ORIGINAL CONTENT
Our podcast and webinar series form a unique case study in how a beautiful blue chip wildlife film can happen. We explore the eight-year journey of Jacob Steinberg’s passion project from concept and development through production to global distribution as an international co-production.
Leading scientists marvel at the fascinating osprey, revealing what we know and want to know about the species, and how their rescue from threatened extinction is an important lesson for today.
CONCEPT
WILDLIFE LEGEND ON FILMMAKING & CONSERVATION
ELLEN WINDEMUTH
CEO Waterbear Network.
Executive Producer, My Octopus Teacher
(Academy Award 2021)
Ellen Windemuth, CEO of WaterBear Network, the new free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet, in conversation with SEASON OF THE OSPREY filmmaker Jacob Steinberg. Ellen was founder and CEO of Off The Fence, and has produced more than 500 hours of programs including this year’s Academy Award documentary winner MY OCTOPUS TEACHER. Ellen’s lifelong passion is to connect the art of filmmaking with wildlife conservation... and that's the topic of her conversation with Jacob just weeks before the premiere of his "Season of the Osprey" for PBS's Nature series. OSPREY is a co-producion of WNET and Love Nature.
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1:20 Ellen congratulates Jacob on film.
2:15 Jacob tells story of how he first became captivated by osprey, watching them for a season. He fell in love with their story, and had to make the film of their story.
4:12 Ellen asks what about the species compelled Jacob to make the film?
5:00 Jacob describes the appeal of the tender family dynamic of the osprey and how it contrasts with their reputation as a cold raptor.
6:00 Their distinct paternal and maternal roles. The female is stuck in the nest for four weeks during incubation in blistering sun, with biting insects, storms, other predators and more.
7:40 The female delicately feeds her chicks every morsel that they eat. Their behavior is both inspirational and humbling. Ellen agrees, sating that she is captivated by the footage of how deliberate the parents are as they move around the nest with such vulnerable chicks.
9:00 Ellen and Jacob discuss the involvement in the filmmaking process of osprey scientists and conservationists.
10:40 Osprey aren’t so protected in many countries.
11:00 Extraordinary support from osprey lovers in birding and science communities. Osprey conservation is a success story.
12:30 Screening the film globally with conservation groups. Love Nature are a strong partner.
13:40 Filmmaking challenges: Finance. Costs a lot to grab audiences.
14:50 Time and trust required to get close to osprey family. The osprey gave Jacob intimate access. They trusted him. That was very challenging.
16:00 Pitching to Love Nature’s Carlyn Staudt at Jackson Hole.
17:10 Jacob’s early financing from supporters and non-profits.
18:00 Project came together at beginning of Covid, when we had footage and access without being disrupted by the pandemic.
19:00 Ellen commends Jacob for tenacity in getting grants to keep it alive before strong partners came on board.
20:30 Peter asks Ellen about her Waterbear project.
21:00 Ellen describes how she was constantly worried by conservation threats that couldn’t be addressed within broadcaster partnerships. Craig Foster and Bo Stehmeier supported her notion of creating a digital network that combines programming and outreach.
24:00 How Waterbear links viewers to action such as volunteering and making donations.
25:00 Jacob and Ellen discuss what are the lessons for producers from Waterbear’s launch and operations.
27:00 Ellen describes the research-based process of reaching out to qualified NGO’s and finding the members of the comms teams that had the bandwidth to talk with us.
A SCIENTIST'S LIFE WITH OSPREY
DR. ALAN POOLE
Author: Ospreys: The Revival of a Global Raptor
Associate, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Dr. Alan Poole is one of America’s premier osprey scientists. He is the author of the beautifully illustrated OSPREYS THE REVIVAL OF A GLOBAL RAPTOR. In conversation wIth Melanie Wallace, longtime editor of PBS's NOVA series, Alan describes the magnificent osprey, its astonishing migrations, the role of the nest, its tender raising of its chicks, the species' recovery from the road to extinction, and much more. Melanie concludes by asking Alan about the secrets of the osprey series that are being unlocked by the latest and most exciting tools of science. Alan says "Jacob Steinberg's SEASON OF THE OSPREY documentary for PBS's NATURE series is sensational!"
