Ocean Sentry
Beverly Hils – Knoxville-based Rivr Media took its ambitious Animal Planet series “Whale Wars” to television critics here.
The seven-part series, airing in November, focuses on the work of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which tries to stop the illegal treatment of whales in international waters. The film crew was at sea with them for 10 weeks. More than 21,000 nautical miles were covered.
“There is a lot of action, and there is a lot of confrontation,” Mann says. “But it also shows everything that happens on the ship just from our daily activities, cooking up vegan food in the galley, doing our laundry, how we sleep, playing poker at night. That pretty much covers everything.”
Sea Shepherd Conversation Society estimates it has saved thousands of whales.
The crew was shot at, faced the harsh sea elements and endured dangerous accidents such as a flipped-over boat, which threw its passengers into the icy and choppy waters.
“Wars” is not your typical Animal Planet fare. It’s not warm and fuzzy or sentimental and sweet. The series follows the work of a wildlife conservation group as it attempts to stop the illegal treatment of whales internationally.
Industry observers are saying already that if “Wars” is a hit, it could potentially change Animal Planet’s image and open the channel to showing more aggressive and high-adrenaline programming.
“Wars” is “a show that has everything the new Animal Planet stands for,” Marjorie Kaplan, president of the channel, told television critics meeting here.
The series is easily Rivr Media’s most ambitious project ever.
(By Terry Morrow (Contact)
