{"id":1581,"date":"2024-04-05T06:48:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T06:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/disneys-a-real-bugs-life-docu-series-review-143009674\/"},"modified":"2024-04-05T06:48:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T06:48:22","slug":"disneys-a-real-bugs-life-docu-series-review-143009674","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/disneys-a-real-bugs-life-docu-series-review-143009674\/","title":{"rendered":"How Disney’s A Real Bug's Life docu-series turns insects into giants"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pixar\u2018s 1998 movie, A Bug\u2019s Life<\/em>, brought tiny CGI ants to the world\u2019s largest screens. National Geographic\u2019s new docu-series, A Real Bug\u2019s Life<\/em> inverts that, turning insects into giants in our homes. The only thing digital about the critters featured in the Disney+ series, though, is the technology filming them. But like its animated counterpart, the show explores the world they live in and their adventures in ways we\u2019ve never seen before.<\/p>\n With its focus on insects, A Real Bug\u2019s Life<\/em> isn\u2019t limited to specific remote habitats. Over the course of the series you\u2019ll visit arid desert planes, tropical jungle, concrete jungle, a rural farm in the UK and even the humble backyard. But thanks to a series of innovations, we see these worlds from entirely new perspectives. \u201cI think that the look and feel of this show, and this is not just me saying it, I don’t think that there’s anything else that looks like this or has ever looked like this\u201d Nathan Small, a self-shooting Producer\/Director who worked on the show told Engadget.<\/p>\n The series opens in New York City where we follow the misadventures of an adorable bold jumping spider. While our eight-legged hero begins his journey on a city rooftop, it\u2019s not long before we\u2019re down at street level and joined by a cast of intrepid ants, industrious flies and a menacing praying mantis. Some of the shots instantly stand out without you fully knowing why. But Small does.<\/p>\n He explained that macro professionals have long favored 60- or 100mm lenses, which give incredible detail but have a very shallow depth of field (DOF). \u201cWhich means that there’s no context ever<\/em>,<\/em>there’s no geography, and you’re always in this sort of very smushy, blurry world,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the last few years, there have been lots of what are called \u2018probe\u2019 lenses released. The main one, which was a bit of a game changer, is made by a company called Laowa and it’s a 24 millimeter\u201d he added.<\/p>\n A probe lens looks exactly how you\u2019re imagining \u2014 more like a vacuum cleaner attachment \u2014 but the shots it produces have two key advantages, Small explained. The first one is practical: the 16-inch barrel means you don\u2019t need to be as physically close to the bug you\u2019re shooting. The second, and the real reason those shots are standing out, is that with a 24mm lens you have a much deeper DOF, leaving much more in focus. \u201cYou get that geography and you get that setting which gives it a really cartoony and fresh\u2026 kind of funky look.\u201d All I\u2019ll say after watching that episode is, a New York all-beef will never seem the same again. You\u2019ll also see a fly dining on a burger in excruciating, stomach-churning detail.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Laowa lens is that it\u2019s relatively affordable. At $1,600 it\u2019s not cheap, but it\u2019s the same price as a regular (albeit very good) Canon 85mm lens<\/ins><\/a> that serious hobbyists might consider.<\/p>\n Small also explained that sometimes techology isn’t changing the shot, instead it can improve what happens within it. \u201cNot very long ago, all the lights that I was using were your classic film lights, Arri Blondes and all that kind of thing. They’re very hot\u201d he said. \u201cLED lights, they’re super bright, but they’re cold, so it means we’re getting all the light we need without cooking the animal, which obviously no one wants, while letting it act in a natural way\u201d he added. Capturing critters trying to escape the heat is far less interesting than watching them do what comes naturally.<\/p>\n But the thing that enabled many of the most cinematic shots in A Real Bug\u2019s Life <\/em>isn\u2019t available to buy, at least not off the shelf. \u201cI never really touch the camera any more,\u201d Small said. \u201cI’m doing everything <\/em>on custom built motion control rigs. I have a robot that I’ve been working on for the last five years, gradually changing things.\u201d Small\u2019s \u201crobot\u201d is a machine-engineered rig, hewn with the same precision as medical tools \u2014 something he says is vital as any shake or wobble at the scale he\u2019s working at is hugely magnified.<\/p>\n The robot allows him to work at a distance and monitor via a large display for a better idea of what the things will look like on a TV. Two rails with sliders provide dual axes of movement while a rotating stage and tilt control provide a full range of motion that, put together, opens up shots you could only dream of with a tripod and slider alone. The robot\u2019s \u201cbrain\u201d uses an eMotimo motion controller<\/ins><\/a> and he directs it all with a PlayStation 2 DualShock. After years of updating and refining, the robot can finally deliver the dynamic macro footage we enjoy in the show. Head to the episode set on the British farm if you want to see Small’s cinematic robo-shots for yourself.<\/p>\n Some things still require a human though. If you ever wondered how they capture seemingly impossible moments, like a spider spinning a web, the answer is\u2026 patience. In the show we see an elephant hawk-moth emerging from its chrysalis. \u201cI just didn’t really sleep for about five days, that’s short of it\u201d he said. \u201cYou collect a lot of them so you have options. I had my camera on a big rail and then as soon as I saw one start to twitch and move, I slide the camera along and bang, you’re on that one.\u201d The final shot in the show lasts barely 10 seconds, but without it the narrative falls apart, such is the life of a wildlife photographer.<\/p>\n If you want to have a go at recording an emerging elephant hawk-moth or bold jumping spider but don\u2019t have Disney-level budgets, don\u2019t worry. Small says that today\u2019s consumer products are already more capable than a lot of pro gear was not that all that long ago. Specifically when it comes to working in low light. \u201cBefore, you were stuck at like ISO 200, which is a nightmare for macro, because everything is too dark or noisy,\u201d he said. \u201c[Now] you can shoot at 3200 and still get really clean images.\u201d As he mentioned earlier, these higher apertures like f11 or above avoid those \u201csmushy\u201d backgrounds. He also says that a lot of his kit is put together with SmallRig<\/ins><\/a> parts (no relation).<\/p>\n For the camera itself, that will largely depend on what you want to capture. For close-up macro photos (rather than video), Small says the Olympus system is preferred within the industry, thanks mostly to its internal focus stacking\/bracketing. In the same way HDR photos blend multiple exposures for more even, natural light, focus stacking does the same but with, well, focus, so you can have your subject and background pin sharp.<\/p>\n More of a bird person? Then Canon seems to be the industry favorite according to Small. Particularly the larger sensor models<\/a> and RF mount lenses<\/a>. Canon\u2019s stellar auto-focus locks onto animals really quickly, and can keep it locked even when the subject is moving (as birds are wont to do). The RF lenses also have a great reputation thanks to their blend of speed and excellent built-in stabilization making them a good option for general wildlife photography too. When not shooting for work, Small uses a Canon EOS 5DS. \u201cI think that’s a good all round camera that does everything that I need it to. Stills are like my hobby now, which is quite sad, isn’t it? Because it’s very close to my job.\u201d<\/p>\n A Real Bug\u2019s Life<\/em>, narrated by Awkwafina, premieres on Disney+ Jan 24.<\/p>\n This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pixar\u2018s 1998 movie, A Bug\u2019s Life, brought tiny CGI ants to the world\u2019s largest screens. National Geographic\u2019s new docu-series, A Real Bug\u2019s Life inverts that, turning insects into giants in our homes. The only thing digital about the critters featured in the Disney+ series, though, is the technology filming them. But like its animated counterpart, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[219,48,95],"tags":[222,59,101],"yoast_head":"\n