Review: Dinosaur Revolution, Part One

It's all about expectations. When we see The Lord of the Rings, we're not expecting nuanced political intrigue. When we see Elizabeth, we don't expect magical shenanigans. Expectations need to be set carefully. It's the same for science programming. I've expressed here how badly I'd love to see an certain kind of animated film based in the Mesozoic. No dialogue, no explanation, just pure visual story telling. When Dinosaur Revolution was first announced, with the working title Reign of the Dinosaurs, it seemed that it might be approaching that vision and my interest was stoked more than the average paleo series might stoke it.

That's not what we have, in the end.

My favorite pieces of science storytelling are Sagan's Cosmos series, Adam Rutherford's The Cell, and that beacon of hope for current science programming, Inside Nature's Giants. All three are able to zoom in and out, exploring discrete mechanisms and grand theories. They all engage their audiences with the enthusiasm of their presenters, the artistry with which they're shot and edited, and their celebration of the pure joy of exploration, wonder, and discovery.

That's also not quite what we have with Dinosaur Revolution.

What we do have is a bit of an awkward marriage between the pipe dream in my first paragraph and contemporary American cable documentaries. I've read in comments on Facebook that what you need to do to enjoy Dinosaur Revolution is to not think of it as a science documentary, but rather as a series of fictional narratives based on science. It's a nice thought, but unreasonable. It's packaged like any of the recent paleo series, Clash of the Dinosaurs with higher production values and smarter writing. It's impossible to get wrapped up in the stories. One of the creative talents behind the series is Richard Delgado; imagine reading his Age of Reptiles graphic novels with informational panels crammed into it. The narrator barges in too often. The cutaways to holographic researchers are too frequent.

About those holograms: familiar faces like Tom Holtz and Scott Sampson are represented as holographic projections in a meticulously set-designed paleontology lab. It's too pristine. It's lit like a Klingon Bird of Prey (well, not as red). I've been in only a few working prep labs, but they sure as hell don't look like this. Maybe this is a minor point to quibble over, but I think it matters. No decision is made lightly, after all. The tactile qualities of paleontology, the fortune of finding treasure on the last hour of the last day of a field season, the challenges presented by the elements, none of it is here. in the second episode, "The Watering Hole," we at least get to visit a mass fossil site in the Lourinha Formation of Portugal, but we don't know the stories of these people. When we see fossils coming out of the ground, it's the old stock image of a brush quickly clearing away loose overburden to reveal an easily recognized bone.

I mention all of this because it matters how a story is framed, and the excess baggage slows down what could have been an absolutely engaging set of stories. It's impossible to discuss Dinosaur Revolution without bringing in the might-have-beens. In a recent comment on a post at Archosaur Musings, Holtz lays out a distressing series of decisions that successively muddied what seems to have started as a clear vision. Watching the show, you can almost see the hands of the tinkerers at work.

On to the specifics of the first two episodes. There is a lot to like. It's a reassuring fantasy to imagine that had "the suits" not jimmied around with it so much, Dinosaur Revolution would have been the most awesome dinosaur program imaginable. The artistry on display is exceptional, and the team has worked in allusions from the history of paleoart to satisfy lovers of the form. I loved seeing a bit of Leaping Laelaps in the fight between rival Cryolophosaurus males in episode one, "Evolution's Winners." I loved the sly reference to one of my favorite memes, the bird-chasing Ornitholestes, in "The Watering Hole." You've probably read about the producers' Looney Tunes inspirations, and the Ornitholestes and Rhamphorynchus in "The Watering Hole" conjure memories of Sylvester and Tweety. Those with more finely honed eyes for anatomy and animation might find flaws, but I was happy with all of the animals' designs, even if some of the more acrobatic or fleet-footed action is unrealistic. One of the most fortunate things to happen to dinosaurs from a PR perspective is the discovery of their relationship to birds, and the avian nature so many of us find endearing is present in Dinosaur Revolution's cast of theropods, especially the baby allosaurs.

Tweety and Sylvester in the shadow of the bulldog Torvosaurus.

