A documentary film on which a team of University of Portsmouth paleontologists acted as advisors has won a BAFTA.
Credit: University of Portsmouth
Dr David Martill and colleagues were special advisors on the film Flying Monsters 3D which won best specialist factual program in the May 2011 British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards.
The hour-long film, written and presented by David Attenborough, examines the prehistoric pterosaurs, giant winged beasts which dominated the skies millions of years ago. The team from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) spent more than a year advising the film’s animators and creating the models on which the animations were based.
The film sets out to uncover the truth about the enigmatic pterosaurs, whose wingspans of up to 10 metres were equal to that of a spitfire. The film uses cutting-edge 3D technology and CGI to bring the story of giant flying monsters and their prehistoric world to life. The film was shown on Christmas day and is now showing in cinemas across the country including IMAX screens.
Dr Martill, who appears in the making of the film which was part of the Christmas Day broadcast, said: “It’s a brilliant feeling to have been a part of something which has been recognised by BAFTA. We were already excited to be on television on Christmas day and to be part of a BAFTA-winning team is a genuine thrill.
“Having the world’s leading naturalist take an interest in show-casing these beasts, which are known only through their fossilized remains, was a tremendous coup for those of us who are passionate about uncovering the facts about these creatures.”
The giant pterosaur models, which took months of work by the team from SEES, were originally created to be the centerpiece of last year’s Royal Society’s 350th anniversary exhibition in London. For ten days they sent thousands of commuters, tourists and visitors to Britain’s most prestigious science festival back millions of years to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Now the beasts will be seen by even more people and are likely to provoke renewed interest with cinema audiences.
Dr Martill said: “The creatures generate endless fascination from the public, probably because there is nothing around today to equal them in stature and for simply being amazing looking beasts.”
Source: University of Portsmouth
0 comments:
Post a Comment