Nature films struggle to hit the limelight

Nature documentary films have great potential in China, but filmmakers face great challenges related to funding, filmmaking techniques and marketing. 

Compared with commercial movies with star-studded casts, nature documentaries are rarely financial blockbusters. Moreover, production is usually time-consuming and energy-intensive. However, these realities do not dampen domestic filmmakers’ quest to make China’s own mega-production in this film genre. Sun Ning is one of them. 

On January 1, “Herons,” China’s first-ever panoramic audio nature documentary film, will hit cinemas across the country. It took Sun and his team almost five years to shoot the film in the Yellow River Basin.

“Herons” follows the growth of a little heron from its birth to the days of fending for itself. It records how the heron survives the dangers around it, including predators and human activities. The film also reveals the nature of a mother’s love and attachment to her offspring.

Ti Gong

A special screening of the film last week at the Shanghai Theater Academy was a big success. Many viewers were moved to tears from Sun’s in-depth portrayal of the emotions in the world of birds, brought to life with close-up footage.

Although the first two nestlings die after falling off a cliff, the mother heron doesn’t give up on her last egg, which eventually hatches. Every day the loving mother flies back to the nest after hunting fish to feed her baby. But one day, she doesn’t come back. 

The little hungry heron has to fly and hunt on its own. He repeatedly fails but over time learns how to live independently. He ends up finding his mother on a river bank with a badly broken wing, which always leads to death for a wild bird. 

After staring at each other for a long time, the young bird’s mother walks away into the depths of the valley.

Herons are nicknamed “Always Waiting” because of their great patience while hunting fish. Sun said that is a perfect nickname for him and his crew as well.

“We had been waiting years for a good and inspiring story, which is the most difficult thing for a nature documentary,” said Sun. 

“After spending so many days in the tents with instant noodles and water, we’re so lucky to capture all these touching moments with our camera.” 

The film has a budget of only around 10 million yuan (US$1.43 million), a small budget compared to a foreign nature documentaries. Sun said “Herons” is dedicated to those who never give up hope and faith in face of difficulties in life. With poetic sequences, the film tries to communicate to viewers that “there must be a light of intelligence with which every soul is blessed.” 

The valley of the herons and other wild birds in the film has now become a wetland natural reserve in central China’s Henan Province. 

According to Wang Renhai, director of Henan Broadcasting System, the documentary’s producer, “Herons” inspires people to reflect on a right and sustainable human-nature relationship. He thinks people should show reverence for nature and life, and although development is carried out for the benefit of humans, the environment is equally important.

A bird enthusiast

Sun has been a bird enthusiast since childhood. Prior to “Heron,” he stunned many viewers with the 50-minute documentary, “Whooper Swan.” The film took him and his team three years to shoot while trekking more than 150,000 kilometers. He has also worked on a grand documentary series about the homelands of a variety of birds in China. 

“We’re trying to fill the void of nature-documentary film production in the country,” said the 46-year-old director. 

“The flourishing world of Chinese cinema requires diversity. Making nature documentaries is a process of hardship and loneliness. However, I always hold faith that we too can present superb nature documentaries, with good storytelling, rich emotions and a universal appeal.”

Over the years, Chinese nature documentaries have greatly improved in terms of the aesthetics, techniques and technology of cinematography and script writing. Several high-quality homegrown productions featuring natural history or wildlife themes have emerged.

China’s first-ever nature documentary TV series, Chen Xiaoqing’s “Forest China” (2007), was considered groundbreaking. People loved the TV series immediately when it aired on China Central Television in 2008. 

The series gave insight into the unique Chinese forests and wildlife facing the threat of urbanization and pollution. Many viewers who were accustomed to watching nature documentaries from the BBC, Discovery and National Geographic channels were amazed at its sound recording and beautiful scenery.

“A lot of friends and I love to watch nature documentaries,” said Zhang Jian, an administrative manager. “But in China, it is still in its infancy without a mature mechanism of marketing and distribution. It is a pity that many wonderful pictures have little chance to be screened for public discussion.” 

Experts note that the major challenges confronting Chinese nature documentaries are scientific research ahead of the shooting, funds, variety and creativity in telling the stories.

Like art-house pictures, this genre doesn’t have many screening opportunities at cinemas. The return on investment through the sale of broadcast rights to video-sharing websites and overseas platforms is a long process. 

Professor Gu Xiaoming, a film expert from Fudan University, is optimistic about the future of nature documentary film in China, because “Chinese parents and children are increasingly enthusiastic about natural science, in addition to the country’s efforts in environmental protection in recent years.” 

“What Chinese filmmakers need to learn is how to tell a good and novel story with the wildlife characters,” said Gu. “The emotions among the animals should also resonate with the audience.”

He said it will take time to nurture the genre’s market and build a lucrative business model. Before that, these movies can be exhibited or shared on domestic and foreign educational websites, in addition to theater and college screenings. 

Dong Jun / SHINE