It’s a day of lions and orcas and surfers, oh my, on BEHIND THE LENS as this week we go from Pride Rock to the Seven Seas as we take a look at three incredible films – THE LION KING, LONG GONE WILD, and BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE.
First up, take a listen to what director Jon Favreau had to say at the recent press conference about the VR and gaming system technologies that brought THE LION KING to life. And composer Hans Zimmer answers my question on the majesty of the film’s score and its orchestration.
Then, writer/director AARON LIEBER joins us live talking about his new documentary, BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE, as we go beyond Bethany’s story of losing her arm to a shark in 2003 only to come back and surf again. Focusing on her life now as a wife, mother, and surfing champion, fresh interviews and gorgeous cinematography are inspiring and transportive. Listen as Aaron talks about the genesis of the documentary, his love of surfing and what draws him to these films (now his third surfer film), developing the throughline and story while insuring the voice of the film is that of Bethany, culling through some 500 hours of archival materials for the first half of the film and then shooting the second half, editing, and more.
Rounding out the show is writer/director and author WILLIAM NEIL talking about his new doc, LONG GONE WILD. We heard a lot about whales in captivity as the result of BLACKFISH, and we saw a lot of changes, but listen as Bill talks about what’s happening now, what more have we learned, and what more we can do as the battle for sanctuary for these beautiful cetaceans continues, particularly given the increasing marine theme parks and orcas in captivity in China. Most impressive is Bill’s passion for the cetaceans and in telling this story, most importantly, bringing to light the current dangers and exposing what’s happening between Russia and China to perpetuate and increase the captivity of orcas. Hear the excitement and 20/20 trepidation in Bill’s voice as he talks about a covert trek into China with activist legendary Ric O’Barry as they sought out nine orcas being held and trained for a new marine park, only to be caught by the Chinese. Another filmmaker driven by a personal passion, Bill goes into great detail about structuring the documentary, educating us with facts, locating experts as interview subjects. A fascinating documentary and a fascinating discussion with Bill Neil.
