Nature's Misfits
Bill Bailey introduces a delightfully eccentric cast of creatures that do things differently; unconventional and unusual, these animals turn oddness into opportunity.
Bill Bailey introduces a delightfully eccentric cast of creatures that have chosen to do things differently. Odd, unconventional and unusual - these are animals that don't normally grab the limelight. They include the parrot that has forgotten how to fly, the bear that has turned vegetarian, a chameleon that is barely bigger than an ant, and a penguin that lives in a forest. Nature's Misfits reveals the extraordinary and rarely seen lives of these evolutionary oddballs along with their strange habitats, unusual forms and the incredible hurdles they overcome.
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Clips
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Nature's Misfits Trailer
Duration: 00:46
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Clumsy Kakapos
Duration: 02:01
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A Ghoulish Creature Awakes
Duration: 02:25
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Leaf Chameleon Lovers
Duration: 02:43
Making Music for Misfits - by composer Brollyman
The central musical idea behind the show was to create a sense of character or environment for each animal, rather than create an overarching style that would encompass everything. The music could reflect the slowness of the sloth, the cold and fragility of the arctic or the clumsiness of the kakapo.
Μύ
The music was composed at the same time as the film was being edited. I would work up a rough musical idea for a sequence and send it over to Producer, Gavin Boyland, who would provide comments. We were able to experiment and refine the tracks as we went along.
Μύ
Once all the music was agreed, it was musician time. We were keen to use as many live instruments as possible to create a distinct tone for the film and I'm very lucky to be able to work with a small group from the National Orchestra of Wales. I call them 'Team Brolly' and it was their performances that really brought this score to life.
Μύ
First we recorded Hywel on ukelele, Sovra on violin and Jofridur, from Iceland, on vocals, via internet sessions. We then spent two days in the studio with four lovely musicians: Eva on piccolo, flute and alto flute; David on clarinet and bass clarinet - essential for sloths; another David on bassoon; and Katharine on the cello.
Μύ
It's a real privilege to work with musicians as their emotion feeds into the score, something that you can’t do with a computer. We had a lot of fun pretending to be parrots and big headed mole rats.
Μύ
Once all the parts were recorded the next step was the mixing. A few days are spent fine-tuning the different tracks, with music flying back and forth between my studio and the engineers. Once I was happy with each track they were ready for mastering. ΜύMastering is the final piece of the musical puzzle, the cherry on the icing on the cake!
Μύ
So there you have it, I spent five weeks writing music to some wonderful pictures, being part of a great team and working with a top bunch of musicians and engineers. Life doesn't get any better than that.
Μύ
Brolly xxCredits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Editor | Roger Webb |
Actor | Zak Sutcliffe |
Producer | Gavin Boyland |
Broadcasts
- Fri 2 May 2014 21:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Northern Ireland & Wales
- Sat 3 May 2014 17:30
- Sun 18 May 2014 14:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Northern Ireland
- Thu 22 May 2014 09:05
- Sat 16 Jul 2016 18:00
- Tue 11 Apr 2017 15:15
- Sat 25 Nov 2017 19:00
- Sun 26 Nov 2017 01:50
- Mon 17 Sep 2018 15:30
- Sat 23 Feb 2019 10:00
- Sat 19 Nov 2022 17:40Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Northern Ireland & Scotland
- Sat 2 Dec 2023 14:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Scotland & Wales
- Sun 14 Jul 2024 15:40Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Northern Ireland & Scotland
- Sat 27 Jul 2024 16:35Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Northern Ireland HD & Northern Ireland only