Planet Dinosaur

Galvasean

When "Walking with Dinosaurs" was first aired more than ten years ago, it set new standards in computer graphics, robotics and animatronics. The subsequent worldwide sales of this programme and the spin-off series netted the corporation vast sums of money. This new movie project, estimated to cost something in the order of £40 million will combine live action with new computer technology - LIDAR (light, detection and ranging).

The use of LIDAR is particularly appropriate, a case of art imitating life for a number of palaeontologists as a form of LIDAR technology has been used by scientists to detect fossils laying buried underneath sediment, helping field workers to decide where best to dig.

A spokesperson for the project stated that the use of 3D cameras will create: "never before seen levels of invisibility between live action and CGI worlds."

This news will please those clever people behind the "Walking with" live show, perhaps another world tour will be required.

More here.



edit: £D instead of 3D? A freudian typo perhaps? :pac:

Adam Khor

Leaked footage from Planet Dinosaur show. Just got this from a good friend! XD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMkV_GYf4w&feature=player_detailpage

Looks great IMO. Not all of it, but I bet the final product will be impressive XD What do u think?

Galvasean

The finished footage looks amazing!
I can even see where the 3D effects will be implemented. This could actually be one of teh few films worth seeing in the third dimension! :eek:

Galvasean

So, what is that single horned theropod? Some sort of abelisaurid?

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

So, what is that single horned theropod? Some sort of abelisaurid?

Yes, looks a lot like a Majungasaurus to me.

Galvasean

I think you're right. didn't realize he was horny as well as ugly...

Rubecula

Did I see a spinosaurus grabbing a ray or shark or something in there?

Galvasean

Rubecula wrote: »

Did I see a spinosaurus grabbing a ray or shark or something in there?

Looks like it. certainly gave that other theropod the heebie-jeebies!

Adam Khor

Rubecula wrote: »

Did I see a spinosaurus grabbing a ray or shark or something in there?

It's a saw fish. I remember reading that a saw fish vertebra was found stuck in a Spinosaurus' teeth, and saw fish fossils were common in Spinosaurus habitat :>

Galvasean

Trailer:

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

Trailer:

Awesome image, and the trailer is great Some of the dinos look just ok, but I'm excited anyways
By the way, seems that they couldn´t resist the temptation of including a Spinosaurus vs Carcharodontosaurus fight ala Jurassic Park III XD
That's cool tho; I wouldn´t resist either.

Galvasean

From what I've seen so far I'm thinking the CG is not quite as good as Dinosaur Revolution (that ceratopsian for example looked kind of textureless).
Not that I am complaining. We're very lucky to be getting two high quality dinoCGmentaries considering we had March of the Dinosaurs not long ago.

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

From what I've seen so far I'm thinking the CG is not quite as good as Dinosaur Revolution (that ceratopsian for example looked kind of textureless).
Not that I am complaining. We're very lucky to be getting two high quality dinoCGmentaries considering we had March of the Dinosaurs not long ago.

Agreed, some dinos look better than others. Spinosaurus for example looks awesome.

dlofnep

Looks great When is it out??

Galvasean

September 14th.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014m55k

September is dinosaur month.

Dinosaur revolution
Planet dinosaur
Jurassic Park BluRay
Jurassic Park in the cinema

It is a golden age...

Kess73

Galvasean wrote: »

September 14th.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014m55k

September is dinosaur month.

Dinosaur revolution
Planet dinosaur
Jurassic Park BluRay
Jurassic Park in the cinema

It is a golden age...

Thought the blu ray was not out to buy until late October?

Galvasean

having rechecked, you are correct

Galvasean

Don't forget guys Planet Dinosaur starts tomorrow on BBC1 at 20:30.
First episode is Carcharosontosaurus versus Spinosaurus!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014m55k

Hopefully someone will tape it for me...

GWolf

I know one of the shows consultants, and he seems pretty excited by this show so I'm looking forward to it. Apparently it's going to be giving the dinos personas, but not overtly fictionalising things

Galvasean

I just noticed when I posted 'tomorrow' it was after midnight, so its actually on tomorrow, not today.
WEDNESDAY! :P

dlofnep

bump

GWolf

Not too bad actually. I had a few issues with the animation. Slightly too cartoony vibe. The Spinosaurus' tail seemed a little too short. The skulls had that stretched quality, where you can see all the fenestrae through the skin. But not too bad. Enjoyable, and I really liked how there was constant reference to scientific studies. For one, gives me papers to look up. No, I'm pleased enough. Plus John Hurt.

Rubecula

Thoroughly enjoyed that. John Hurt narrated it well, and the info was good. They didn't say "this happened" or "that happened" They said "this MAY have happened" or "evidence shows this is probable". Excellent program, I will be watching the next episode if I am home from work next week.

Edit: Just watching "Dinosaurs, Myth and Monsters on BBC 4.

Kess73

Was not overly impressed tbh. I felt that the animation was a big let down as I was expecting a lot more on that front. At times it felt like I was watching something more akin to an Xbox game that was lauded for it's graphics when it forst came out but that was a few years past that stage now.

