Episode 2: The first footprints. Early film sequences and scripts.

Landmarks was a major documentary series produced by Television New Zealand in association with Fletcher Challenge Ltd and the Department of Education. The series, which traced the story of New Zealand through the evolution of its landscape, was inspired by the BBC documentaries Civilisation, America, and The Ascent of Man. Comprising ten fifty-minute programmes, the series was written and presented by Cumberland and produced by George Andrews. The ten programmes were filmed between April 1979 and July 1981 on location in New Zealand and Australia,the Cook Islands, Japan, USA, England, Scotland and Germany. A companion volume written by Cumberland was published by Reader's Digest in 1981 and on 1982 the series received a Feltex Award for Best Documentary.

Originally the Landmarks series was planned as a thirteen-part series but funding restraints required Cumberland to review his plan and scrap episodes on energy and power, and processing and manufacturing.

In Landmarks revisited, a paper given to the Waikato Branch of the New Zealand Geographical Society in November 1988 (see item 9/10), Cumberland describes the lengthy process of creating each episode in detail.

To begin with Cumberland wrote an outline of each episode in the form of an essay. Next the producer, the director, research assistants and Cumberland would meet to discuss and design a tentative film sequence and possible locations for filming. This was followed by more detailed research and location visits. A sequence and programme for filming was then agreed upon and scripts for the on-camera narration by Cumberland were written. After cutting and editing, voice-over narration was recorded and other sound effects added to the film.

The papers received from Cumberland reflect this complex production procedure and for many episodes there is material documenting each stage of the process.