chaz
You can actually see the bat escape from the fish and swim up to the surface, and the next shot is the bat leaping out of the water and flying off. I didn't see anything that looked faked there.
cool vid, but i wan2 kill the narrator. i think its natgeo's horrible attempt to be hip and appeal 2 a younger audience. ugh...
anyone else think this could be faked though? i mean wat r the odds of having an underwater camera and perfect shots of the bat and catfish? surely they would think nothing of setting this up. Disney has done it.
The narrator makes me want to hate nature and exterminate all life on earth. That's how bad he is.
"I like bats, but..."
Here in Austin, them's fightin' words.
Ooh! And I missed this event: Pillow fight flash mob at the bat bridge! I love flash mobs, and my home.
Oh, sure. These shots are all elaborately staged.
I wouldn't say "faked"; I mean, the bat really does catch a fish and then (probably) another bat really eats one, etc., but these are not glimpses of unspoiled nature for sure.
Can't resist:
http://www.fupenguin.com/2009/10/is-there-anything-more-defeating-than…
The link labeled "oh shit" from SC's link is absolutely classic.
"I like bats, but my sympathies were with the fish"
Show solidarity with your fellow mammals.
ps I always thought most bats were insectivores.
I'd like to be forgiving to the producers of this video, since it's apparently aimed at kids and is trying to be clever. But I have an eight-year-old son, and he's loved science since he was a toddler. My wife and I have gotten him lots of videos from the library over the years, and we've been surprised how often the narration has been just terrible. The humor can be very lame; but worse than that, it's often not at all age-appropriate. Puns and other word-play, literary references, sports analogies, even sexually suggestive double entendres when discussing mating habits! I can even recall one aimed at pre-schoolers that had a catch-phrase reference to, I believe, the 60s TV show 'Laugh-In'. And, no, the video was not from the 60s; it was from the 90s!
We gave up trying to explain the references he just didn't have the background to understand. But we always wondered, Who is writing this stuff?
The power of adrenalin is pretty amazing, I thought that bat was a goner.
so...you know, right?, that they didn't have multiple cameas all set up to perfectly capture a single entire attempted-predation event before, during, and after, above and below water, all zooms nicely focused and everything, etc. That little story is stitched together from a whole day's work (in which somebody's job was to repeatedly toss bats into the water).
Good footage, horrible narrator. It sounds like this guy teaches 3rd grade science class.
What a nice fish to help the bat get out of the water at the end.
Who says fish are cold and uncaring.
_____________<;,><_____________
I love the combination of the jokey, hokey narrator and the word phrase, "lest you think..."
I suspect this godawful narration is the combination of more traditional writers trying to write hip-ly, and then hiring a sports commentator to narrate it.
Maybe some enterprising soul will steal the footage and redub it? Hint hint?
Ugh, about 10 seconds in and I had to stop it. Just can't bear that narrator. He really does sound like he's talking to kids...
I really like football and because of that, the narration sucks even harder. A tight end has it easier because a football doesn't fight back?? A fish doesn't have one or two other fish trying to knock the bat out of the air, either!
-dwarf zebu