Andy Brandy Casagrande IV.

No, I am not going to bitch about ABC 4 this time.... :-)

Quite the contrary.

What I have seen today in Mike Neumann's blog, a sample of ABC4's talent as a wildlife cinematographer, simply left me breathless. It ranks among the very best I have ever seen. Just incredible!!

Does a pro like ABC4 have to sell his outstanding talent to Shark Week and the like? Definitely not!

What he should do instead is produce a film about sharks, aim as high as he can, make absolutely no compromises, and get back with the most outstanding shark documentary ever done. From what I have seen in the clip above he could do it. ABC4 does not need the hype and the shark pornography to market his art.

Andy - you can see how easy it is to convince an old not so 'glorious basterd' that he is still educable and also capable of changing what to some might look like a high opinion of himself... :-) :-)

My Thoughts on Discovery's Shark Week 2010...

I do not have any...yet.  Usually I would drop everything I do to watch the show, but as the years have passed and the programming has worsened, I find myself recording the episodes and forcing myself to watch them.  


So far two episodes are on my DVR - tonight I will watch the first - which from title and previews seems to be on the right path - but the second episode - title-wise is already throwing me off.


Reviews to come soon... 

Shark Week -- Education or Just Entertainment?

I really do not know what to expect from Shark Week this year - the last seasons have been complete disasters in my opinion in the portrayal of sharks.  I will say that the logo looks much "friendly" (no blood) and positive this year - it is a start.


But from reading Shark Diver's last post - change does not seem imminent:


Shark Week -- Education or Just Entertainment "Chris Palmer and Peter Kimball just hit a home run over at Huff Post today talking Shark Weekand the ongoing debate about wildlife television.

Many years ago I wrote an Op Ed for a local San Diego paper titled "When Filmmakers Attack...." 

- Read complete post.

So I am hoping to see more than just a fresh logo.

Discovery Channel Shark Week Blood in the Water

So I am sitting here and have just watched the first 5 minutes of Discovery Channel's Shark Week first program - Blood in the Water - Jaws meets Gone With the Wind. Completely boring, lots of blood, bad production, horrible props...

They talk a lot about sharks killing people - little to no education...I guess I am going to turn it off...maybe tomorrow will be better...NOT - Survivor man and Tiger Beach - wonder if they stuffed dummies with fish again to get the Tigers to "attack".

Shark Week so far FAIL and living up to the shark porn...

Interview with Discovery Channel Executive Paul Gasek

About two weeks ago David from Southern Fried Science asked for readers to submit questions as he was going to interview Paul Gasek from the Discovery Channel in reference to Shark Week. Many questions and good questions were submitted...thank you, David, for the initiative.

I was pretty disheartened after reading Paul's answers to be very honest. Particularly by: "At Discovery Channel, we pride ourselves on telling compelling and accurate stories. Shark Week is no different." - sure you may say this was taken out of context - not to me.

Gasek did not answer David's question in reference to the fish stuffing of a dummy snorkeller to incite a shark to "attack" the dummy.

I do not see the Discovery Channel changing the programming of Shark Week anytime soon...

LONG LIVE SHARK PORN

Read the full interview here - curious as to what your thoughts are.

Discovery Shark Week Blog Update

Ila France Porcher, French Polynesia, being interviewed by
Mike DeGruy for "Shark Week" (2004)

From Ila France Porcher:

Dear Friends,

Just a brief note to let you know that I created a blog devoted to our interchange with the Discovery Channel. It outlines briefly events so far, including Shark L's original letter, and presents the Manifesto.

Its at:

http://boycottsharkweek.blogspot.com/

Please have a look--I look forward to exchanging links with whoever is interested.

With good wishes,

Ila

Boycott Discovery Channel Shark Week Part 2

Here is the 2009 "Shark Week" program; we discovered it today in the Internet.

Now you will understand why Ila France Porcher, the author of the Manifesto, and the backers of the petition against the tabloid type of depiction of sharks as practiced by the Discovery Channel, believe that it is high time for them to properly educate the public about the true nature of these misunderstood creatures in a way that is both informative and interesting enough so as to obtain high ratings for their shows.

