“The Secret Lives of Animals,” was produced for Apple TV+ by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and is narrated by Hugh Bonneville. It highlights 77 unique species in 24 countries over three years, revealing stunning, never-before-seen animal behaviors and highlighting the remarkable intelligence of the natural world. Each episode delves into pivotal moments in the life cycles of various animals — from birth and leaving home to raising a family, and from finding food to growing old — showcasing their striking intelligence and adaptability.
Watch now on Apple TV+
Mark filmed an underwater sequence of blue-headed wrasse for the final episode of the series ‘Growing Old’
Mark spent 2 1/2 weeks filming on the coral reef a boat ride out from Key Largo, Florida in August 2023 to capture the hidden, or perhaps overlooked behaviour of the blue-headed wrasse. The resulting sequence is in the 10th and final episode of the series, ‘Growing Old’, which covers several ‘end-of-life’ stories of different animal subjects, including this one. The blue-headed wrasse’s life cycle includes changing sex from female to male, which we covered in this sequence.
I filmed on my RED DSMC2 Gemini camera in a Gates Pro Explore housing, as well as using the Vision Research Phantom Flex4K high speed camera, to capture the spawning elements at 300-400 frames per second, also in a Gates housing and I used my Nikon stills lenses for both systems.
Production credits:
* Episode producer: Matt Clements
* Assistant Producer and shoot director: Ellis Roberts
* Underwater DOP: Mark Sharman
* Rebreather buddy and underwater camera assistant: Toby Russell
* Researcher / Dive Supervisor: Summer Kiernan
* Marine Biologist John Godwin, expert in our subject; the bluehead, or blue-headed wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum).
* Dive Operations: Horizon Divers
