The secret behind how BBC Earth captured magic on ‘Asia’

“Of all the wonderful places in the world, one continent holds more riches than any other: Asia.” Such were the words of Sir David Attenborough in BBC Earth’s Asia trailer that could not ring more true. For the first time, Asia will finally get her due on the esteemed British broadcasting studio. From the unexplored jungles of Indonesia and the polar wilderness of Siberia to the dense rainforests of our very own Sabah, explore the wonders and marvels of her majestic lands on a scale never seen before.

Told over seven episodes, BBC Earth’s landmark series of the year will focus solely on the Asian continent. Filmed over four years and led by some of the world’s leading natural history filmmakers, Asia will tell the story of the biggest continent on Earth by unveiling its epic landscapes and spectacular wildlife in epic proportions.

Ahead, we speak to Asia series producer Matthew Wright on the innovative filmmaking techniques used to capture breathtaking sequences, his favourite scenes, and collaborating with K-pop sensation Seventeen on an original score for the series.

Four years is a long time! How does it feel that the documentary is finally out?

MW: “Oh, it’s so surreal. We were working in relative isolation, building all this footage over time for over four years so we’re all very excited. It kind of feels like this great thing we’ve finally given birth to!” [laughs] 

It’s also exciting because this is the first BBC natural documentary dedicated solely to Asia. With it being such a vast and rich continent, how did you decide on which countries and stories to spotlight?

MW: “Yes, it was really tricky because, as you said, Asia is a massive continent. We wanted to make sure we had a good spread of stories and worked hard to shine a light on as many countries as possible. But with Asia being so huge, we couldn’t represent every country, even in a seven-part series. So we decided to split them by habitat.

“We went with the oceans, mountains, frozen regions, jungles and forests, the human world where people and animals overlap, and deserts. Once we had that structure, we put out feelers all over the continent scouring for the best stories we could find. We also looked at scientific papers, books, online articles, spoke to conservationists and scientists, and used social media channels. You can find many stories on social media these days because amateur photographers and filmmakers are constantly documenting stuff. We would reach out and ask if they would like to work with us.

“By the end of that, we end up with a huge list of stories and we have to examine if we’re spending too much time in one place. “Have we shone a spotlight on this other area?” or “Are all the stories about cats? Maybe we need to show other animals.” These are the sort of things we ask ourselves, so it’s quite complicated. It’s a bit like those films with detectives trying to solve a problem and they’ve got papers all over the wall. [laughs]

“Hopefully we’ve come up with something that is quite balanced. We filmed in 23 countries in the end which is a pretty good representation, I think.”

What were some filmmaking techniques you employed in Asia to get those stunning shots?

MW: “We do try to use technology not for the sake of it but where it helps us to tell new stories. Drones have made a big difference in natural history filmmaking over the last 10 years. But the new generation of drones that just started to come in when we were working on Asia was a game-changer. 

“They’re really small—no smaller than a shoe box—really quiet, super long-lasting and they have a new lens that has a long zoom. When you put all these together, you’ve got almost like a spy camera in the sky that you can put up for over half an hour at a time and they’re relatively inexpensive. We use those quite in Asia because they don’t tend to disturb the animals as they’re so quiet. Plus, you can fly them high and still get close-up shots with the zoom lens.

“In Nepal, there’s an amazing sequence in episode four. We filmed a tiger family there almost entirely from these drones, which has never been done on the BBC before. We were able to get footage of tigers mating, playing, swimming and even hunting. I was adamant that we were only going to feature tigers in the series if we could film them in a new and interesting way because they’ve been filmed a lot and I think we achieved that.”

We also know Malaysia will be featured in Asia. Can you tell us a bit more about the animals that were filmed in our country?

MW: “Yes, Malaysia is featured in three episodes. In one of them, we follow a species of small elephants in a palm oil plantation which is actually a really cool story. The palm oil owners there are so tolerant of the elephants. They come in and love eating the chippings from the trees that have been chopped down. 

