Last night was the second episode I have been able to catch. My perspective may be different, knowing too well the situations they are faced with in trying to capture the essence of this trip for TV.
The first thing that struck me is that they have some great production values and wonderful imagery. Especially considering the production challenges that come with filming in remote areas, for long periods, in terrible weather and tough terrain.
The amount of production gear they had to bring must be huge. Cameras, spare cameras, camera batteries, chargers, media cards and ways to download each day, computers, tripods, weather protection, lenses, filters, audio and backup audio, tons of AA batteries, etc. I suspect they have at least two camera guys, and probably two boats of gear for their production crew and the production equipment.
My impression is that this show was targeted for the guy who dreams of Alaska, but has probably never been there. I could be wrong. If that was the target audience, I suspect it has been received very well. It seems the show was intended to provide more entertainment than information, which again, if that was the case, probably has been very well received.
If the network and sponsors expected to target the guys who have been there and done that, it will probably be received differently. Most AK hunting veterans will watch it and know some of the stuff is to raise the drama for the target audience of the guy who has never been their before. Experienced AK veterans will look at the equipment used and know that much more effective gear could have been used, resulting in better performance and comfort, with less weight and bulk.
A couple examples of what I saw that make me think this was targeted toward entertainment more than information. I could be wrong in my belief. They very well could be doing this for information and education. If so, I may have missed that part in the other episodes. I use these examples, not as critique, but to tell what parts of the show gave me the impression I have been left with.
The mere premise of acting like they will live off the land for a month is hard to believe for anyone who has been to remote Alaska. None of the experienced AK hunters I know are going there with that notion. You bring enough food, dehydrated or otherwise, to make sure you get through your hunt. You might lose some weight along the way, but you never would do a remote hunt under the idea that you will live off what you shoot. You migh eat some of what you shoot and augment that with what you brought. Pitching the show with that premise of living off what you shoot is good for entertainment and probably good for viewership.
The sequence of being mad and cussing about their low food levels and having just floated twenty miles further than expected seemed like something the production crew put them up to. They did not seem natural in how they did that. That is how it goes when TV producers try to take control over hunting content. Fortunately, as the owner of my show, I set the rules and everyone in our crew knows that hunting and content is what drives our message, so I am afforded a luxury others may not. Again, it may have all been natural, but it did not come across that way to me.
I will continue to watch it when I can, as I think they are doing some cool production things. I think it is a good show and way better than most the other stuff that airs on the networks. If nothing else, it is at least something different. Easy to get excited about the images they show of Alaska.
Given we are going to do a two-week moose hunt this fall, it is interesting to try put myself in their shoes and imagine the logistics we will face by watching what they are doing. Just watching them float down the river with those "sweepers" hanging off the bank made me think about how much risk the simple task of river navigation presents. One miscalculation and you end up in/under those trees hanging off a bank. That miscalculation has been the last mistake for many people on those rivers.
We are faced with an 80# weight limit for our flight in, so we will go far more spartan than they did. Our goal is showing people how to come to AK and do the hunt on the lowest possible budget, which is different than what their focus has been. That will give us a heavy focus on the hunting and information that will help everyone who might want to follow our steps.
I hope these guys continue to produce TV, as they are providing a great alternative to what is out there. They take a risk of doing a show in this format, as they open themselves up to criticism about what they did and how they did it. I respect that they took on the task and have made it entertaining, even for someone like me who watches TV more for information than entertainment.
I wish them the best of luck and I hope people tell the network they want more of this kind of stuff. No disrespect to my friends who produce turkey and whitetail hunts, but I think we have plenty of those kind of hunts on TV. If we are to engage the next generation of hunters, a group more interested in adventure than rack size, this kind of programming is much better avenue to accomplish that.
If I were Siskel and Ebert for the day, I would give them two thumbs up for the entertainment and production values they are bringing under some very difficult filming conditions.