Behind the Scenes

With the best crews and the latest technology, the Big Pacific series travels to 20 countries, 77 different locations, filming an ocean that covers one third of our planet. Find out how the crews made this ambitious project possible.

Follow behind the scenes with the Big Pacific film crew to Amami Oshima, off the coast of Japan. Cameramen Peter Kragh and Ernie Kovacs set out to film a mysterious pufferfish. They must find creative ways to film without destroying the pufferfish’s delicate sand circles.

The Big Pacific crew travel to Shedeo, or Snake Island, to film pit vipers preying on migrating songbirds. The essential shot for the story, or money shot, is the moment a pit viper captures a bird. Cameraman Scott Snider searches for that moment among 20,000 snakes. While under the concealment of a hide, cameraman John Betz captures an unexpected encounter instead.

Filming the big Pacific, an ocean that covers a third of the planet, was a grand idea that became a gigantic undertaking. Follow the adventures of the filmmakers behind the series. This "Making Of" special explores the highlights and challenges of wildlife filmmaking.