This story was originally published on The Drexel News Blog, by Emily Storz.
Sean O’ Donnell, PhD, a professor of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science in Drexel University’s College of Arts and Sciences, believes putting insects on camera can help society see the integral role they play in the preservation of our natural world – and ultimately humankind.
As a biologist O’Donnell works with host of social insects and arthropods (bees, ants, wasps, termites, social spiders) – and he’s contributed to documentary films for over 15 years as an ant expert. Some of his most recent research focused on the extreme temperature tolerance of army ants and how they may be able to inform animal responses to climate change.
In 2019, O’Donnell helped corral and film fire ants in Peru – footage that eventually ended up in the 2021 miniseries – “A Perfect Planet” narrated by David Attenborough. This experience ultimately guided Disney’s “A Real Bug’s Life” producers back to O’Donnell to help capture and guide their own fire ant actors.
As Drexel’s “go-to-fire-ant-guy,” O’ Donnell shared some of his insights on the importance of putting bugs on the big screen.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR RESEARCHERS TO HELP FACILITATE PUBLIC FACING NATURE FILMS?
I view film consulting as some of the most important work I do as a scientist. I have a lot of experience with film crews and a wealth of knowledge and expertise about ant behavior and biology. When I am working with a crew, I can help handle the ants and get them to do what we need for the film shots, but I also add suggestions about interpretation and sometimes even creative ideas. I help keep things grounded in solid science (which is so very important). But the big payoff for me is the chance for reaching and educating literally millions of viewers. It helps me take my academic work to the next level, reaching a bigger audience and having a broader impact.
HOW DID THE TEAM PREPARE FOR THE ANT SCENES?
I (and I think the whole crew) developed sort of a love-hate thing with the fire ants. On the one hand, they are absolute nightmares to work with. They are tiny, they are numerous, they are sneaky and they sting. I was careful in the field when collecting and handling our wee little movie stars, and I don’t think I got a single sting out in nature. But “on set” it was a different story. The ants got everywhere, and they don’t like us humans very much. Over several days of work, you accumulate a LOT of stings. Each ant’s sting packs a wallop and they kind of add up over time. We tried our human best to contain them and avoid stings, but fire ants are insidious. On the other hand, the ants were cooperative on-camera and showed us some amazing behavior!
WAS IT DIFFICULT FOLLOWING THE ANTS THROUGH A NARRATIVE? DID ANYTHING SURPRISE YOU?
The producers and camera operator were great at developing a fun story line and thinking about the shots we’d needed. We would shoot things out of order, but the film folks always see how it will all stitch together. I think my biggest surprise was how beautiful the ants were. I really mean that. From our usual giant’s perspective, fire ants are small (even for ants!), brownish and rather dull looking. The top-flight lenses and cameras that camera operator Alex Jones deployed make magic. They bring you right into this micro-world where you can see that the ants are golden, and shiny, and covered in these lovely “hairs” that catch the light. Honestly, when they’d come up on screen the entire crew would “ooooh and aaaah.” I’m a long-time ant guy but I was still awed by what we saw. Their behavior is incredible of course, but the ants themselves really looked good.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN BY PUTTING BUGS ON THE BIG SCREEN?
A big take home is that the insects are…characters! They have complex behavior. They face immense challenges. They can bumble and fail, but they power on. At first, they may appear foreign, even almost alien. But when you get to know them, you can relate. If you aren’t careful, you may even see a bit of yourself in these small superstars. A series like “Real Bug’s Life” can go a long way towards teaching us about the complex ways life solves problems while making its way on the Earth. You can see that there are whole other worlds, diversity and dramas in miniature, going on all around you all the time. We mostly overlook the wonders of life as we go through our days, and a film series like this helps keep us aware that we are not alone.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE VIEWERS MIGHT TAKE AWAY AFTER VIEWING THIS DOCUSERIES?
I hope they will see the tiny characters, ants and others, as important parts of our world, and ultimately of ourselves. I want viewers of “A Real Bug’s Life” to have fun watching the docuseries, but also come away with new understanding and a new appreciation – even love – of the natural world and the tiny critters we share our planet with.
The new Disney+ Original series from National Geographic, “A Real Bug’s Life” will be available to stream on Jan. 25.