(I feel the question should be GQ, but it’s a CS kind of topic. Mods, please do as you will.)
By “science shows”, I mean the shows you see on the Science Network or the Discovery Channel - like “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman”, “Into the Universe with Steven Hawking”, “Inside Planet Earth”, etc.
They use location shoots for really small segments*. The CGI is mind-blowing, given that we’re looking at, supposedly, low-budget productions. They look expensive, but they really can’t be as the economics likely don’t support spending 7-figures on each episode.
Then there’s that show with that young guy who travels all over the world filming animals. For a couple of minutes, he’s in the desert. Then the ocean. Then Antarctica. Etc, etc, etc. This can’t be cheap.
So, how is it done? Are the costs amortized? Subsidized? Am I merely incorrect in how much it costs to film these shows, and what I think looks like a million dollars is really 1/4 that amount? Any information as to how it’s done is appreciated.
*One I saw the other night had Michio Kaku in a Pennsylvania steel mill to merely make the point that the early Earth was hot. Total show time in this location - less than a minute. Then there were other location shoots, and CGI showing stuff exploding, and damn… it just looks expensive as all hell.