[beaversmom]

This isn't really that big of a deal to me. I've known for a while now that animal programs use different tricks to enhance the experience. Not sure if it's done in every show, but I heard a long time ago that the sounds of the wild are put in later. As long as they are recreating things that actually happen in nature, I don't have a problem with it.

The things that bother me are when they crop a photo (or edit a film), like the famous polar bears on ice, to make it look like they are stuck at sea. Misleading for an agenda is wrong. If that was what Sir David was doing, then I can't be for that.

[kitkat]

“The things that bother me are when they crop a photo (or edit a film), like the famous polar bears on ice, to make it look like they are stuck at sea.”

Yes, and then there was the woman who said SHE took the picture and it was spring when the ice always melts, and the polar bear and cub were within swimming distance of the ice floe.

[facedown]

We watched the documentary "Beavers" and it was great. The accompanying "How this was made" part though was sort of disappointing. The beavers were totally conditioned to the film crew so they weren't exactly natural. On the other hand, they wouldn't have been able to get many of the shots they did if the beavers weren't used to them being around. So I guess in the end there's a trade off between filming wildlife completely unaware vs. getting more intimate footage that you couldn't otherwise.

Unnaturally staged or contrived footage is, of course, another story.

[TomGuy]

I've known for a while now that animal programs use different tricks to enhance the experience. Not sure if it's done in every show, but I heard a long time ago that the sounds of the wild are put in later.

Many of the so-called Reality TV programs are also staged, rehearsed, re-filmed and edited before they are shown on TV.

It is the nature of the industry.