As “Top Gun Maverick” dazzles audiences worldwide this summer, with its advanced camera work displaying dizzying hypersonic flying visuals, a new Disney+ series launching on July 4, adopts many of these techniques to give viewers enhanced angles and viewpoints of America’s natural highlights.

The six-episode series “America the Beautiful,” which was produced by the same people who brought us “Planet Earth” and “Frozen Planet” uses the same aerial  system [mounted] on the front of the jet that was used on “Top Gun Maverick,” making it possibly the first nature series to use cinema-grade cameras on fighter jets for documentary filming.

In addition to scenic panoramic views, the camera-outfitted jet also helps overcome the challenges of shooting weather events. 

"A very important part of doing a wildlife series about North America is capturing the weather itself in a new way,” filmmaker Mark Linfield told MediaVillage in an exclusive interview. “The jet allows you to reach the weather quickly—and to get out quickly when the wild weather turns nasty."

For the complete story, check out MediaVillage’s coverage. 

WASHINGTON—Documentary films take viewers around the world to places far away, offering opportunities and experiences they may never get to enjoy. That globe-spanning trait will be a central part of a number of sessions for The Video Show’s series on documentary filmmaking.

Do you ever wonder what it takes to shoot video in a harsh and frozen environment? Attendees can learn all about it from Tom Trainor, a director of photography on the Animal Planet series “Into Alaska” as he shares his experiences. Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore the world from the jungles and cultures of the Amazon with Celene Di Stasio and Shane Yeager of Digital Creative Visionaries. They’ll share their insight, as well as drone footage and interviews with the local people.

Along with traveling the world, documentaries can also help us learn about how to continue to protect it and the creatures that occupy it. That will be a key focus in the session led by Roshan Patel, a filmmaker at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, who documents and educates viewers on some of the world’s most endangered species.

The full list of sessions currently scheduled for the documentary track is available on the Video Show website.

The Video Show will take place from Dec. 4–5 in Washington, D.C.