Monkeying Around In The Editing Room

(I am watching a nature documentary with my mum. It’s not what we’re used to; there’s a lot of unnecessary music overlays, dramatic pauses, and I’m pretty sure some heavy video editing to force the desired effect and make it more story-telling. We’re both finding it wearing to watch, as a result. It’s on a segment about the langur monkey; the announcer simply states they’re very rare, and then we get to see clips with very loud, happy-go-lucky music playing over it.)

Voiceover Guy: “But then, when it gets dark, the monkeys can’t stay out.”

(The music changes dramatically, and it shows the sun setting and a monkey looking around, which then reaches over and snatches up its orange baby, before they all run in dramatic slow-motion for the cliff.)

Voiceover Guy: “They must seek shelter, for there are dangers in the dark…”

(It shows the monkeys climbing the cliff face, babies clinging on to them.)

Voiceover Guy: “They climb and climb, the higher the better. But the cliffs are dangerous, and it’s not unknown for a monkey to fall…”

(It is still showing the monkeys climbing the cliff face, looking very stable in their climbing ability. A shadow that was clearly added in after is creeping up on them.)

Mum: “By, ‘It’s not unknown,’ he means, ‘rarely happens.’”

Voiceover Guy: “They have gone high enough. Now they’ll look for shelter. Even the babies are aware of the danger they’re in.”

(Close up on a bright orange puffball looking around in — presumably — its mother’s arms.)

Me: “To be honest, if you grabbed me whilst I was playing on a branch, then legged it up a cliff, I’d be pretty alarmed.”

Voiceover Guy: “They have found shelter. They will be safe from the dangers that lurk in the night…” *cue really, really slow-motion of the sun setting and the moon rising*

Me: *whilst slow-motion is still going* “What are they scared of? Jaguars? Bats?” *can’t think of another nocturnal animal* “Badgers?”

(A slow-motion thunderstorm now is on the screen.)

Mum & Me: “Thunderstorms?”

Voiceover Guy: *moving to a completely different topic* “In Australia…”

Me: “WHAT?!”

Mum: “What about the danger to the monkeys?!”

(It never went back to explain the “dangers of the night” that the monkeys ran away from.)