Sky annouces further groundbreaking 3D project with Sir David Attenborough

Following on from the BAFTA-winning Flying Monsters 3D and the soon to premiere Bachelor King 3D (Sky 3D, New Year’s Eve, 8pm), David Attenborough is to embark on his fourth 3D project with Sky, a three-part natural history series which tells the story of the remote Galapagos islands.

Galapagos 3D, which is scheduled to air on Sky 3D in late 2012, will be written and presented by Attenborough and is the first film to be produced by Colossus Productions - the production company formed by Sky and Atlantic Productions this summer. The joint venture was created to develop original 3D programming for UK and International audiences, including the rapidly growing number of Sky 3D homes. The commission is part of Sky’s commitment to increase its investment in UK originated content by 50% to £600million a year by 2014, to cement its position as one of the biggest investors in the UK’s creative economy.

Galapagos 3D follows several successful collaborations between Sky and Atlantic Productions, including the BAFTA-winning Flying Monsters 3D, The Bachelor King 3D (which airs on Sky 3D on New Year’s Eve) and Kingdom of Plants 3D, a series based at Kew Gardens (due to air on Sky 3D next year).

David Attenborough commented: “Galapagos is one of the most wonderful places in the world. There are extraordinary creatures living there that live nowhere else – a whole slew of marvellous animals. But one of the things that make them even more extraordinary is that because the islands were not discovered by human beings until relatively recently, and they had remained isolated for so long, the animals still haven’t become frightened of human beings. You can walk among them carrying your own snap shot cameras or even carrying a 3D rig and they won’t go away. They continue behaving in just the way that they would do naturally. Galapagos is full of drama, full of charismatic creatures which you can film; it is a natural for 3D.”

John Cassy, Director, Sky 3D, adds: “The Galapagos is one of Earth’s greatest treasures but it is unreachable for the vast majority of us. 3D will bring the islands to life for our customers in a way that has never been possible before. Sir David and Atlantic Productions are the natural partners to take on this ambitious project on - and ensure our natural history programming continues to break new ground.”

Executive Producer, CEO of Atlantic Productions and Co-Founder of Colossus Productions, Anthony Geffen adds: “We are very excited to be making our first 3D project at Colossus Productions – it is our most ambitious yet and will involve micro and macro filming on location and state-of-the art 3D visual effects which will peel away the Earth’s surface and shed light on the hidden forces that have built and shaped the islands.”

Since launching Sky 3D in October 2010, Sky has broken new ground across a range of genres, including natural history, live music, the arts, spots and movies. Highlights have included Flying Monsters 3D, a number of summer music festivals, opera and ballet, Kylie Minogue live from the O2, Got to Dance, the 3D TV world premieres of Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and the Toy Story Trilogy, as well as more than 150 live sports broadcasts spanning a range of domestic and international sports.

The series was commissioned by Sky’s Head of Factual and Features, Celia Taylor.

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