Contextual: Ramblings On Frozen Planet II's Minecraft Maps

Ramblings on Frozen Planet II's Minecraft Maps is my first look at how video games can be a tool for wildlife communication. Specifically, I examine Minecraft's free Frozen Planet II maps in the context of them being documentary tie media.

There are a few fun details in this video. Some of the screenshots of Minecraft were from a realm my friends and I used to play on. Derpus Birdus, the flamingo statue, did get blown up as suggested in the final video. Who blew Derpus Birdus up? I'm not going to say.

Mingo City in progress

I'm particularly happy with the fade between Minecraft and documentary that I used to show the similarities between the two. I used Davinci Resolve's noise generator to make an uneven fade and I think the end result is fairly nice.

In the script, I asked for a Planet Earth III version of these maps, after all that is meant to be the next big BBC wildlife documentary. I misspoke, and said Frozen Planet III by accident. Oh well, at this rate, Frozen Planet III is inevitable. You heard it here first.

The log I was sitting on was filmmed in my current Minecraft world. I had to rerecord the background a few times because it rains fairly regularly in Minecraft.

Finally, I found the article about Red Dead Redemption II's effects on species awareness particularly intresting. My sister suggested it to me, and I am going to do the same for you.

Comments

Listening to Winter Woods

It’s been a weird November – this week felt like the first proper bit of Winter this side of the calendar year. With near-freezing temperatures, a clear day and a low breeze, I took myself out a couple of days ago for a bit of Winter parabolic dishing. I have been to Ebernoe Common a couple of times to get drone photos for the Sussex Wildlife Trust. It’s a long way from anywhere, nestled between cosy villages and the twisty lanes that connect them. This is in theory a perfect location for audio recording as traffic is a concept that has yet to reach these parts of the county. Here, the constant drum of humanity is reduced to only the tinnitus in your own ears. In theory, at least. Parabolic microphones are odd contraptions. They look a bit like miniature radio telescopes, and they even work kind of the same way. When members of the public ask what on earth I could be doing with this weird white disk, I sometimes answer “Looking for aliens”. I jest, parabolic microphones are ...

In Memoriam – Tilgate Park’s Nature Garden

Tilgate is Crawley’s flagship county park. Standing strong at the top of a surprisingly steep hill is the walled garden, a quiet area surrounded by brick and mortar. What has been created in the walled garden is really impressive. Whilst it is not up to the same standard as the National Trust, it’s managed with a stretched council budget and is free to the public. The almost two-acre space somehow fits a maze, a small orchard, a community café, an ice cream shop, two long greenhouses, several flowerbeds, and a quartet of example gardens. One of these, and by no surprise my favourite, is the wildlife garden. The garden last winter This small space has been fantastic for nature. I’ve witnessed robins fight like gladiators to claim this little oasis as their own. And why wouldn’t they? Spring orchids flower from the scraggly edges. Autumn fungi add their own splash of colour. In the centre sits a large pond. Not an ornamental pond with koi carp, but a true wildlife pond, bub...

Experiments with Swirly Bokeh - Helios 44-2

Trying out a new lens is always exciting, especially when the glass is as unique as the Helios 44-2. This optical marvel was mass-produced in the USSR, and is probably best known for it's unique swirly bokeh, having a beautiful twirly blur. So when I was given a copy for my 20th Birthday, I knew I had to test it out immediately. RSPB Pulborough Brooks is a prime location for wildlife photography, with an array of habitats to explore. On a bitter December day, with only the Helios on my camera, I went to the reserve with the aim of capturing the elusive swirly bokeh. The trip reinforced what I had read online. Getting swirly bokeh isn't particularly difficult with the right background. I found that branches look great with the Helios 44-2, giving a holloway effect. The lens is particularly sharp at the centre, which combined with a minimum focusing distance of 50cm, it could prove a useful companion to my current 100mm macro lens from Laowa. Specifically, ...

Amy King Wildlife

Search This Blog