The first episode of Our Oceans, a new five-part Netflix nature documentary narrated by Barack Obama, opens with the story of a humpback whale protecting her calf in the Pacific. Reflecting on the show, series producer Jonathan Smith found himself relating to the whales: “A bit like the humpback at the beginning, this is our baby… that we’ve spent six years nurturing, and we’re about to send it out to the world.”

Creating Our Oceans involved over 100 filming trips and a global team of more than 700. Some of them were in the room for a November preview screening at Bristol’s Watershed, followed by a panel discussion, sharing experiences of working on the show.

As senior producer Rachel Scott said: “Everybody in this room will have a different story to tell.”

An early obstacle to the show’s development was Covid. Some six months in, the pandemic hit while the team were still in their research phase. “The difficulty was that all the scientists you’d normally reach out to were no longer going out in the field,” explained series researcher Inka Cresswell. “That was a huge challenge for us, from a research perspective, to gain the most up-to-date data.”

Fortunately, the team adapted well to working together online and were soon out filming. Episode one, which focuses on the Pacific Ocean, showcases some incredible uses of technology, including shots from a camera mounted on a humpback whale, and drone footage of spinner dolphins.

Some of the most intimate moments come from the close-up camerawork of series directors of photography Roger Horrocks and Roger Munns.

“It was just such a joy to watch Roger and Roger’s rushes,” said Scott. “These guys just have such tenderness when filming.”

Both DoPs were on the panel and spoke about their filming processes. “You shoot with your whole soul, you shoot with your whole being,” said Horrocks.

Munns explained how he aimed to bring out the anthropomorphic features of each animal, citing the humpbacks as an example: “I kind of noticed quickly that it’s the pectoral fins that really express the emotion of the whale.”

There was also praise for the local experts around the world who helped with the filming.

“It was amazing how familiar the marine life gets with you,” Cresswell added, recalling a shoot where an octopus became very friendly with the crew. “At one point, he mounted himself on top of Roger’s camera… putting his tentacles inside the buttons, trying to take over the controls.”

Six years of researching, filming and editing have produced five incredible episodes that follow the global ocean current. Scott described the episodes as “five parts of one story”.

Smith said of the series: “The ocean isn’t a scary place; it’s not full of slimy alien life. It’s full of relatable animals that actually face the same everyday challenges as every one of us. It’s not all about hunting – there’s love, there’s romance, there’s dancing!”

Ultimately, this is the goal of Our Oceans – to bring the oceans closer to the viewer. Scott explained: “Our main aim on the series was to get the audience to connect and care with the oceans, because they can seem so far away.”

Sharing his hopes for the series, which was made for Netflix by Wild Space Productions in association with Freeborne Media and Higher Ground, Smith said: “I would like people to be amazed and entertained, and I’d like a global audience to be inspired, and – fundamentally – to have hope.”

The RTS West of England screening of Our Oceans was held at Bristol’s Watershed cinema on 18 November. The host was ITV News West Country presenter Sabet Choudhury. The producer was Suzy Lambert.