Program Concept

To tell of the story of Catesby’s explorations and studies in the New World, The Curious Mister Catesby will employ a historically accurate and meticulously crafted script, using professional voice-over talent augmented by original music The point of view of the film will be Catesby’s own as recorded in his correspondence, his observations in the Natural History, and other documents of the time. Location footage of the Lowcountry of South Carolina and its environs, which looks today much as it did nearly three centuries ago, will be juxtapositioned with Catesby’s artwork. The film will emphasize from beginning to end the deep color values and saturations of the climate and of the creatures filmed, which will be repeated in on-screen images of Catesby’s watercolors. Frequent pauses in the narration will allow viewers time to absorb the images. Long dissolves will move from live image to painting, from plants to water, from historical portraits and structures to contemporary land and waterscapes.

At the same time, multiple voices will be incorporated to complement the core narration. These voices will portray Catesby and other significant personalities, historical and contemporary, who are pivotal to the adventure. The story will not be a hagiography of Catesby, however. Modern scholarship has recognized that at least seven of Catesby’s paintings and etchings were copied from paintings by John White, governor of the “Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island, Virginia. The practice of copying was not viewed as negatively in the 18th century as it is today. Moreover, at least one contemporary detractor of Catesby, Dr. Alexander Garden, a Charleston naturalist, strongly criticized the accuracy of his work in letters to Carl Linnaeus. Linnaeus himself was frustrated by Catesby’s penchant for using as many as five Latin words to identify a plant – a grievance that did not prevent his using more than 100 of Catesby’s descriptions and drawings in his seminal “Systema Naturae.”

CCT has also established a strategic relationship with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, which strongly support the project, and we intend to engage specialists in the production of post-broadcast educational materials to develop appropriate materials for secondary schools and other educational venues. Pre-broadcast materials, including a “Catesby” website and a teaching marketing program, will be created to promote both the film and post-broadcast products.

Scripting and production will conform to all technical and national broadcast standards. The Curious Mister Catesby will be targeted to broad audiences, based not only on high-quality entertainment, but also on story facets expected to be of special interest to historians, scientists, artists, art collectors, conservationists, adventurers, and educators. The CCT believes National Public Television to be the most likely vehicle for the program offering, with various cable broadcasters such as the Discovery Channel, HBO, Arts & Entertainment Channel, and the History Channel as possible alternatives. Internationally, the British Broadcasting Company will be considered as well. Based on PBS’s audience share and demographic information, the trust believes the film will introduce a significant international audience to the naturalist’s life and work. As a case in point, preliminary discussions with South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) indicate that “The Curious Mister Catesby” will be viewed by audiences in England, Canada, Japan as well as the United States.