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S28 Ep9

Moment of Impact: Hunters & Herds

Premiere: 3/18/2010 | 00:00:31 | NR

From Africa's Serengeti to California's grasslands, some of nature's most dramatic moments are caught, examined and "fractured" into their unique parts.

About the Episode

The natural world is filled with “moments of impact” – the split seconds when animals come into contact with each other and the world around them. Previously many of these moments were too fast or too hidden for us to see. But now new camera technologies reveal what’s behind these remarkable moments, and cutting edge animations illustrate the “inside story” of animal bioengineering that allows each moment of impact to take place.

Episode 1: Hunters & Herds
They are the scenes of some of the largest concentrations of predators and prey on the planet – the vast tracts of grassland and savannah found on every continent but Antarctica. Yet survival in this kind of open, horizontal world is far from easy, with few places to hide, a scarcity of vegetation, drought, fire and the threat of attack by some of the world’s fastest and most powerful hunters.

From Africa’s Serengeti to California’s grasslands, some of nature’s most dramatic moments are caught, examined and “fractured” into their unique parts … within creatures great and small … to reveal the amazing abilities that give each animal the instinct, intelligence and brute prowess to survive. From elaborate impact sequences that spin around animals caught in a “frozen moment” to animations that go inside their bodies – a unique view of animals’ amazing biomechanics is revealed.

Episode 2: Jungle
Teeming with creatures in every shape and form, the jungle is the most diverse habitat on the planet and home to nearly half of the world’s plant and animal species. Rising hundreds of feet from the dark depths of the tropical forest floor, through layers of twisting branch and canopy full of life – this vertical landscape pushes the limits of animal engineering.

The jungle’s layers are peeled back to dissect more amazing moments of impact. Stealth and ambush reign in the jungle and survival depends on highly tuned senses and ingenious defenses. From ninja ants to flying snakes, cameras dive underwater, sail through trees and penetrate fur, feathers, skin and bone to reveal the science of some amazing animal engineering hidden deep in the jungle.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

MOMENT OF IMPACT PART 1

Narrator
JOE SZYMANSKI

Produced & Directed By
RON BOWMAN

Written By
RON BOWMAN

Cinematography By
ALASTAIR MACEWEN
JOHN BENAM
NEIL RETTIG
PETR STEPANEK

Editors
KRIS KRAL
SALVATORE VECCHIO

Original Music
LENNY WILLIAMS
CHRIS BIONDO

Coordinating / Field Producer
IANA PORTER

Eagle Consultant
JOE ATKINSON

Associate Producers
KELLY SWEET
REINA NISHIDA

Fixer
PAUL BREHEM

Assistant Camera
ETHAN JOHNSON

Production Assistant
JOHN CULLUM

Science Consultant
TIERNEY THYS

Online Editor
JACQUELYN S. DE PHILLIPS

Colorist
DAVE MARKUN

Sound Designer/Mixer
ROBERT FRITTS

Art & Animation
PIXELDUST STUDIOS

Production Manager
CHRISTOPHER MAES

Production Coordinator
KORY KRINSKY

Researcher
TERESA NEVA TATE

Director, Research
TODD HERMANN

Post Production Supervisor
SUSAN LACH

Post Production Coordinators
SARAH JOSEPH
SARENA SNIDER

Assistant Editors
ERICH BARTLEBAUM
QUINCY HINDS
AARON HOFFMAN
ERIN WESTCOTT

Senior Producer
ANNE TARRANT

Executive Producer
KEENAN SMART

Special Thanks
DOUGLAS ALTSHULER
ATKINSON FAMILY
MATT BARBOUR
HAYES BAXLEY
LACEY BRAUN
CAMP OHLONE PARK
RULON CLARK
ERINDI GAME RESERVE
RENICK FARMS
WILDLIFE SAFARI

Stock Footage
ABSOLUTELY WILD VISUALS
AQUAVISION TV PRODUCTIONS
BBC MOTION GALLERY
COMPASS FILMS
EARTH-TOUCH
GETTY IMAGES
NATURE CONSERVATION FILMS WORLD WIDE
PHOTOLIBRARY/ OXFORD SCIENTIFIC (OSF)
THOUGHT EQUITY MOTION

For NATURE

Series Editor
JANET HESS

Supervising Producer
JANICE YOUNG

Senior Producer
LAURA METZGER

Producers
JILL CLARKE
IRENE HESS

Production Manager
JULIE SCHAPIRO THORMAN

Production Assistant
JAYNE JUN

Manager
EILEEN FRAHER

Re-Recording Mixer
ED CAMPBELL

HD Online Editor
PATRICK KRASS

Series Producer
BILL MURPHY

Executive In Charge
WILLIAM GRANT

Executive Producer
FRED KAUFMAN

A Production of THIRTEEN and National Geographic Television in association with WNET.ORG.