The titles of this year's "Shark Week" features could not be more telling. Have a look, and decide for yourself whether this is responsible journalism or sub-standard and sensationalistic inveiglement of the "Shark Week" viewers into the conviction that sharks are not to be trusted after all:

http://popculturezoo.com/?p=3012&preview=true

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS.

SHARK WEEK premieres Sunday, August 2, 2009, and features six all-new programs:

BLOOD IN THE WATER

This gripping drama brings to life the true story that inspired Jaws. In 1916, the New Jersey shore became a feeding ground as five people were attacked in 12 days, triggering a nationwide panic. It was the first multiple shark attack in American history, and the reason we fear sharks to this day.

DAY OF THE SHARK

In this harrowing hour, see what happens when a great white breaks through a 300-pound aluminum shark cage and traps the divers inside; when another tackles a former Navy Seal in shallow waters in the early evening off St. Petersburg, Florida; and when a bull shark invades a spearfishing trip in the Bahamas. When you’re a visitor in the vast and complex ocean, any day could be the “Day of the Shark.”

DEADLY WATERS

SURVIVORMAN’s Les Stroud is back for more shark action — this time venturing to five of the most notorious shark infested waters in the world to find out which is the most dangerous. Les will initiate a series of immersive tests in these high-fatality “hot spots” to determine what makes these waters so deadly.

GREAT WHITE APPETITE

One of the most feared predators on earth, the great white shark patrols the shores of more than 50 percent of the world’s inhabited coastlines. And yet, scientists still don’t have accurate data on their population, mating practices, traveling patterns or even what drives their feeding behavior. Former Force Recon Marine Charles Ingram travels the globe with shark experts, seeking out answers to these and additional fascinating questions.

SHARK AFTER DARK

We know that sharks are active and can be quite aggressive during the day, but we know little about what they do at night. Now, armed with the latest in infrared heat-sensing cameras and night vision technology, a team of divers descends into the dark abyss on a mission to learn more about shark behavior after the sun goes down.

SHARKBITE SUMMER

This is the definitive account of America’s 2001 “Summer of the Shark,” when the ocean’s apex predators attacked more than 50 swimmers off U.S. beaches. SHARKBITE SUMMER returns to the attack sites and — using news footage,
interviews with victims, witnesses, surgeons, family members and shark experts — builds a clear picture of what happened that summer.

Boycott Discovery Channel Shark Week

We feel that a media enterprise as prestigious as Discovery Communications should live up to their high standards of journalism ("Educate and Entertain").

Unfortunately, their sensationalistic portrayal of sharks on the yearly "Shark Week" programs is not to educate but to irrationally frighten the general public by using the "Jaws" stereotype presented as the true nature of these fabulous creatures of the oceans.

By doing so, DC probably pretends that this is "what people want to see" which is absolutely wrong. Sure, many viewers like horror movies and find them entertaining, not only when it comes to the "monsters of the deep".

Most people do not want to be manipulated, however subtly, but have a hunger for education and a truthful presentation of facts - they consider the excitement of learning as the more genuine form of entertainment.

To be sure, some of the past "Shark Week" programs had a relatively high educational value, and it would be unfair to deny that they induced many people to develop a healthy interest in sharks. However, the sensationalistic shows clearly outweigh the informative ones.

The DC people need to be told that what they are doing is irresponsible journalism, and that their viewers are more mature and discerning than they assume.

They cannot ignore 10.000 petitioners.

PLEASE READ THE MANIFESTO AND SIGN THE PETITION.

Thank you.

Discovery Shark Week - get a clue...

A promo clip from BBC's Nature's Great Events - Sardine run...a world of difference in programming and show quality compared to what The Discovery Channel has lately done with Shark Week. How would the BBC do Shark Week? My only recommendation to Didier - don't wear fins that are the same color as the fish in the bait ball :)

Watch out for the real shark lovers

"Lady" - our most elegant Caribbean Reef Shark companion for many years (Bahamas)

(Photograph: Wolfgang Leander, 2000)

My dad recently wrote a post, Watch out for the real shark enemies, which stirred up a conversation boiling down to the Discovery Channel not portraying the sharks with a fair "lens", and only concerned about their ratings at the expense of these magnificent animals.

