THE MAKING OF: A NAT GEO PODCAST National Geographic

Executive Producers, Jane Root and Graham Booth, undertook the most epic project of their career with the National Geographic series Welcome To Earth. In this episode, Jane and Graham speak with host Chris Albert about the vision for the genre-busting series, which spanned 92 shoots, 34 countries and all seven continents. They discuss the logistics of  a 100+ person production team with an A-list star, filming in some of the most dangerous places in the world, with a unique cinematic style, an experimental soundtrack and buddy-movie vibe, all with the goal of encouraging viewers of all backgrounds to reconnect with the earth. 

 
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In this episode, host Chris Albert is joined by Emmy-nominated sound mixer, Tony Volante, who contributed his expertise to two current National Geographic films, Fauci and We Feed People. Volante shares his approach for designing sound on documentaries that blend archival footage, talking-head interviews and in-the-moment action, in order to add to the films’ emotional impact and cinematic value. He also shares what drew him to sound mixing in the first place and these two films in particular, and his advice for anyone interested in pursuing sound design as a career. 

 
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Joining host Chris Albert for this episode are National Geographic film editors Felix Black (Welcome To Earth), Jenny Nelson (Life Below Zero) and Andrew Morreale (We Feed People). The editors share what it takes to piece together a cohesive story out of hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of footage, collaborating with their directors, cinematographers and the rest of the teams. They each break down the anatomy of one scene, from the editor’s point of view and conclude with what drew them to editing in the first place. 
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Host Chris Albert is joined by three award-winning National Geographic directors to discuss their latest documentaries. National Geographic director Ron Howard’s film, We Feed People follows chef Jose Andres and his team of volunteers at World Central Kitchen. Joining Ron are John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, co-directors of the National Geographic film, Fauci, which follows Dr. Anthony Fauci in his COVID bubble in 2020, juxtaposed against his efforts to find a vaccine for AIDS in the 1980’s. The directors discuss the trust required, not only with Andres and Fauci, but with their families as well, in order to reveal their full humanity. The directors also describe the filmmaking process required to combine hundreds of hours of archival footage with new material to weave a powerful, emotional story. 

 
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Academy-Award nominated and Emmy-winning composer, Daniel Pemberton, joins host Chris Albert to discuss his electronic-infused score for National Geographic’s Welcome To Earth. Daniel, a prolific composer of soundtracks for The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, and more, shares his creative process, the audio palette for the project, and how he challenged himself to create the original, otherworldly compositions. Executive Producer Darren Aronofsky brought his vision to the project, hosted by Will Smith. 
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National Geographic Cinematographers Brendan McGinty and Sim Houtman share stories of the ambitious undertakings of their respective docu-series, Welcome to Earth and Life Below Zero. McGinty and Houtman explain to host Chris Albert how they, and their cameras, faced extreme conditions, whether dangling over the edge of an active volcano, traveling 1000 feet under the ocean to film bioluminescence, or amidst the harsh landscapes of Alaska, sometimes in minus-50 degree weather. They also share how filming such spectacular natural wonders impacted them personally.
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