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Tracing origins of iconic inventions was vast challenge, says series producer James Buchanan.How We Invented The World
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Broadcaster DiscoveryLength 4x60 minutesProduction company NutopiaPost House EnvyTX November 5Discovery commissioners Julian Bellamy, Sarah DaviesDiscovery production management Alyson JacksonLocation producters/directors Jonathan Rudd, Chris Hook, David Hutt, Mark Everest, Simon GeorgeProducers Sam Miller, Jim Greayer, Johanna Gibbon, Dai RichardsExecutive producers Jane RootLine producer Josh Pitt
Our aim was simple yet vast: champion the power, scale and downright ingenuity of our modern world through four iconic inventions: the car, the plane, the mobile phone and the skyscraper. We wanted to show the events that led to the creation of these modern marvels and look at the moments when they proved their worth, their global reach and the impact they have on our lives.
The first challenge was selecting the right stories. For the historical drama, we needed moments of invention but not lots of scenes of "older man, looking, thinking" so we created contrast by using events that dramatically showed the need for a new invention, or, the moment a prototype was tested to its limits.
For the documentary we decided to build on the themes established in the drama - showing technological descendants of Elisha Otis's safe elevator, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen or Wright...