It was because of this post that Geert Droppers from Protect the Sharks Foundation contacted me and asked if I had seen the documentary Gimme a Hug. To date I had only seen the trailer, Geert was kind enough to send me the full version. To get access to the complete version - donate here.

This is definitely the type of production and story that the Discovery Channel needs to include in their programming during Shark Week. The film is about Cristina Zenato and her interaction with Caribbean Reef sharks while in a tonic immobility. Everything about the documentary is serene, calm, and melancholic - from the music to the cinematography to the way Cristina interacts with the sharks (and breathes through her regulator).

Asked what was Cristina's cutest moment with these sharks, she said it was when she kissed one on the nose...The documentary truly shows sharks in a different light - in a normal light...no crazy experiments, no stupid hosts, no dummies being "attacked" - just sharks being sharks - BEAUTIFUL.

Geert - excellent film, the only thing that is missing are two free divers (or at least one old one) hugging Tiger Sharks... :-)

Watch out for the real shark enemies...

Shark legend "Doc" Samuel Gruber freediving at Tiger Beach

(Photograph: Wolfgang Leander)

Click on the image to enlarge

Shark Diver recently posted a blog that was somewhat disturbing. I have obtained some background information on this from another source, and am afraid to say that the production company that is aggressively pursuing the subjects they have put together as their shoot list for 2009 is the same company that sold the Discovery Channel a misleading and rather sensationalistic film about tiger shark "attack behavior" shot at Tiger Beach late in 2007.

I saw that film, as did millions and millions others, and felt thoroughly disgusted by the "experiments" these folks did with the tiger sharks.

Here we have the Discovery Channel with their hugely popular Shark Week. Over the years, the quality of these features, presented as entertaining and at the same time 'educational' documentaries, has been going down alarmingly. So much so that a group of dedicated shark conservationists decided to approach the Discovery Channel executives toward the middle of 2007 with a view to induce them to stop portraying sharks in the best of "Jaws" tradition.

Preceding the meeting with some top people of the Discovery Channel in April 2008 was a petition directed to them - the message was crystal clear. Click here to read it.

The impression the shark delegation had after the meeting was that, yes, the Discovery Channel would endeavor to give the sharks more of the credit they so much deserve now that the general public is slowly beginning to realize that many species are being hunted down to the brink of extinction.

Unfortunately, the 2008 Shark Week features were already 'boxed', so everybody was hoping to see an improvement in this year's Shark Week.

While we have no idea what will be shown in 2009, we can expect that it will be pretty much more of the same. One of the titles will be "Deadly Waters" - what else is new?....

The production company in question has only one goal in mind: Shoot something as catchy as possible, never mind the accuracy of the "documentary", never mind the truthfulness of the message on which they base their "experiments". This company will do almost anything to show the sharks in the worst possible light because they know, the sharper the teeth, the juicier the deal they will get.

What is really deplorable other than wilfully misleading the public, perhaps as many as many as 100 million TV viewers around the globe (!!), is the fact that it is they who attack the sharks without any mercy thus thwarting the conservationists' relentless efforts to de-demonize the sharks.

By vilifying the sharks these irresponsible producers implicitly perpetuate the old saying: Only a dead shark is a good shark, whereas we, the ludicrous "green nuts", are desperately trying to spread the message that all sharks are good, especially the ones that are still alive...

These producers, and others like them, not the majority, are definitely the bad guys; they are the real enemies of the sharks.

So, what about the Discovery Channel? Are they also the bad guys? I wouldn't go as far as that judging them - but they are certainly not the good guys they could be.

If they were, they would not buy "documentaries" without closely scrutinizing them in a professional manner. But maybe they don't know better. Well, could that really be?? Hard to imagine...

What the Discovery marketing pros have to do is to keep the attention level of their viewers high because of the advertising business they depend on (it's all about ratings, ratings, ratings), hence the hype they are convinced is needed without really giving the negative aspects of distorted information much thought.

That, I believe, is the crux: How to find the right balance between suspenseful entertainment without falling in the trap of cheap sensationalism, and imparting solid, enlightening facts which in my view do not have to be dry at all if presented in an engaging way, both artisitically and technically.

