4K Project from Love Nature, Smithsonian Earth, Plimsoll

TORONTO: Love Nature and Smithsonian Earth have teamed up with Plimsoll Productions to launch the 4K natural-history project Camp Zambia.

The three partners will produce 50 hours of 4K wildlife and nature programs over the next two years from a new state-of-the-art production facility in Zambia. The content will be produced for Love Nature’s Canadian and international SVOD and TV offerings, and for Smithsonian Networks’s standalone streaming service, Smithsonian Earth in the U.S. It will also be available for licensing worldwide via Blue Ant International.

The content will come from top natural-history directors, producers and wildlife camera operators. It will include blue-chip footage of animal behavior and character-led series.

“Camp Zambia truly is an amazing endeavor, created to bring audiences the most extraordinary and diverse wildlife and nature content to be enjoyed for years to come,” said Jo Parkinson, the managing director at Love Nature (International). “The expansive landscapes, varied weather conditions and vast array of wildlife make the ideal combination for a spectacular 4K experience.”

“Camp Zambia represents an unprecedented commitment by Smithsonian Earth and Love Nature,” added David Royle, the executive VP of programming and production at Smithsonian Networks. “Embedding film crews in a single location for two years, which allows for round-the-clock filming, will provide global audiences with an extraordinary opportunity to immerse themselves into the lives of individual animals.”

“This is one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever worked on; it’s the first time anyone has ever used a location-based model for wildlife on such an epic scale, over such a long period,” commented Andrew Jackson, the executive VP of international production at Plimsoll
 Productions. “Zambia’s abundant wildlife offers a unique opportunity for this revolutionary approach and we’re already seeing incredible results.”

Plimsoll’s production team includes Jackson (North America, Frozen Planet, Africa), Martha Holmes, the head of wildlife (Blue Planet, Manhunters, Life) and series editor James Smith (Tribe, Amazon with Bruce Parry). Los Angeles-based Bleeding Fingers Music, a Hans Zimmer and Extreme Music partnership, has been commissioned to compose original music for the project.