"Evolution's Winners" isn't the strongest foot to put forward; I found "The Watering Hole" to be more coherent, more engaging, and just plain more fun. The Eoraptors of the first episode are adorable. living as they do in a world of giant dicynodonts and rauisuchians. They're the underdogs. We root for them to get together, to raise some kids up, and to survive. Later in the show, we get a thoroughly unnecessary bit in which a mosasaur mama kicks much shark ass, a strangely underwhelming Gigantoraptor mating dance, and a visit to Antarctica, where Cryolophosaurus andGlacialisaurus could use a few mosquito nets. The highlight for me? Seeing the massospondylid Glacialisaurus in action. Though not the star of the show by any means - that goes to a red-faced bully of a Cryolophosaurus - it's nice to see some early Jurassic sauropodomorphs doing their thing.

"The Watering Hole" better delivers on the narrative distinction we've been told to expect: we get a lovable dork of an allosaur whose youthful foolishness gets him a badly broken mandible, thanks to the whip-tail of a Dinheirosaurus juvenile. The question of how the allosaur survives the immediate consequences of such a brutal injury is frustratingly unanswered, as we zip forward a few years to see the struggles of his life as the titular watering hole's resident predator. The jaw is wincingly askew, and when he shifts it from side to side, I find it hard to resist grabbing my face in empathy. This is a self-contained, expertly told story, needing none of the narrator's obvious interjections: "a familiar sight. predator and prey." Yeah. We get it.

I'm rambling on too long, and there are two more episodes yet to air! It's hard to sort out my feelings about this show: there is so much to like, and even love. There is so much potential. But it's too easy to see the shackles on the artist's hands. To all of you talented folks who brought these dinosaurs to life, who made bold storytelling decisions and dressed these animals in outrageous colors and plumage: bravo. I could watch that Ornitholestes chase that Rhamphorynchus for a whole feature-length movie. The Rube-Goldberg set pieces, the economical way personality is conveyed, the wild camera angles you could never get in a standard-issue nature film (under a stomping Gigantoraptor's feet, anyone?): all wonderful stuff.

I just wish people with more power had the same trust in you that I do.

Much more to come.

Even More Dinosaur Revolution Goodies

With the premiere of Dinosaur Revolution inching closer and closer, Discovery is releasing more and more material about the miniseries. It's looking mighty, mighty fine, but to really understand why people are optimistic about the show, don't watch any of the teasers. Watch David Krentz narrate a storyboard. That's really all you need to see to understand why hopes are high.

Of course, you'll want to see the teasers, too. The narration is a bit annoying, but I can understand why the network would worry about the general public feeling lost. Hopefully the DVD and Blu-Ray will have the option to mute it. In a clip of a sleep-deprived mama allosaur, you can see a bit of the humor I've expressed mild concern over. More importantly, you can see a high level of sophistication in the storytelling. Another depicts the brutal comeuppance of a Torvosaurus (featuring Miragaia, which I'm pleased as punch about).

Concerning the slapstickyness... I think I'm converted. See the second link above: the headless dinosaur bit that made me skeptical last November is pretty funny and handled well. I was surprised by it, and I chuckled. It's going to be a moment the audience never forgets, like the water glass in that old Spielberg movie. The cinematic skill on display here is undeniable, so I'm eager to see how it's mixed with the hard science in the final product. I'm sure we'll cover it quite thoroughly here, and be sure to keep an eye on Dinosaur Tracking, where you'll see some exclusive coverage in the coming weeks.

Yet More Morsels of Dinosaur Revolution

One of the promo posters for Dinosaur Revolution.

It's just about a month until the premiere of Dinosaur Revolution, the doc formerly known as Reign of the Dinosaurs, and the buzz is building. A new press release has been put up at the Discovery Channel's website. From that release:

DINOSAUR REVOLUTION combines the talent of the world's best dinosaur illustrators and animators with the latest paleontological research and the best of Hollywood storytelling. Presented with sparse narration and the latest cutting-edge animation and computer generated storytelling techniques, the series will feature never-before-seen intimate behaviors to illustrate the extraordinary life of dinosaurs, dropping viewers directly into the Prehistoric era.

I love the idea of sparse narration, though what that means is up in the air. This aspect has intrigued me since it was first publicized, as I'd like to see how it works (I've wanted to see a dialogue-free animated Raptor Red since I read it as a ruddy-cheeked adolescent*). According to a certain insider whose word I have little reason to doubt, this aspect is being pulled back a lot due to network jitters, but I'm pretty keen to find out how little narration is used.

A host of new behaviors will be featured throughout the series, including exotic mating dances (Gigantoraptor), the inner workings of T-Rex's nuclear family (Tyrannosaurus Rex) and the underwater birthing of Mosasaurs. The series will also introduce new creatures like a Jurassic flying squirrel (Volaticotherium) and frogs so big they could eat dinosaurs (Beelzebufo).