Thought the info side of things was aimed for a younger audience (which it may well have been) and would have preferred a more substantial (and more detailed) amount of information.


Will still tune in next week though to see if things get better.:D

Galvasean

watched this the other day. My wonderful girlfriend recorded it for me. Must say I thought it was much MUCH better than Dinosaur revolution. The narrator was excellent. The referencing of actual scientific discoveries was refreshing. Best of all IMO was the lack of ad bumpers / jump cut reminders/previews (wrecked my head while watching Dinosaur Revolution).
The amount of information they packed into half an hour was impressive. I look forward to episode 2 'Feathered Dragons' which will feature Epidexipteryx and Microraptor (among others):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0151tyd

You can watch episode 1 on the website now (for the next month):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014m55k

Adam Khor

Watched it too, downloaded it. It's awesome I too liked it better than the two first episodes of Dinosaur Revolution (the only ones I've seen so far). I love it that the episode portrays Spinosaurus as a normal animal and not an unstoppable juggernaut, but at the same time, it doesn´t take the badass out of it. I hope obnoxious dino-buffs stop implying that Spinosaurus was a wimp just because of its being largely a fish-eater.
The only complaint I have about the Spinosaurus is that it's tail seemed a little bit too short, as if truncated. Also, the Spinosaurus' CG quality was better than the other dinosaurs, as if, being the star, the budget had been dedicated mostly to it XD

It's a shame that we didn´t get to see Deltadromeus or Paralititan but oh well, you can´t have everything in this life

dlofnep

Watched it too - Thought it was great. Downloaded Jurassic CSI there now. Gunna give it a look..

Kess73

Second episode is on tonight at 20:30 on BBC1. Just in case anyone forgot.

dlofnep

Yup, looking forward to it. It's going to be about feathered dinosaurs.

Galvasean

Watched that Myths & Monsters documentary yesterday (the wonderful missus recorded that too cause she's awesome). Nice doc. No info that hadn't been covered in older documentaries, but it was well structured.

Previews of tonight's episode of Planet Dinosaur here (not available in ireland though, WAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00kkmk2

Galvasean

That was freakin' awesome!
Two docs on BBC4 now. more later

Kess73

Enjoyed this week's show. Thought it was much better than the show last week.

Rubecula

I was in work and missed most of the show, but caught the last half. Very interesting stuff. Enjoyed it as usual. Next week's episode looks like it could be good too.

dlofnep

It was great I really like the CGI. Show is up on piratebay if anyone missed it.

Galvasean

Bit more feedback now that I've had time to digest episode 2...
Didn't it just fly in (no pun intended)? I mean seriously, it felt like 5 minutes. That said, it was a VERY informative episode with loads of cool factoids and a really big cast of dinos. I really enjoyed it. The gliding tree chase was a particular highlight.
The only thing is, and this may or may not be a flaw depending on your outlook, was that there wasn't the same sense of story craft as there was in episode 1. There Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus were clearly the protagonists. There wasn't really a guy to root for in the same way in episode 2. I was starting to adore Epidexipteryx what a cute n' zany character (without resorting to Dinosaur revolution style Looney Toonsisms)! But then just as we start to get to know him, we're in a different time and place following Microraptor.
Still, it's only a minor complaint and I'm not even sure it is that as I said earlier, the time flew in so maybe switching between different casts of characters was the right decision.
I'm not certain which episode I prefer. Lost World had a better narrative structure, while Feathered Dragons had a larger cast with (I think) more information jammed in.
I really can't wait to pick up the entire series on DVD ad watch it all in one day

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

Bit more feedback now that I've had time to digest episode 2...
Didn't it just fly in (no pun intended)? I mean seriously, it felt like 5 minutes. That said, it was a VERY informative episode with loads of cool factoids and a really big cast of dinos. I really enjoyed it. The gliding tree chase was a particular highlight.
The only thing is, and this may or may not be a flaw depending on your outlook, was that there wasn't the same sense of story craft as there was in episode 1. There Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus were clearly the protagonists. There wasn't really a guy to root for in the same way in episode 2. I was starting to adore Epidexipteryx what a cute n' zany character (without resorting to Dinosaur revolution style Looney Toonsisms)! But then just as we start to get to know him, we're in a different time and place following Microraptor.
Still, it's only a minor complaint and I'm not even sure it is that as I said earlier, the time flew in so maybe switching between different casts of characters was the right decision.
I'm not certain which episode I prefer. Lost World had a better narrative structure, while Feathered Dragons had a larger cast with (I think) more information jammed in.
I really can't wait to pick up the entire series on DVD ad watch it all in one day

I have only seen the two first episodes of Dinosaur Revolution, and the first one of Planet Dinosaur BUT... and I'm sorry of saying it, despite the visuals and cool new and updated dinosaurs, I'm afraid I still think Walking with Dinosaurs beats them both.
I dunno if it's the writing, or maybe the care that was put in the scenery, or the fact that the animals did behave a lot like real animals... I don´t know. Not saying Planet Dinosaur is bad, just commenting...