Two suggestions come to my mind:

First: As a test, the Discovery Channel should show one feature of sharks focusing exclusively on their beauty, their paramount importance as apex predators, and the imminent peril of extinction many species are facing mainly due to the ever growing appetite of the Chinese and other Asians for their fins.

A "Sharkwater" type of documentary without the irritating ego element that devalued the otherwise praiseworthy movie. No attacks, no blood, no gaping jaws - just the serene world of sharks to gauge the reception by the viewers.

I simply refuse to believe a priori that blood draws more attention than beauty. It is an assumption that would need to be corroborated.

Second: The Discovery Channel should intensify the dialogue with knowledgeable shark people, and involve them in an ad hoc advisory committee for the specific purpose of screening the Shark Week features offered to them by independent film and TV production companies.

If we want to make - and see - a difference, all of us in the shark world - writers, film producers, photographers, shark dive operators, media pros, researchers, aficionados - have the responsibility and the moral imperative to respect the sharks, depict them how they really are, and be as little invasive as possible when entering their realm, be it for recreational or scientific reasons.

One last thought -

It is perfectly OK to make good money with sharks while furthering their cause; it is not OK at all to make money exploiting them in any way.

Do you remember Shark Week during the late 80s?

Being nice to a tiger shark...

(Photo: Felix Leander / 2008)

I recorded all the Discovery Shark week episodes this week, and unfortunately I found myself fast forwarding through most of them. How absurd was Myth Busters and Surviving Sharks. It is really unfortunate - watching the show almost had a reverse effect on me; I began to doubt if I should dive with Tigers again...that is just crazy talk! Of course I will, actually this coming November.

On the flip side, a friend of mine also watched the show and has become very interested in sharks; he actually came diving with me in the hopes of seeing one - each to their own I guess.

Around the same time that Shark Week aired, Richard Theiss sent me a copy of his film Island of the Great White Shark - and how refreshing it was to watch. It reminded me of what Shark Week used to be - informative, scientific, and not in the least bit sensational.

While Richard directed, wrote, produced, and edited the film - he did not narrate it or appear in front of the camera...unlike a recent docuMEntary... :-)

So Discovery Channel - go back to the roots, take a look at Richard's film and some of your old tapes, and make a comeback in 2009.

Discovery Shark Week 2008

This year I have decided to focus on the positive things that the Discovery Channel are doing with Shark Week. While I am still not convinced of featuring the Myth Busters - I am digging their blog, Shark Conservation Blog written by Sonja Fordham.

The Shark Week homepage features children silhouettes diving with sharks and overall you just finally get a feeling that the network is pushing the conservation of sharks instead of the sensationalism.

I am definitely planning to watch all their shows (minus the myth buster featuring robo sharks). And if Discovery is listening to conversation: "So far, congratulations"

George Burgess - shark attack guru.

Whenever there is a shark incident in the US, journalists try to get a hold of the person many consider to be a leading expert on shark attacks: George Burgess.

Burgess has been featured many times in "Shark Week", always interviewed in attack-relatted matters. Over the years, he has thus become, or would like to be considered as, some sort of a shark attack guru.

George Burgess is the coordinator of Museum Operations at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, Gainsville. He is also in charge of the International Shark Attack File.

While nobody would doubt that Burgess has acquired relevant knowledge about sharks over the years, one wonders whether he really understands their true nature. I cannot escape the feeling that deep down George Burgess is quite afraid of sharks - that would explain why he got so interested in, if not obsessed with, shark 'attacks'. He seems to be less intrigued by the beauty of sharks than by their powerful "Jaws"...

At any rate, I would not call Burgess a committed sympathizer of the sharks' cause. And sharks are in dire need of people who fight to do them justice, courageous people like Robert Stewart ("Sharkwater").

The Discovery Channel featured in this year's "Shark Week" a report on the sinking of the "Indianapolis" (1945), emphasizing on what they call "the worst shark attack ever". The telling title of this episode: "Ocean of Fear". It should not come as a surprise that nobody knows how many survivors of the sunken ship were actually bitten (or eaten) by sharks. Who cares about such insignificant details as long as this was the "worst shark attack ever"?.... Inevitably, the Discovery Channel engaged Burgess to give this sensationalistic documentary some type of pseudo-scientific credence.