All of this sounds nice, especially the exotic mating dances - and really, could that of Gigantoraptor be anything else? Can't wait to see how the feathers are done. This is one area where our CGI friends are ready to make a huge leap. Still a bit queasy over the mugging allosaur we saw a few months ago, but that seems to be par for the course in these docs and I can't wait to see in what ways the creators actually advance this form.

This year, Dinosaur Revolution was again part of Discovery's presentations at San Diego Comic-Con. Remarkably little has leaked out from that presentation, but we do know that Werner Herzog was there.


Photo shared by longklaw, via Flickr.

I asked about this appearance on the Dinosaur Mailing List this morning, and the same super-secret insider source cited above has said that that Herzog and DR's producer, Erik Nelson of Creative Differences, are friends and collaborators. In addition to the insane amount of paleoart talent involved with the project, this is another reason for optimism, as the work they've done together has been solid. Herzog is apparently interested in doing an edited version for theatrical release. It's probably a long shot, but it would be incredible. Just imagine that voice... "The Gigantoraptor, this gangly monstrosity, performs its mating dance, a display that lays bare the absurdity and horror of the act of procreation..."

* My cheeks weren't really that ruddy, then or now.

A Tiny Morsel of Reign of the Dinosaurs

As noted by paleoartist Angie Rodrigues on her blog Art By Angie, the production company Creative Differences, who is working on the upcoming Discovery series Reign of the Dinosaurs, has included a bit of footage in their latest demo reel. Go to their site, and click the "Our Stuff" link. The snippet comes about a third of the way through, after the Time Warp bit.

It looks killer. I do mean killer. As expected of a demo reel, which is meant to be an eye-grabbing showcase of the company's work, the dinosaur action is pretty gory. It doesn't start that way, as an allosaur thundere down a game trail, charismatically groaning and waving its head to and fro.

Then, presumably the same allosaur showcases lightning-quick reflexes by catching a diplodocid's tail in its jaws and ripping off the end of it.



Next, two tyrannosaurs display a bit of intra-specific rivalry, as one rips either a strip of flesh, a tendon, or a vein out of its opponent's neck. Hopefully, this indicates that we'll see the gregarious behavior hinted at by the evidence of tyrannosaur face-biting in the fossil record.



Finally, showing that a bit of slapstick humor will indeed be present, the allosaur from earlier is slapped in the face by the sauropod tail it is snacking on. The slapstick component, which I wrote about in November, is the source of all of my worries concerning Reign.



As a small follow-up to yesterday's Vintage Dinosaur Art post, you can see that the allosaur's hands are correctly oriented, though it's clearer in the video than in the above screencap.

This is the smallest glimpse into the final product, but of the three big dinosaur products due in the next year or so, I'm still most excited about Reign of the Dinosaurs - until I see something of Walking with Dinosaurs 3D, I won't know what to think. There may be more slapstick humor than I'd like, but the artistic talent behind it has a solid reputation in paleoart and the designs above, while not particularly colorful, are bold and seem pretty accurate. I can't wait to see what they do with color and plumage in smaller theropods, and what other paleoenvironments are explored. There has been a lot of cool research in the decade since Walking with Dinosaurs, and it's reasonable to expect to see it presented well here.

An Inside Look at Reign of the Dinosaurs

RealScreen, a site dedicated to documentary filmmaking, currently features a story on Reign of the Dinosaurs, the Discovery Channel mega-blockbuster ratings monster scheduled to debut next year. It’s the first good look that we’ve had at the making of the series, so it’s well worth a read for anyone who's into dinosaurs.

I came away from the story with mixed feelings, the common attitude of "cautious optimism." In part, I'm excited; for instance, it will do away with narration, instead using three short interstitials per hour-long episode to provide scientific context. This is a sign that some sophisticated film-making techniques will be on display, and instills a sense of trust in the audience.

Erik Nelson, president of the project’s production company Creative Differences, invoked some pretty big names, including Avatar. “‘The best sequences in that film are the visual scenes where they take you into Pandora,' he offers, also citing the opening of Pixar's Up and the dialogue-free stretch of Wall-E as significant signposts.” While I haven’t seen Avatar, the portion of Wall-E the story mentions is one of my favorite pieces of animation, ever. A role model like that for a dinosaur documentary is exactly what I’d hope for.

