A New Twist On Nature: Writer/Supervising Producer Andy Yerkes And Editor Vito DeCandia Discuss "Hello World"

By: Marjorie Galas

Nature programming has appeared on TV since the medium’s advent. The first, 1948's  fifteen minute "The Nature of Things" paved the way for hour long series including 1970's “Wild Kingdom” and the more recent multi-part special “Planet Earth.”  Executives at Discovery Channel wanted to find a fresh take on presenting on the genre that would be both invigorating and impactful.  Working in association with World Wildlife Fund and produced by Radical Media, their re-imagining of the format has resulted in the six part series “Hello World.”

“Hello World” blends investigative coverage of diverse animal species found the world over with voice over and music.   What makes the series unique is the inclusion of top recording artists who incorporate one of their singles into the episode’s message.  A variety of team members facilitate the challenges of wrangling a vast array of creative parts, including writer and supervising producer Andy Yerkes and editor Vito DeCandia.  Both men brought a wealth of related experiences to the program’s core: Yerkes was a former speech writer for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a four-time Emmy nominated writer/producer of children’s programming, and DeCandia had edited non-fiction content as well as musical productions including installments in the “American Express Unstagged” series.  Both excited about sinking their teeth into the series innovative stylistic approach, they found themselves hitting the ground running, mastering numerous challenges the format presented.

The earliest stage of each episode commenced with the exploration of a particular topic, as presented by series producers and each episode's directors.  Working with the team's creative vision for the episode, DeCandia would review all the footage the cinematographers were supplying, matching shots to the theme.  With a wealth of spectacular footage that were equally beautiful and mesmerizing, he realized whittling down visuals was a challenge in itself.

“I felt like I was playing in a playground.  There was so much good footage I wanted to try to get it all in,” said DeCandia.

Working off a shot list he realized he’d at times have to make creative adjustments.   As in capturing any singular life event, there would be no easy means of obtaining a new shot of a particular behavior or environment if the footage didn’t exist.  Additionally, nature photography often involves a camera operator to shoot with long lens a great distance away from the animal.  This resulted in the need to re-purpose sounds related to the clips.  Sound design was a separate process done with foley work or recordings he’d match to the image.  While the episodes are musically driven, the organic sounds of the nature and animals are layered as an undertone throughout the episodes.

Yerkes and his fellow writers were drafting episodes contemplating the vocal style of artists the production team hoped would be interested in being involved.  With this in mind, they kept the style open-ended for a few reasons.  First, they wanted the ability to redefine the style for another artist.  It was also important that the artist attached to the episode have the ability to share their opinions and style for the course of the voice over.

“It was important to give a feel of the artist but leave the writing open for their interpretation.  They had great ideas and contributions.  Sometimes we were rewriting on the fly in the recording sessions,” said Yerkes.  “It was not like (most) nature documentaries.”

Additionally, each artist presented a specific song they wanted to pair with the direction of the episode.  It was important the direction of the episode merged with the message and lyrics of the song.

DeCandia worked directly with the stages of script development, creating a very “back and forth” process with Yerkes and the other members of the "Hello World" team.   Laying down basic edits he’s contemplate the rhythm of their speech and leave pauses for emphasis.  The artist’s songs were the driving forces of the episode:  not only was there sections cut directly to the song, but the song choice also influenced composer Bill Sherman's score of “Hello World”.

“So much work goes into making all that flow together and not have one element fight with another,” said Yerkes.  Added DeCandia, “It’s a musically driven show.  Having the artists’ song as a driver helps as a guide (for the editor to) stay on course.”

Noting all the performers had varying degrees of experience with voice- overs, the production team decided to record their sessions in multiple stages.  With a rough cut in place, the artists were brought into a screening room where their first reactions to seeing footage with a temp voice over were recorded for potential use.  After Yerkes and the writers had time to rework the script with the artist’s contributions, they did a complete voice-over recording session.  They also kept an option available for a third voice-over session for any artists that needed to record the story of the episode in their own words.

With the first episode of “Hello World” having aired on July 9th, 2016, Yerkes and DeCandia are excited for the public to experience this unique take on the nature documentary format.  They were impressed the recording artists were so engaged with the content, sharing their own nature stories and personal commitment to animals, such as Dave Matthew’s commitment to preserving the rhinoceros and Usher’s encounters with bats in Costa Rica.    While “Hello World” is only slated for this season, Yerkes has some great ideas if the series returns next year.

“I’d love to do a show focusing on animal builders.  I think animal architects is a great idea!”

To learn more about "Hello World" please visit:  http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/hello-world/