Frogs: The Thin Green Line
Behind the Scenes
 The rain forest of Panama is where we captured most of our footage. Central and South America have been hit hard by a lethal fungus, and we were relieved to find frogs in one of the last remaining spots where they are still healthy. Probably the most remarkable moment for me was witnessing a small glass frog defending his tadpoles from ants and wasps. I’ve never seen anything like this – and I’m pretty sure it’s never been filmed before.
The film also carried us 12,000 feet into the mountains of Yosemite, along the Salinas River and UC Berkeley, into suburban Connecticut, the Cape Cod National Seashore and southern Australia. The disappearance of amphibians is one of the greatest environmental crises of our time, and it’s happening worldwide. An excerpt of Allison Argo's notes from the field (written June 19, 2008): I'd forgotten why filming frogs is so grueling… They like the rain, the dark of night, and they're masters of camouflage. Tiptoeing into their world is a colossal challenge. You can't shoot without light – but frogs don't like the light. And lights (and film equipment) don't like the rain. It's a bit of a Catch-22. We've spent the past two weeks, slipping and sliding along steep, muddy jungle trails in hopes of capturing at least a bit of the magic of the frogs’ rainforest realm. Our bodies are covered with insect bites and strange funguses that have sprouted in an environment that never dries out. Read more of Allison's notes on the making of this film Visit Nature's website to learn more about this film Watch the complete film Watch a video of director Allison Argo on the making of "Frogs..." |
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