Then again, I’m a little confused over another sequence in the preview shown to the audience at Comic-Con, in which a “mother dino comforts its young, but is distracted and annoyed by the noises of a smaller dinosaur off in the distance. The mother eventually bites the head off of the noisemaker, and the sequence ends with the headless dino running chicken-like, to and fro.”

My apologies to all involved, but this sounds stupid.

It brings to mind some less lofty examples of CGI, like Jar Jar Binks stepping in a bantha turd or Tom Cruise chasing after a runaway eyeball in Minority Report. I have absolutely nothing against slapstick done well. Done poorly, it’s brutal. In my opinion, the sequence as described is slapsticky to the detriment of the science. I’ll give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt here, but this is where I append the “cautious” modifier to my optimism. Werner Herzog liked it, though. So it has that going for it.

This story has stirred up some interesting questions for me, which I’ll be mulling over as I prepare to take part in the science and art discussion at ScienceOnline 2011. What are my expectations for a series like this? What should they be? In what ways do we apply humor to nature, and does it have a place in science communication or nature documentaries?

I don’t want to be an alarmist crank for the sake of it. That’s an aspect of the blogosphere that I find pretty annoying. Given the pedigree of the talent behind the series, especially that of director David Krentz, I’m still hopeful. I’m not averse to spectacle; after all, it’s a big reason we love dinosaurs. I’m happy to see the team trying new techniques to teach this stuff. We’ve had some very cool discoveries in the decade since Walking With Dinosaurs aired, and events like these are probably the best way to deliver the goods to people. I just hope they don’t stuff the package with a bunch of unnecessary crap.

Feel free to tell me how much of a sour-faced killjoy I am in the comments!

Terra Nova, Walking with Dinosaurs update

For dinosaur enthusiasts, a constant item of conjecture is what the next big dinosaurian pop culture event is going to be. There's been a bit of news lately concerning some high profile dinosaur projects in the media.

First, Steven Spielberg's Terra Nova project has been the subject of some speculation. The Hollywood Reporter writes that most of the writing staff has been sacked in an effort to reduce its enormous budget. But in a report in the New York Post, Fox maintains that the show is still on schedule, and will receive a two-hour preview in May. About the preview, the Post says:

The two-hour episode gives viewers a first look at the series, which revolves around a family living on Earth in the year 2149. With the planet on the brink of destruction, thanks to years of aggressive scientific experimentation and an exploding population, the family agrees to go back to prehistoric times in hopes of finding a way to save the Earth by attempting to correct mistakes made in the past.

A crazy premise, but I'll be able to forgive some of that if the dinosaurs are done well.

Though its stage show winds down, the Walking With Dinosaurs brand isn't giving up quite yet. Deadline reports that Fox is rumored to be doubling its dinosaur pleasure, inking a distribution deal for a forthcoming WWD 3D documentary. This is quite a show of faith, and the production probably has March of the Penguins to thank for it. Hat tip to Michael May for alerting me to this on twitter.

The other big upcoming project, Discovery's Reign of the Dinosaurs, has been pretty quiet since Comic-Con, which is probably a good sign. For a brief post on the event and a few pictures, check out the Discovery blog. All in all, there is good reason to be stoked about dinosaurs in the media. While Terra Nova will surely be more devoted to story and spectacle than accuracy, I have high hopes for Reign of the Dinosaurs and the WWD 3D project to widen peoples' appreciation for the science of dinosaurs.

Reign of the Dinosaurs

The horses have been hitched to the publicity wagon and it's about to hit the road. Discovery Channel announced yesterday that to promote their 2011 Reign of the Dinosaurs series, they'll be hosting a panel at the impending San Diego Comic Con. It will include a bunch of artists who worked on it, including paleoart veterans and artists from Pixar and Disney. Richard Delgado, Iain and Mishi McCaig, David Krentz, and Pete Von Sholly will all be there, and I wish I could be, too.

Reign is being touted as the most scientifically accurate, up-to-date depiction of dinosaurs yet. Like Matt Martyniuk said at DinoGoss, it's about time for a big dinosaur series to come out again. I watched the Australia episode of Walking With Dinosaurs recently, and that tail on Leaellynasaura seemed a bit short... and it would have been cool to see some dinofuzz on them.

The press release quoted at /Film says that the series will combine "the latest paleontological research with Hollywood storytelling," which probably means Raptor Red-style stories rooted in single environments for each episode. Or, if we're lucky, a Babe-style romp with a couple of rascally baby dromaeosaurs.