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Capturing wild animals in their natural habitats while creating an interesting enough narrative to keep viewers engaged is no easy task. Anyone with a cat knows that animals spend most of their time pottering around, self-grooming, and being super uninteresting. A video posted by UK filmmaker Simon Cade shows the ways in which creators of wildlife documentaries use pre-recorded sound effects, music, and selected footage to manipulate and sometimes even fabricate story lines. The video’s message is somewhat exposing, but not at all accusatory. In fact, Cade praises the filmmakers for being able to humanise animals—designating roles of heroes and villains to maximise an emotional response from the audience. Cade’s video is a reminder of the blurred lines between the genres of entertainment and education, showing that even wildlife documentaries can’t escape from the age of infotainment. If you’re ready to feel cheated about how kangaroo brawls really start, watch Cade’s video below.

 

  • Words: Ikumi Cooray

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