Rubecula

Yes I tend to agree in some respects. Planet Dinosaur while being very good, also seems to have been done in a bit of a hurry in comparison to Walking with Dinosaurs.

Galvasean

I don't think WWD will ever be beaten in terms of dino-docu-drama. Sure the science is quite outdated at this points, but in terms of storytelling and narration (thank you Kenneth Brannagh) it really is top notch.
I also adore When Dinosaurs Roamed (America):

Narrated by Fred Flinstone no less!

dlofnep

I have When Dinosaurs roamed America on my HD. It's really great, really long too!

Galvasean

Things to but

Book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1849900930/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d16_g14_i2?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1TN5WZCMTCDTR68MSSN0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

DVD:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Dinosaur-DVD/dp/B005F3DFR2/ref=pd_sim_b1

Bring them to me!!!!!!!!

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

I don't think WWD will ever be beaten in terms of dino-docu-drama. Sure the science is quite outdated at this points, but in terms of storytelling and narration (thank you Kenneth Brannagh) it really is top notch.
I also adore When Dinosaurs Roamed (America):

Narrated by Fred Flinstone no less!

WDRA was fun but, at parts it looked too much like a videogame XD (eg. T-Rex chasing Quetzalcoatlus. On a grassland, none less).

Also, some of the dinos acted just strangely. Why would the raptors keep feeding when the entire forest is on FIRE around them? They couldn´t be THAT hungry! :eek:

Galvasean

Saw the Planet dinosaur book in Eason today for €20 (introductory price, it's supposed to be €26.99). I was tempted, but will probably pick it up on Amazon along with the DVD at a much better price. Looks a nice book except for teh back cover which refers to Hatzegopteryx as a giant flying dinosaur :rolleyes:
And according to the book, it will be Mapusaurus that faces off against Argentinosaurus. As far as I'm aware this will be the first CG reconstruction of Mapusaurus.

Galvasean

Keep an eye out for the more kid friendly version starting September 29th:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_dinosaur#CBBC_spin-off

Adam Khor

Galvasean wrote: »

Saw the Planet dinosaur book in Eason today for €20 (introductory price, it's supposed to be €26.99). I was tempted, but will probably pick it up on Amazon along with the DVD at a much better price. Looks a nice book except for teh back cover which refers to Hatzegopteryx as a giant flying dinosaur :rolleyes:
And according to the book, it will be Mapusaurus that faces off against Argentinosaurus. As far as I'm aware this will be the first CG reconstruction of Mapusaurus.

Hope they make it look good... the Giganotosaurus in WWD: Land of Giants were cool, but looked more like scaled-up allosaurids than carcharodontosaurids. And the Giga in Primeval looked like... I don´t know like what XD

Galvasean

Check him out with his FORWARD POINTING EYES!


The Mapusaurus in the book looks pretty cool.

Don't forget guys, episode 3 'Last Killers' is on tonight at 8:30. Gonna curl up on the couch with a nice bottle of wine :cool:

Allosaur

How sad am I when I can tell who the technical consultants on a given paleo-doc are by what makes it into the finished product......

The second I saw more then 3 Das in the group I said "Currie" and guess who was first in the credits....

Galvasean

Funny that. I also remarked, "Phil Currie is gonna love this!" when it said tyrannosaurs were pack hunters.

Kess73

Yep, the episode felt like Dino Gangs.

Have to say that I thought it was not a great episode. It stated an awful lot as fact that cannot be proven nor disproven yet, and I thought the graphics/cgi was very ordinary at times.

Allosaur

I love Tyrannosaurs me. But I was really disappointed with that last episode. At one stage the writers suggested that Gorgo, Das, Albert, and T.rex all inhabited the N. American contenent at the same time.

Now personally I believe that Currie is correct for a given value of "Correct", but the batallion of Das was a little too much.

While in the south apparently there wasn't much other than Abelisaurs in the late crecatious...

Galvasean

I'd have to echo the sentiment that this last episode was a step down in quality. The science just wasn't as grounded as in the other two episodes.
Next episode is called 'Fight For Life', set in the late Jurassic and by the look of the preview pic features Allosaurus and Camptosaurus.

In other news, my wonderful girlfriend bought me the Planet Dinosaur book today. she's a legend!

PS: anyone else find the baby Majungasauruses incredibly cute?

Kess73

Galvasean wrote: »

I'd have to echo the sentiment that this last episode was a step down in quality. The science just wasn't as grounded as in the other two episodes.
Next episode is called 'Fight For Life', set in the late Jurassic and by the look of the preview pic features Allosaurus and Camptosaurus.

In other news, my wonderful girlfriend bought me the Planet Dinosaur book today. she's a legend!

PS: anyone else find the baby Majungasauruses incredibly cute?

Yep they were very cute.:)

As soon as I saw them my mind went to Jim Lawson's Paleo:Loner series. It just seemed a rip off of that for me. In the early part of the Lawson strip, the mother T-Rex and cute younglings come across a fresh kill and there are two male Rexes there. The female fights the males and kills one of them by biting the neck and shaking. The scene with the female Majung and young was very similar.