“From the drones, you can see there are so many elephants in this field, it almost looks like an elephant farm. There’s this co-existence and respect in an environment you wouldn’t normally associate with much wildlife, let alone these huge creatures roaming around. I wasn’t on that shoot but the crew really appreciated working with the Malaysian landowners and being given permission and trust to tell that story. We’ve all filmed elephants before but again, it goes back to how can we film them in a new way in a new environment. Hopefully, we’ve succeeded in doing that.”

We also have to talk about your collaboration with Seventeen’s DK and Seungkwan on the amazing score. What was it like working with them on this?

MW: “When we have a landmark series, we love to approach a really big artist to see if they would like to collaborate on the trailer music. So it has become something of a big tradition in the BBC now. My team drew up a list of artists and Seventeen was right at the top. They’re huge so we all thought, “Can we really get them?” [laughs] 

“As we were doing something in the Asian continent, we wanted to have an Asian artist perform the song. That was a challenge because Asia is huge and no one artist can truly represent it but Seventeen is so big in many parts of the world so it just made sense.

“We got in contact with them and they were very keen! They had our theme tune and went from there. DK and Seungkwan also watched the footage and were very inspired by it. “See the world, be amazed”, those lyrics came from their response after watching the footage. I wish I could’ve flown to South Korea to sit in the studio and listen to them myself! It was an absolute privilege.

“When we were mixing everything, we had all these different audio tracks. One of them was an isolated track with just their vocals and no music at all. Honestly, it was unbelievable. Hairs on the back of your neck stand up, I’m telling you. Those guys can seriously sing.”

This might be hard but if you could choose one memorable scene in Asia, what would it be?

MW: “I won’t say too much but there is a sequence in episode six involving a Pallas Cat, which is a small, grey cat that lives in the tough grasslands of Mongolia.

“Essentially, we captured footage of a Pallas Cat sneaking up on a rodent and it was a very fun and tense game of cat and mouse! She makes herself really flat on the grass, almost like a carpet, and wags her tail to distract the rodent. It’s a scene that always tickles me and I hope viewers will enjoy it as well.”

It hasn’t gone unnoticed by us the amount of patience and perseverance it requires for the crew to capture those stunning sequences. What was it like, mentally and physically, filming for Asia?

MW: “Yes, it’s a strange job, isn’t it? On one hand, it’s a huge privilege and you can’t believe you’re being paid to do it. On the other, it’s really hard work and sometimes, it can be very unpleasant. So there are these two truths that compete for your emotions! [laughs] Shoots are long, tough work and often remote. You could be living in a tent with no access to a shower for five or six weeks, so you have to be prepared for anything. 

“But that also means that you are truly immersed in a place where hardly anyone gets to go. When you’re filming in a really remote location, you almost get tunnel vision. Everything recedes into the background and it’s quite an amazing feeling, I must say. Part of the secret of what we do and the footage we capture is putting in the hours. Spending all that time in the field, carefully watching and waiting. Animals are doing amazing things all the time when nobody’s watching, it’s a matter of us being there to record it.”

Ultimately, why do you think everyone should tune in to Asia?

MW: “It’s really a celebration of one special place, the world’s largest and greatest continent. As Sir David Attenborough says in the trailer, “If you think you’ve seen the best of what the natural world has to offer, think again. There’s nowhere else on Earth with so many untold stories.” I genuinely and passionately believe that is true. 

“We’ve filmed a lot in Asia before but given its size and its variety of landscapes and animals, it hasn’t had the representation that I think it deserves. I believe this series will feel fresh and new. You’re going to see a lot of new places and animals—and even the familiar animals such as your tigers, elephants and orangutans are going to do things you didn’t know they did.

“Even if you’re a wildlife fan and you’ve seen it all, I would hope that when you watch Asia, you will be transported to a magical place where you’re seeing things you’ve never seen before.”

Watch Asia on BBC Player here.

For more ideas on what to watch, head here.