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0:00: Intro
1:45: Becoming an osprey expert
4:30: Ospreys in the eyes of humans
5:45: Ospreys are at least 10-15 million years old
8:15: Adaptations of the osprey
11:00: The transition between fresh and saltwater
13:30: Migration routes of osprey are variable
14:10: Osprey are a global bird
16:10: Satellite tracking has revolutionized bird research in recent years
20:00: Osprey fly without stopping for 30 hours
22:20: How thousands of osprey every year return to their same wintering grounds
23:00: Pair bonds in ospreys
24:34: The relationship between ospreys, their nests, and people
26:51: Bringing the ospreys back
29:44: Using cell towers to help ospreys nest
30:24: A dedication to the osprey gardeners
32:50: The return of osprey to England after 100’s of years
34:30: Osprey is the best footage of osprey that Poole has ever seen
36:33: What do we still not know about the osprey?
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSIONING WILDLIFE FILMS
BILL GARDNER
Vice President of Programming & Development, PBS
Bill Gardner oversees content strategy, development and production for the PBS Primetime schedule. His focus is on the genres of history, culture, natural history and science. He also sits on the board of Jackson Wild. Bill dives deep into how PBS commissions wildlife programs, primarily through its 40-year collaboration with the NATURE series that is executive produced by Fred Kaufman. He relates how Love Nature’s James Manfull visited PBS just before the March 2021 Covid shutdown and they screened Jacob Steinberg’s osprey pitch reel. As well as for its stunning footage, Bill describes how the project ‘popped’ against many of the editorial, commercial and promotional criteria that he uses to evaluate projects. He recommended to Fred Kaufman that he pursue Jacob’s osprey project with the Love Nature team. Bill closes with a reflection of the huge challenges, team effort, and timing required to create a beautiful blue chip wildlife film.
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2:00 Bill’s refresher on PBS National Programming: he relationships with the stations, and what his responsibilities.
3:00 Building a complete offering in collaboration with the major series, like NOVA and NATURE
3:48 His focus on factual. Works closely with Sheila Bugg.
4:20 Key themes. Hundreds of hours each year.
5:00 Bill is open to direct pitch from independent producers.
5:45 How active is PBS National in commissioning or acquiring WILDLIFE programs? Collaboration with WNET / Nature and its family viewing focus.
7:10 How did Jacob’s OSPREY film cross your radar? Conversation with Love Nature team.
8:30 Taken by Jacob’s years long commitment. Beautiful footage of a charismatic species. Peter’s involvement mattered.
9:00 Osprey and birding fan communities will add to PBS audience promotion.
930 Reached out to NATURE’s Fred Kaufman.
10:00 WNET responded positively. Bill monitored progress.
11:00 Promotion by specialist NATURE team.
12:00 PBS’s ‘spherical’ approach to content.
14:50 Jacob’s relationship with birding scientists and birding community really mattered.
16:00 Thoughts on the complexity of blue chip wildlife film production. Its one of the most difficult genres to work in.
17:00 The bar is high and the process arduous.
17:30 “Congratulations to Jacob for the vision that he had long ago, and for creating a really lovely film that honors both the work that he’s done and the osprey itself.”
PRODUCTION
THE ART OF WILDLIFE FILMMAKING
NATALIE CASH with filmmaker JACOB STEINBERG
Executive Producer, Wildlife Conservation Society
Natalie Cash is the executive producer in charge of video production at the Wildlife Conservation Society. In this episode, Natalie explores the art, the craft, and the challenges of wildlife filmmaking with SEASON OF THE OSPREY director/cinematographer Jacob Steinberg. It was nine years since Natalie first met Jacob and heard his pitch for an osprey documentary, and she wonders what is so special about the species that it inspires such persistence by the filmmaker. She asks Jacob how he captured the intimate, never-been-seen behavior by this famous raptor. They discuss the technical challenges of filming inside the nest, how to capture astounding drone sequences of osprey in flight, and much, much more.
WCS saves wildlife and wild places in 14 priority regions, home to more than 50% of global biodiversity, with more staff in the field than any other conservation organization in the world. WCS also runs the largest system of urban zoological parks. Headquartered at the world-famous Bronx Zoo.
