Backyard Safari

Although this video was shot some 13 years ago, it is still a fascinating, and quite unique, program. Producer/director Jack Schmidling and his companion Marilyn Schenk, armed with only a video camera, an Apple computer, and a friend who plays guitar have created a riveting adventure story right in their own backyard. Using a few simple lures, and some creative landscaping the filmmakers took their urban backyard and turned it into a nature sanctuary--filled to the brim with flora and fauna. The first half of the program examines what to plant, how to attract birds to your backyard, and how to build a small pond (the only wildlife which Jack and Marilyn brought to the pond were tadpoles). The second half of the program uses micro- and time-lapse videography to follow the changes in the sanctuary over the seasons, with the added attraction of a night shoot. It's almost unbelievable that video equipment 13 years old could be so creatively used, and result in such beautiful video imagery--but this program is the proof. Highlights include: the complete transformation of a caterpillar into a monarch butterfly; footage of food moving through the intestine of a tadpole; and a mushroom that grows, eats itself, and casts its spores to the wind and the rain--all in 48 hrs. The editing is the old fade-to-black type and looks a bit amateur, but this is a small price to pay for such an unusual video. Highly recommended. (See MAUI WHALEWATCH EXPERIENCE for availability.)