GERMANY FROM ABOVE
A winter's tale
When you look at Germany from above, the country reveals a special magic. Particularly in the winter time when Christmas lights make cities sparkle, and the landscapes are decorated with blankets of white snow. “Germany From Above - A Winter´s Tale“ tells the story from the privileged bird´s eye view of how the cold season adorns and transforms Germany.
On the island of Helgoland, Germany’s remote North Sea outpost, grey seals begin their birthing season just before Christmas. More than a hundred fluffy seal pups are born in the inhospitably weather when snow blows over the sand dunes. Far to the south, in the Alps, marmots have long rolled together to hibernate. Only a few ibexes still defy the icy weather, along with the cheerful visitors who descend, as soon as the first snow falls on the prepared ski slopes. Just beyond the ski resorts, a white fairytale landscapes unfolds, one that reveals an astonishing beauty when viewed from above. Even cities are not untouched by the cold season. In Hamburg, the harbour must be constantly kept free of ice, on the city lake of Aussenalster both young and old skate until they glow. The glittering lights from the Christmas markets across the entire country look particularly peaceful and magical when seen from above.
Stunning aerial photography is complemented with elaborate time-lapse sequences and animations that answer seemingly simple questions — what exactly is snow, and how does it form? GPS data and satellite images have been converted into exciting animations revealing the paths of snow cats in the mountains and the migrationary routes of the birds who return to Germany each year for the winter. Join us on this special 60 minute Christmas journey to discover how different Germany looks when the cold takes hold.
On the island of Helgoland, Germany’s remote North Sea outpost, grey seals begin their birthing season just before Christmas. More than a hundred fluffy seal pups are born in the inhospitably weather when snow blows over the sand dunes. Far to the south, in the Alps, marmots have long rolled together to hibernate. Only a few ibexes still defy the icy weather, along with the cheerful visitors who descend, as soon as the first snow falls on the prepared ski slopes. Just beyond the ski resorts, a white fairytale landscapes unfolds, one that reveals an astonishing beauty when viewed from above. Even cities are not untouched by the cold season. In Hamburg, the harbour must be constantly kept free of ice, on the city lake of Aussenalster both young and old skate until they glow. The glittering lights from the Christmas markets across the entire country look particularly peaceful and magical when seen from above.
Stunning aerial photography is complemented with elaborate time-lapse sequences and animations that answer seemingly simple questions — what exactly is snow, and how does it form? GPS data and satellite images have been converted into exciting animations revealing the paths of snow cats in the mountains and the migrationary routes of the birds who return to Germany each year for the winter. Join us on this special 60 minute Christmas journey to discover how different Germany looks when the cold takes hold.
Facts
First aired:
Christmas Day, 25th December 2016, 7:15 pm on ZDF
Credits
Written, directed and produced by:
Petra Höfer and Freddie Röckenhaus
Producers:
Kay Schlasse, Susanne Rostosky, Francesca D‘Amicis,
Aerial Photography:
Peter Thompson, Irmin Kerck, Stefan Urmann
Oktokopter Camera:
Lars Pfeiffer, Jan Evers, Roman Kulko
Ground Camera:
Tobias Kaufmann, Christopher Rowe
Timelapse:
Goggi Strauß
Video-Editing:
Johannes Fritsche
Computer Images:
Dave Corfield, Liz Elkington, Craig Howarth - 422 South
Production Management:
Svenja Mandel, Christine Marzi
Narration:
Dietmar Wunder
Commissioning Editors:
Friederike Haedecke, Katharina Kohl (ZDF)
A colourFIELD production commissioned by ZDF