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0:00: Intro
0:30: Natalie Cash introduction
2:40: The ferocity and tenderness of the osprey
5:20: Capturing the intimacy of the osprey
7:16: The challenges and innovations in wireless camerawork
10:15: Cash’s work with gorillas in the Congo
12:45: The importance of building trust in wildlife filmmaking
13:30: The use of drones in studying osprey
15:00: Technological challenges made filming Osprey incredibly frustrating
18:40: Funniest moments in wildlife filmmaking
19:25: Egg hatch detail: in for the long haul
22:50: Filming the aquatic habits of the osprey
25:00: Finding filming spots for Osprey
26:35: Osprey aren’t all created equal
28:50: Checking in with Peter
29:40: Wrapping up with Natalie & looking back with Jacob: Reliving the making of Osprey
EXECUTIVE PRODUCING WILDLIFE FILMS
JAMES MANFULL
Executive Producer, Love Nature
James Manfull is the executive producer for Love Nature after serving as a producer for Nat Geo’s Natural History Unit. He and Peter Hamilton answer the question: What does an executive producer actually do when they’re working on a wildlife documentary?? James shares his day-to-day responsibilities-- from concept evaluation through production and post to delivery -- as the EP of Jacob Steinberg's Season of the Osprey for PBS NATURE. He contrasts Osprey, where Jacob had already shot around 95% of the footage, to more typical projects in his pipeline where filmmakers go out into the field after the greenlight. James asks Peter how he became involved in Jacob’s film, and what were his key contributions as co-executive producer.
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0:00: Intro
0:29: James Manfull introduction
2:30: The role of an EP in film production
5:40: What was special about finding Osprey for LoveNature?
7:30: Finding osprey on New York City’s doorstep
10:10: Developing the osprey’s story
13:15: Finding the film’s “hero”
15:45: Capturing the “season” of the osprey
19:25: Budgeting a nature documentary series
22:00: Differences in script between the two docuseries releases
24:00: Peter Hamilton’s role as EP of Osprey
27:50: Funding the production of Osprey
WRITING WILDLIFE STORIES FOR PBS NATURE
JANET HESS
Writer, Series Editor, NATURE
Janet Hess is the series editor of NATURE, PBS’s prime time wildlife series, and the writer of Jacob Steinberg's SEASON OF THE OSPREY. In conversation with Peter Hamilton, she recalls how she found her unique and enviable writing career. She goes on to describe her creative process, beginning with her deep immersion in the footage with her long-time editor Jim Isler. In the case of OSPREY, Janet marveled at Jacob's selections of extensive, never-before-seen sequences that ranged from intimate scenes of chick-rearing in the nest to drone-captured moments of migrating osprey in flight. Janet describes how her writing was inspired by Jacob's strong central story -- the tale of a champion osprey's successful breeding season on the Connecticut marsh. NATURE is created by New York’s WNET Group and is celebrating its ever-popular 40th year.
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1:30 Janet’s path to this super-specialized and for many listeners, an enviable job as a writer of natural history programs?
3:00 Loved telling stories about science. Hired by WNET Nature.
3:45 How Jacob’s OSPREY film came into her view.
4:00 Jacob contributed to a 3-part series on animal homes I which he captured an osprey pair rebuilding their nest after it had been destroyed in a storm.
5:30 Jacob continued to shoot osprey. We met at Jackson Hole and saw the wonderful footage, and we decided soon after that the film had to be made with Love Nature’s involvement.
6:30 His footage included never-before-seen aerial footage.
7:00 The writing process: It begins with assessing the footage. Janet works with editor Jim Isler. Thirteen week editing schedule.
8:00 Janet views selects. We used all the footage shot over years to create a composite character that captures their challenges and accomplishments.
10:00 Story options. Deciding to focus story on a season on the marsh.
12:00 Janet’s concept of character. The osprey dad drives the story and action. Character can be anything: volcanoes, glaciers and more. Where is it strong and weak? Look for change across the character, the scene, the film.
13:50 Character is plot. What happens over time.
14:30 Winter as a character. It comes on strong, dominates, and then fades away to the forces of warmth and the sun.... but it will be back.
16:00 Does Janet consult with outside experts? Relied on Alan Poole’s book is wonderfully written and entertaining, and pulls together all the new research. Jacob’s knowledge is tremendous.
18:30 How to respond when the rough cut is too long. Refining process. Editor Jim Isler “scrubs” the footage to get to picture lock.
20:00 Feedback and tweaks from EP Fred Kaufman.
21:50 Impact of hearing the final narration. Paul Giamatti is such a great storyteller who makes everything more compelling. Drives more tweaks to script.