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Thanks for asking these productive, discussion-provoking questions, Mike.
My answers for the 3 questions (beware: long-winded) -
1) I have only seen the first episode of Prehistoric Road Trip so I can't really judge the series - but I will do so a little bit anyways. I liked the show but I wasn't really a fan of the quick pace of the show and hope that future episodes focus more on specific
locales, people, or topics. Which relates to my answer to question #2. The best paleontology documentaries ever on TV are probably the "Walking With..." series. I figure that's kind of a no-brainer.
Another favorite I've seen, which isn't about dinosaurs but is another BBC production, is The Velvet Claw. In my opinion it's the platonic ideal of a documentary about evolution - it focuses on a diverse but specific group, the Carnivora, which allows it to
get into much more detail than most other similar series. I found out about it after discovering the companion book in a library and I really enjoyed the brilliant animated segments mixed with live action wildlife footage. I was always disappointed by the
lack of substance in most paleontology/evolution documentaries, and the Velvet Claw is a great exception to that trend.
2) As I've alluded to, a lot of documentaries about prehistory simply cover too much ground for a typical 1-2 hour runtime. I would like to see more documentaries which focus on a specific aspect of earth's history and discuss it in detail, perhaps ones like
the Velvet Claw which really investigate and celebrate certain taxa. It seems like TV producers underestimate the curiosity of their viewers - cable stations produce a lot of dumbed-down documentaries about dinosaurs with lots of sensationalist effects and
music. This may be alright for kids but for bright teen and adult viewers there should be more informative programming available, perhaps touching on topics other than the cliches of dinosaurs and Pleistocene megafauna.
Some of what I want to see: multi-part "epic" series with high animation budgets and talking heads who actually get to speak at length and without dumbing themselves down too much; *much* more
documentaries about the human aspects of paleontology and related sciences, and the history of study - I would love to see biopics or docs about some of the really colorful people and periods of paleontology. People who come to mind: Marsh and Cope, Nopcsa,
R.C. Andrews, Teilhard de Chardin, among many others. I think the public has a misconception about science, and paleontology in particular, as a field of anonymous, group-thinky workers rather than one where, throughout its history, individuals can shape the
research paradigm. I'd like to see less of these documentaries about which dinosaur was the most badass, and more documentaries which highlight both under-represented parts of the field and parts where there is great debate or changing theoretical paradigms.
3) What can we (dino aficionados both professional and amateur) do? I am not exactly sure, but I think it's impossible to get, say, the Discovery Channel to produce a quality program about paleontology.
Any such program would not be profitable for media corporations in the golden age of sensationalist-yet-banal reality TV schlock, e.g. Tiger King or the Kardashians.
The best hope lies in public television, local television, and the internet. Why wait for the major TV studios to air the perfect paleo documentary when we could make our own? As the American educational
system rots, many people are turning to YouTube for learning. Museums could make quality documentaries with decent budgets and publish them online. You could have an educational paleontology talk show or documentary series on a local access TV station (if
those still exist), or on your own Youtube channel. Perhaps the ambitious among us could crowd-fund animation, camera equipment, sets, etc. for more immersive documentaries or even drama/biopics about paleontologists. There's been a revolution in paleo-art
over the last 10-15 years as the Web allows more collaboration between art and science, and as paleoartists experiment with new aesthetic styles and themes. Although this stuff may have less reach than cable television or cinema, it allows those of us concerned
with conveying scientific accuracy and good information to the public a great deal more control about what viewers see. It's also more democratic, more modest and humble. For better or for worse, the internet is killing the old system where everybody watched
and listened to the same stuff, which may open an opportunity for more creative and informed paleo-programming.
I hope that T-rex-bone steak of an email gets some discussion going!
Tom Yazbeck
From: dinosaur-l-request@mymaillists.usc.edu <dinosaur-l-request@mymaillists.usc.edu> on behalf of Mike Habib <biologyinmotion@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 4:57 PM To: Mickey Rowe <mickeyprowe@gmail.com> Cc: dinosaur-l@mymaillists.usc.edu <dinosaur-l@mymaillists.usc.edu> Subject: Re: [dinosaur] Prehistoric Road Trip,Tiny Teeth, Fearsome Beasts Thanks Mickey!
With that covered, I propose that we make the most of someone being a bad actor.
Namely, while we are discussing paleo documentaries, Iâm curious to read...
1) Which are favorites? (If PRT is a new fav, then great! I think itâs very good, personally)
2) What would make them better? What do we need more of? Less of?
3) What do folks think that we on this list (e.g. the informed, professionals and amateurs alike) can most do to help make Paleo docs better?
Credit to Honorable Colleagues here for noting some of this already.
Cheers!
âMBH
Sent from my Cybernetic Symbiote
On Jul 21, 2020, at 12:50 PM, Mickey Rowe <mickeyprowe@gmail.com> wrote:
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