Sunrise Earth is a nature documentary television series that last aired in the United States in 2008 on HD Theater (originally Discovery HD Theater), which has since been reformatted and rebranded as Velocity. The series focused on presenting the viewer with sunrises in various geographical locations throughout the world.[1] It is also notable for its complete lack of human narration, concentrating instead on the natural sounds of each episodes' specific location.[2] The technique has been described by TV critic Tom Shales as "crazily uneventful and thoroughly wonderful."[3]
| Sunrise Earth | |
|---|---|
| Created by | David Conover |
| Starring | Nature |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 64 |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | David Conover |
| Editor | Josh Povec |
| Running time | approx. 50 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | HD Theater |
| Release | September 27, 2004 – September 12, 2008 |
Production
editCompass Light, Conover's small production company in Camden, Maine, started producing the series in 2004. Clint Stinchcomb helped produce the series.[4] 64 one-hour Sunrise Earth shows were created in the first four years of production. The crew shoots with high-definition video cameras, and the editors cut between multiple perspectives at a leisurely pace. The show is presented in real-time, with each shot lasting an average of 30 seconds. Each episode captures one sunrise from a certain location, such as Machu Picchu, Turkey or Scandinavia. Captions in the lower portion of the frame occasionally give information as to the location, time, and events on screen.
Audio
editHigh-definition video and Dolby 5.1 stereo surround sound are used to present each natural environment in a clear and detailed manner. The show is an example of the genre known as "Experiential TV", developed by series creator David Conover.[5]
Schedule
editSunrise Earth aired weekdays at 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Discovery HD Theater.[6] However, as of mid-March 2011, the show no longer airs on any channel (current or otherwise), except on Amazon Prime, and is rumored to have been cancelled, though no official word from Discovery or Compass Light has confirmed this.
All three seasons were made available on Amazon Prime.
Reception
editRoss McCammon of Esquire said the show "will relax and reset you", calling it "an antidote not only to everything else happening on TV that night but to everything else that happened to you that day".[7] The Tampa Tribune's Kurt Loft wrote, "For eye-popping visuals in the HD format, Sunrise Earth is a world unto itself."[8]
Episode list
edit- Season 1
- Moose in the Morning
- Yellowstone Geysers
- Gator Hole
- Bison Before Breakfast
- Sea of Terns
- Vermont Balloons
- Alewife Eternal Return
- Tropical Palms
- Swallow Sea Cave
- Yosemite Dawn
- Cribworks Kayak
- Sequoia Light
- Sunrise Seal Colony
- Lobster Village
- Western Ranch
- Everglades River of Grass
- Wildflower Elk
- Edge of Atlantic
- Milk Cows in the Morning
- San Francisco Tai Chi
- Teton Beaver
- Manatee Spring
- Island First Light
- Greatest Hits East
- Greatest Hits West
- Season 2
- Katmai Bears
- Volcano Lagoon
- Homer Takeoff
- Ninagiak Island
- Glacier of Kenai Fjords
- Season 3
- Mayan Pyramid
- Birds of Palo Verde
- Cloudforest Waterfall
- Playa Grande Moonset
- Dawn of Cerro de La Muerte
- Angkor Temples of Khmer Kings
- Li River Cormorants
- Ping An Rice Paddies
- Buddhists of Wat Svay
- Elephant Trunk Park
- Scandinavian Waterfall
- Foothills of Turkey
- Stonehenge Dawn
- Mediterranean Port
- Icelandic Geysir
- Argentinean Seal Pups
- Peruvian Rainforest Canopy
- Andean Dawn at Machu Picchu
- Amazon Parakeets
- Patagonian Penguins
- Christmas Lights
- Total Eclipse
- Polar Bears
- Secrets of the Sun (special documentary)
- Season 4 – Viewers Choice
- The Skelligs of Ireland
- Great Barrier Reef
- Haleakala Crater
- Society Island Sunrise
- New Zealand Frost
- Season 5 – Viewers Choice II
- Japanese Garden
- High Desert Arches
- Midnight Sun of Svalbard
- Vancouver Inside Passage
- Venetian Canals
References
edit- ^ Snider, Mike (2007-11-26). "Wide world of HDTV - Picture clarity gives rise to new channels". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ Coyle, Jack (2006-10-27). "Sunrise Earth brings dawn to your living room". Miami Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ HD May Be Too Good To Last 2005-07-05
- ^ "Clint Stinchcomb". Cablefax. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
- ^ About Compass Light Productions 2008-07-09
- ^ Sunrise Earth: Discovery HD Theater Archived 2008-02-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ McCammon, Ross (2008-12-02). "Sunrise Earth: The Endorsement". Esquire. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ Loft, Kurt (2008-06-15). "Here Comes The Sun — In Vivid HD". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27 – via Newspapers.com.