I found "Ocean of Fear", as most the other "Shark Week" episodes, with the exception of "Deadly Stripes", most annoying.

Unless the Discovery Channel finds an adequate balance between good entertainment and serious education, shark scientists and other experts should not lend their names to support documentaries that still bank on people's archaic fears of being eaten alive.

Following is a letter I wrote to George Burgess:

From: Wolfgang Leander <wolfgang@oceanicdreams.com > Date: Sep 26, 2007 5:49 PM Subject: Shark Week To: "George H. Burgess" <gburgess@flmnh.ufl.edu>

Dear George:

I have seen, the day before yesterday, the first episode of this year's Shark Week - "Ocean of Fear" - dubbed, as I live in a Spanish speaking country.

This feature was absolutely terrible. I could not believe the low standard of the documentary with all the silly, Hollywood-type re-enactments of the "attacks". The cries of the shark victims, cruising Caribbean Reef sharks (probably Stuart Cove's pets), and those countless buckets of red paint - high entertainment value for the simple minded. The original version was narrated by Richard Dreyfuss - a very subtle evocation of "Jaws"...

You will agree with me that "Ocean of Fear", and the other part I saw yesterday ("Eaten Alive"), has NOTHING to do with educating the public about the true nature of sharks. It seems that nobody at the Discovery Channel has the slightest intention to inform their viewers objectively. They want to terrify them. The titles of the episodes say it all.

Now, what I found rather disturbing is that a guy of the caliber of George Burgess lent himself to give this sensationalistic piece of cheap entertainment the appearence of a scientific foundation. It is strange, but telling, that nobody blamed war or, more specifically, two Japanese torpedoes for the casualties of the Indianapolis. Instead - what else is new? - it is the sharks that were the culprits. People still droole about the alleged shark carnage that happened 62 years ago speculating what kind of sharks feasted on the poor seamen who were lucky not to have gone down with the battleship.

Well, if the sharks that were on the spot then were oceanic whitetips, then it would have been much more appropriate for the Discovery Channel to show that these sharks, once abundant in the world's oceans, have been decimated by almost 90% in a matter of decades, and that the 10% that are left are likely to find their way into the kitchens of Chinese restaurants.

George, I am sure you were not aware of the poor quality of this feature while you did your part, and I sincerely hope that you will flatly refuse to cooperate with the Discovery Channel in the future unless they stop portraying sharks as mindless killing beasts. That is the least you and your fellow shark researchers can do to demonstrate resistance to the reckless way the Discovery Channel exploit people's completely irrational fear of sharks.

I really believe all researchers should boycott the Discovery Channel for grossly distorting the facts about sharks, for focussing only on their teeth and not on the crucial role they play in the oceans, and for not showing that sharks are NOT dangerous. Potentially they are, yes, as are "killer" coconuts that could fall on people's heads while walking under coconut palmtrees.

I hope you don't get me wrong - I am not offering unsolicited advice; I am writing this to you trusting that you will appreciate my concerns.

Many people, not necessarily "shark lovers", are becoming quite frustrated about the low informational value of "Shark Week" - let them know that you won't be at their diposal if they keep vilifying the sharks.

Best,

Wolfgang

Shark Week Revisited

A final note on Discovery's Shark Week from my friend Erin:

"I’m glad that Shark Week is over. A few weeks ago my daughter and I were watching TV when a promo came on and scared the heck out of her. It seemed completely one-sided, with no signs of balance or hints of the beauty that Wolf's photos demonstrate. Certainly there are scary shark stories but they need to be told truthfully with the beauty and wonder of sharks celebrated as well."

I do not think this is the reaction we want the up and coming generation to have of sharks - it is enough that "Jaws" instilled so much fear that many were even scared to take a dip in the pool. Maybe one of Shark Week's up coming titles could be "Alibaba.com - Deadly e-commerce"

Discovery Shark Week 2007

So Discovery’s Shark Week has come to an end and to be completely honest, I have mixed feelings. Opposed to getting into details, I have decided to give a one sentence thought of each episode.

