Interview: Focus on I'm Alive

10/15/2009

Life Lessons


Are you scared of spiders or snakes? Do you freak when shark warnings are posted at the beach? If so, you'll be irresistibly drawn to "I'm Alive," the new weekly series on Animal Planet airing on Fridays at 9 p.m. Whether it's a boy surprised by a black widow spider, or a man suddenly charged by an elephant, the stories go beyond just a mankind-meets-nature encounter. You'll see how the victim survived a random animal attack, as well as what happens AFTER the surge of adrenaline runs out.

And you'll be surprised at how accepting, even calm, these people are, despite coming way too close to losing their lives. Talk about Zen!

Animal Planet executive producer Lisa Lucas recently chatted with The Mole about this unique series:

Lisa, why do you think we're so fascinated by these kinds of attacks and incidents?

I don't think of "I'm Alive" as an attack show. To me, it is not a scary show, it's a survival show. And it's not just about survival, it's a look at what triggers these people to say, okay, I'm not going to throw in the towel right now. It's about whatever is triggered in their brain to make them fight back, and ultimately, it is about how everyone is changed, and changed for the better, after one of these incidents.

Isn't it a little surprising to see that NONE of these people, attacked by a black widow spider, or an elephant,or a shark, are bitter in any way, or express hatred toward the animal? No one's got a vendetta against lions or spiders because of it.

Well, we at Animal Planet especially always talk about how people are changed by their relationships with animals. How ironic that they are changed by one that is horrific.

What is striking about these stories is how completely out-of-the-blue these attacks are.

Absolutely. None of them went looking for it, none of these people anticipated the attack. In most cases the animal was in a natural setting. The black widow spider WAS in a sock, okay, that was a surprise. But this is a small group of people, from all over, who've had these completely surprising attacks.

The man who suffered the elephant attack really stood out for me: he seemed so matter-of-fact about it, even as he's recounting how he thought the elephant would come back and simply crush his head.

He was fascinating. He was a bit of a wanderer, who was absolutely fearless. He didn't need any other people, he kept to himself. Then this happened with the elephants, and for the first time, he realized his missed his mother. You never know what will come out of these things.

Please talk a little about the production of the series, which features the stories unfolding as "re-enactments," or "re-creations." They're so realistic and beautifully, colorfully shot, the re-enactments themselves can even be a bit scary to watch.

Gurney Productions, which did the series, specializes in these. Not a lot of producers can do re-creations this way. There's no dialogue, just a word or a name. You don't need to see it all played out in front of you. Instead it's all very deliberate. Also when you deal with these near-death situations, you don't want your visuals to be dreary.

And the actors in the episodes look like the actual victims?

It's amazing, but they do. To find actors who resemble the people being attacked is hard enough, and then even with those who do resemble them, they need to be able to tell the story.

How did you find the stories themselves?

Gurney did a tremendous amount of research. And there's a casting process, like anything else you're looking for. The criteria for all of these, unlike other attack shows, was that there had to be other people involved--a family, friends, children, others who are the reason this person HAD to survive an attack. It had to have an impact on someone else's life. We found them, all over the world, willing to share their stories. Oh, and they had to have their whole family willing to share it too.

What do you hope viewers find in this show?

We try very hard to make you wonder in the storytelling, is it going to be a hyena, or a chimp, that attacks? Where will the danger come from? The hope is that you are not quite sure what will happen next. And remember, none of these are villains. They are animals, behaving as animals.

Lisa Lucas, thanks so much for discussing "I'm Alive." We'll be checking out new episodes every Friday night at 9PM e/p!  Check out the "I'm Alive" fansite here!