Hidden miracles of the natural world

By Kevin Russell

We live in a world of unseeable beauty, so subtle and delicate that it is imperceptible to the human eye. To bring this invisible world to light, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed cameras, time lapses and microscopes.

At TED2014, Louie shares highlights from his latest project, a 3D film titled “Mysteries of the Unseen World,” which slows down, speeds up, and magnifies the astonishing wonders of the natural world.

Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.

His recent theatrical releases include the 3D IMAX film “Mysteries of the Unseen World” with National Geographic, narrated by Forest Whitaker, and “Wings of Life,” a feature-length documentary for Disneynature, narrated by Meryl Streep.

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Using time-lapse, high-speed and macro cinematography, Schwartzberg offers audiences an intimate and unprecedented high-definition glimpse into the hidden world of butterflies, hummingbirds, bats and bees in his “Wings of Life” film, including the precarious relationship these pollinators have with flowers – a third of the world’s food supply depending on these increasingly threatened species.