Blue Planet III retains imperfect footage to prove authenticity
Producers say cloudy water and visible equipment remain in the final cut to distinguish real ocean life from AI-generated content.
By Hassan Ellis ·
The new season of Blue Planet III will show audiences cloudier water and visible filming equipment. The BBC Studios team intentionally left these imperfections in the final edit. They want to reassure viewers that the footage is real. This approach addresses growing skepticism about artificial intelligence in media.
Executive producer Elizabeth White explained the shift. She said AI makes the team want to be even more authentic. The animals filmed in the deep ocean are likely more remarkable than AI could imagine. White noted that the footage is completely real. In past seasons, shots with plankton or poor water conditions might have been cut. Now, the team keeps those details to emphasize the organic look.
Jack Bootle, the BBC's head of specialist factual commissioning, made a specific assurance to journalists. He stated that no generative AI was used in the series. Not a single frame is AI-generated. It is all real photography. Bootle described the series as bursting with novel behavior. He said viewers often feel they have seen it all before in the current golden age of natural history-making.
The series features several new animal behaviors. Dolphins are shown using sea sponges to block holes in coral and trap fish. This behavior was recorded with underwater CCTV developed by producer Yoland Bosiger. Other scenes include a grouper communicating with another species of fish. Viewers will also see 200,000 crabs lining up in formation to feed and sea urchins using shells as sun hats.
Filming took four years across five oceans. The team built new tools to capture the footage. These include a mini-dome camera to follow an octopus and a deep-sea selfie stick. Camera operators wore leg-mounted scooters to film diving scenes. Lasers were used to illuminate deep-sea animals. The series also explores threats to the ocean, such as warmer seas killing sea anemones where clownfish live.
David Attenborough, who is 100 years old, narrates the series. Producer Yoland Bosiger said Attenborough was very much involved in making changes to the scripts. White added that he is still excited when shown new footage. The series costs less than previous productions because the team used more local crews on location.
Blue Planet III begins airing on Sunday 1 November on BBC1 and iPlayer. It arrives almost ten years after Blue Planet II. The first Blue Planet series was broadcast 25 years ago.
