Situation:
Cat's Eye Editorial Inc and SaltRun Productions have partnered with Southern Company and Turner South to present a new original series, "The Natural South." The Natural South is a half-hour series that explores the environmental jewels of the Southeast and preserving them.

Objective: Feature attempts to restore and preserve the wild in the Southeast along with ways the viewer can help as well. The production team shoots about 12 to 15 hours of interviews with environmentalists, naturalists, biologists, ecologists, etc and supporting footage. The end product will be a twenty-two and a half minute show.

Solution: As post-producer and editor for the show, I work with the producer to select the interview sound bites we need to tell the story. Once we've selected the interviews, I put on the "skin" and go through all the b-roll footage and select shots that best represent what our story is about. From frog eggs in a small puddle on a trail, insects caught in a spider web, standing side by side with a copperhead or rattle snake as they slither along the ground or an extreme close-up of a wolf's eyes just prior to release in the woods, typically, I have lots of "beauty" shots that visually describe the area we are portraying.

Having great footage to work with from multiple perspectives is always nice. Sometimes, I do have to use stock footage, and make it look like it "belongs" with the other footage we've shot. Since this is a "reality-based" nature show, I prefer not to use effects to "trick" the viewer, but sometimes I'll use slow motion effects to highlight the beauty of a bird in flight, or a snake striking. I really want viewers to feel like they are actually there. I also really enjoy selecting the music that accompanies the segments, which is just as important as the visuals in setting the pace and creating the mood/tone of the piece. Since the show airs in the Southeast, I try to pick music that reflects the region as well, from blues to bluegrass. Each episode is such a learning experience and it's really made me so much more aware of our individual responsibility to conserve, preserve and clean up our planet!

Outcome:
Atlanta-based production companies SaltRun Productions Inc. and Cat's Eye Editorial Inc. earned eleven Telly Awards for its work on "The Natural South" and have been renewed for another season.

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