Britain From Above
Britain From Above on bbc.co.uk
Ìý
Simon Nelson, 91Èȱ¬ Vision's Controller, Multi-platform and Portfolio, said: "Britain From Above really marks a stepping stone in how we plan to develop content in future.
Ìý
"It has a high-quality broadcast part and an exceptionally deep and rich online component.
Ìý
"It features a world that people can immerse themselves in across all platforms, and has been storyboarded to work online as well as on TV from the project's inception."
Ìý
In a major piece of cross-platform commissioning, bbc.co.uk will host an extensive website both supporting the series and also incorporating specially commissioned documentary shorts, exclusive behind-the-scenes films and sumptuous aerial photography captured during filming.
Ìý
The website will remain live for the following decade, enabling users to continue to enjoy and relive the series for years to come.
Ìý
Nick Cohen, 91Èȱ¬ Online Commissioning Editor, said: "For users, this means that all the material online is available for them to use and explore in any way they like.
Ìý
"People can wallow in a world of short-form video and make serendipitous journeys through the films, creating their own view of Britain From Above.
Ìý
"And they can keep returning to it over the years to come as it remains an online resource and reference for the next decade."
Ìý
In supporting the series, bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove will host all the series' episodes in bite-size chunks, enabling viewers to either watch the series in a traditional linear fashion or create their own episodes exploring areas or subjects of particular interest to them.
Ìý
Eight special behind-the-scenes films will give a unique insight to the fun – but complicated – nature of filming, including:
- an exclusive interview with Andrew Marr
- scenes from his skydiving excitement
- a taste of how the aerial sequences were filmed with cameras on everything from planes and helicopters to balloons and blimps
- Glastonbury Festival as never seen before
- interviews with experts including English Heritage's world-renowned aerial survey team
- demonstrations of how London can be recreated through time and into the future using 3D modelling.
Ìý
Kirsty Hunter, Lion TV's Head of Interactive, added: "When we started creating Britain From Above we essentially sat down round a table and mapped out a matrix with series director Cassian Harrison.
Ìý
"We planned the whole site alongside the series, working out what we would film for television and the extra material we needed online.
Ìý
"This has continued right through to the edits, where online has been given equal importance to 91Èȱ¬ One."
Ìý
Sixteen specially commissioned shorts, entitled Rewinds, feature locations around Britain and show how the landscape has changed over the last century or so.
Ìý
Starting from the modern day view of a location as it is today, the films travel back in time animating that location's transformation using CGI, on-the-ground footage, modern day photography and historic aerial survey images, exploring history from above.
Ìý
These locations include:
Ìý
- St. Paul's during the Blitz – Christopher Wren's masterpiece is one of the few constants in an ever-changing cityscape. Return to December 1940 when the Blitz nearly obliterated the capital and threatened this historic landmark
- The Eden Project – How a disused china claypit became a giant environmental complex that attracts visitors from all parts of the globe
- Happisburgh in Norfolk – The decline of sea defences in the small Norfolk village of Happisburgh has triggered coastal erosion, affecting the environment and people
- Black Law Windfarm – Black Law in Scotland, once known for its open and deepcast mining, has become famed for a new powerv source, wind farms
- Belfast's Harland and Wolff – Harland and Wolff were once the largest shipbuilders in the world, responsible for the Titanic and HMS Belfast. From above, see how their business has changed to accommodate an ever-changing market
- Spaghetti Junction, Birmingham – This small junction once served a small community, before it was transformed into one of the most recognisable interchanges in Europe. Witness the change through the eyes of a lifelong resident
- Canvey Island's 1953 Floods – In 1953 Britain experienced its biggest peacetime disaster when the east coast was hit by devastating floods. Relive how this dramatic passage in history affected Canvey Island
- Kielder Water – The largest-ever construction project in the water industry has turned a sleepy backwater in the Tyne Valley into the biggest man-made reservoir in Britain, providing water to 80% of north-east England
- The Fire of London – The Great Fire of London destroyed one third of the capital. Discover how this disaster triggered change in the capital's streets that are still visible today.
Ìý
Printable version