Ocean of Fear: The Worst Shark Attack Ever: Turns out that it was not the worst shark attack ever, in fact some survivors never even saw a shark – hype in title for ratings.

Deadly Stripes: Tiger Sharks: By far the best episode, great human/shark interaction, Mark Addison seems like a stand-up guy (my dad can attest to that) – really enjoyed it…hype in title for ratings.

Shark Feeding Frenzy: Sucked, the human / tuna blood test was a joke...hype in the title for ratings.

Perfect Predators: Don’t remember this episode, enough said...hype in title for ratings.

Shark Tribe: Some people still respect sharks…old school.

Sharks: A Family Affair: Good episode – reminded me of the Leander clan – including the fights ☺

Sharkman: A bit too long, but it was nice to see the human/shark interaction.

My friend Erin did mention something to me that just goes to show the effect Shark Week had – I have asked her to write for the blog and will post it shortly.

NYT covers Shark Week 2007

Good article in the New York Times - review of Shark Week 2007 - not all too positive. Looking forward to the show tonight to be able to give my own opinion - not sure if I will be still looking forward to the whole week after that.

Regardless I need to record the shows for the old man :)

Discovery Shark Week Update

The Discovery Channel has gotten in touch with The Sharkman in reference to the letter that was sent by Ila (Shark Week 2007 lineup), read below...for now words, remains to be seen if these will turn into action - but it is nice to see they are listening and reaching out:

"Dear List members and Friends. As you all know, less than 48 hours ago, Ila sent out the Letter to Discovery Channel. Here is an update of the events that followed. Within 12 hours, I had the first response. I received an email from Katherine Nelson at Discovery. She thanked us for the letter and told me that Discovery would be very happy to discuss the issue and she asked me for my personal phone number.

I immediately wrote her back and thanked her for the fast response. A few hours later I received another email, this time from Jeff Hasler, Senior Vice President of Development and Production. He thanked me for my response to Katharine's letter and told me that he would like to call me later.

This afternoon at about 3.30pm my time, Jeff Hasler phoned me and we talked for around 45 minutes. He was very keen to discuss the issues we had raised in the letter and also agreed on quite a few of the points. We talked about the problems that sharks face as far as finning, habitat destruction...etc..... and we also talked about the media image in general. I told Jeff that we all understand that Discovery needs the ratings and for this you need the drama and the action, and that we do not have any problems with Discovery showing a few interviews with shark attack survivors, as long as these are balanced out with scientific research and conservation issues. Action does not always have to be in the form of human victims.

We all know that sharks are predators and their hunting techniques on their own are also awesome to watch. We also discussed shark finning and shark research issues in detail. Jeff is a guy with a hell of a personality and we both share the same views and we are both very confident that together we can come up with some great projects for future Shark Weeks.

Jeff promised me that Discovery Channel is there to listen to our views and he wants to take this to the next level. We will be having further discussions to find out what topics we can explore together and than we will also set up a meeting between a small select group from Shark-L and Discovery Channel. During our talk Jeff told me that I have already given him two great ideas to work on.... and...... oppsss better not let the proverbial cat out of the bag yet. Jeff and Discovery Channel made my day and I can promise that together, we are going to make a better future for the Sharks.

Thank you to everyone that was involved in this. please feel free to spread and publish this email.

Thank you Discovery Channel. Shark Powered The Sharkman (list dad)

Discovery - Shark Week

Dear Friends:

Discovery Channel’s Shark Week is coming to a TV near you – however, many of the episode titles still make reference to sharks as mindless murderers:

"Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever"
"Deadly Stripes: Tiger Sharks"
"Top 5 Eaten Alive"
"Shark Feeding Frenzy"

Ila France Porcher will send a letter to the Discovery Channel requesting them to stop perpetuating the killer image of sharks which thwarts all conservation efforts. Have a look at the letter (http://sharkwords.blogspot.com), and if you want to join forces by having your name and address added to this important petition, please ask Ila at: ila@smartech.pf to sign you in - that is ALL you have to do.