WORTH NOTING ON TV

WEDNESDAY

Presidential Candidate Forum (CNN, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT): The first nationally televised Republican presidential candidate forum for the '96 elections - live from WMUR-TV's broadcasting center in Manchester, N.H - features 10 candidates: former Gov. Lamar Alexander, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, Sen. Bob Dole, Rep. Robert Dornan, publisher Malcolm Forbes Jr., Sen. Phil Gramm, former United Nations Ambassador Alan Keyes, Sen. Richard Lugar, Sen. Arlen Specter, and businessman Morry Taylor. CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and WMUR's chief political reporter Carl Cameron will introduce the forum.

Following at 9:30 is a half-hour special, anchored by Shaw in Manchester and CNN's Judy Woodruff in Washington, that analyzes how the candidates fared.

Wildfilm (PBS, 9-10:30 p.m.): Just how do filmmakers get great footage for nature programs? ''Wildfilm'' turns the cameras on natural-history filmmakers to reveal some of the secrets of their profession. Visiting production crews around the globe - they are filming everything from huge jellyfish to jackals - the program underscores a key issue for filmmakers: the distance between camera and subject that enables close-up footage, yet does not affect the subject's behavior.

''Wildfilm'' also points out that since nature filmmakers often spend enormous amounts of time with their subjects, they're sometimes more knowledgeable about their behavior than scientists. And occasionally, nature filmmakers make important discoveries about wildlife.

The last segment of this program, which looks at editing techniques, is particularly interesting. Did you know that the sounds of stepping and eating are often created in studios with such materials as custard powder and celery sticks? Or that occasionally film is flopped to maintain a sequence's continuity?

Please check local listings for these programs.