This program was produced by THIRTEEN, which is solely responsible for its content.

© 2009 NGHT, Inc. and WNET.ORG Properties LLC
All rights reserved

Web Credits

Producer
TANNER VEA

Associate Producer
CHIE WITT

Designer
JOY WEEENG

Pagebuilding
BRIAN SANTALONE

Technical Director
BRIAN LEE

Creative Director
NICK MILLER

Director of Digital Strategy
DAVID HIRMES

Senior Director
DANIEL B. GREENBERG

Writer
HALEY ZAMER

MOMENT OF IMPACT PART 2

Narrator
JOE SZYMANSKI

Produced & Directed By
RON BOWMAN

Written By
RON BOWMAN

Cinematography By
ALASTAIR MACEWEN
JOHN BENAM

Editor
CINDY D’AGOSTINO

Original Music
CHRIS BIONDO
LENNY WILLIAMS

Field Producers
CAROL FARNETI FOSTER
RICHARD FOSTER
IANA PORTER

Additional Camera
SCOTT CARRITHERS
PETR STEPANEK
MARK EMERY
RICHARD FOSTER

Animal Trainers
CAROL FARNETI FOSTER
RICHARD FOSTER
RANDY MILLER’S PREDATORS IN ACTION
ROBBIE AND STEPHEN KESZEY OF GLADES HERP

Coordinating Producer
IANA PORTER

Associate Producer
REINA NISHIDA

Production Assistant
JOHN CULLUM

Science Consultant
TIERNEY THYS

Online Editor
JIM SHEEHY

Colorist
DAVE MARKUN

Sound Designer/Mixer
ROBERT FRITTS

Art & Animation
PIXELDUST STUDIOS

Production Manager
CHRISTOPHER MAES

Production Coordinator
KORY KRINSKY

Researcher
TERESA NEVA TATE

Director, Research
TODD HERMANN

Post Production Supervisor
SUSAN LACH

Post Production Coordinators
SARAH JOSEPH
SARENA SNIDER

Assistant Editors
ERICH BARTLEBAUM
QUINCY HINDS
AARON HOFFMAN
AARON MACPHERSON
SAM MANGUM
RIN WESTCOTT

Director, Art & Animation
RICARDO ANDRADE

Senior Producer
ANNE TARRANT

Executive Producer
KEENAN SMART

Special Thanks
DOUGLAS L. ALTSHULER
HIDDEN VALLEY WILDLIFE AREA
INLAND EMPIRE FILM COMMISSION
MIKE MCMILLIAN
ST. AUGUSTINE ALLIGATOR FARM ZOOLOGICAL PARK
ANDREW SUAREZ
KENT VLIET

Stock Footage
AUSTRIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, ORF
BBC MOTION GALLERY
J. MICHAEL FAY
CAROL FARNETI FOSTER
RICHARD FOSTER
NATURAL HISTORY NEW ZEALAND LIMITED
SHEILA PATEK
NEAL RETTIG PRODUCTIONS
SEA STUDIOS FOUNDATION
ANDREW SUAREZ
THOUGHT EQUITY MOTION
VELOCITY MEDIA SYSTEMS
WILDLIFE FILMS INDIA, LTD

For NATURE

Series Editor
JANET HESS

Supervising Producer
JANICE YOUNG

Senior Producer
LAURA METZGER

Producers
JILL CLARKE
IRENE HESS

Production Manager
JULIE SCHAPIRO THORMAN

Production Assistant
JAYNE JUN

Manager
EILEEN FRAHER

Re-Recording Mixer
ED CAMPBELL

HD Online Editor
PATRICK KRASS

Series Producer
BILL MURPHY

Executive In Charge
WILLIAM GRANT

Executive Producer
FRED KAUFMAN

A Production of THIRTEEN and National Geographic Television in association with WNET.ORG.

This program was produced by THIRTEEN, which is solely responsible for its content.

© 2009 NGHT, Inc. and WNET.ORG Properties LLC
All rights reserved

Web Credits

Producer
TANNER VEA

Associate Producer
CHIE WITT

Designer
JOY WEEENG

Pagebuilding
BRIAN SANTALONE

Technical Director
BRIAN LEE

Creative Director
NICK MILLER

Director of Digital Strategy
DAVID HIRMES

Senior Director
DANIEL B. GREENBERG

Writer
HALEY ZAMER

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