The French have an interesting history of documentary film. Jean Rouch explored social questions with his film Chronique d’un été, a revolutionary film at the time because of the tech that they used. The Cinéma Eclair and crystal sound sync. A few decades later Yann Arthus-Bertrand is following in Jean Rouch’s footsteps with a net cast far wider. Instead of Paris and France we see interviews with people from around the world.
In the 1990s when satellite distribution of television content was in it’s infancy we got a satellite dish and I would watch the Discovery Channel from the start of the broadcast day to when the programmes were played for the second time that day. By watching so many documentaries I learned a lot about the world. I watched Mythbusters, Lonely Planet, Modern Marvels and many many other documentaries. It is only ten years later that I stopped watching Discovery.
Recently Netflix Switzerland made Mythbusters available on their service. As I watched episode after episode I noticed the camaraderie between those who participate in the show. We see that Adam and Jamie occasionally argue but that overall they are having a lot of fun. We see them laugh, joke, tease each other, and collaborate.
Their show is a science show where fun myths are challenged. They have two goals with each myth, establish whether it is confirmed, plausible, or busted.
I took advantage of a rainy day to watch a series of documentaries by the BBC called Tudor Monastery Farm. It is a documentary series where three individuals live the life people would have lived at the relevant time period for a year. During this year they try farming, mining, fishing and other skills and crafts from the time. These are observational and experimental documentaries. They take the observational cinéma verité and Direct cinema approach to factual television production.
I really like this documentary series about Edwardian Farming. it is a fly on the wall documentary following three people through a year on an edwardian farm close to Dartmoor. They experiment with market farming, food preparation of the time, trout farming and so much more. It is relaxing and without an over-enthusiastic announcer/narration. It’s a fascinating glimpse at a way of life that those who remember it is becoming dead rather than living history.
Charlie Hebdo, Before the Massacre from The New York Times - Video on Vimeo.
I love this glimpse in to a Charlie Hebdo editorial meeting. I like that we see the creation of caricatures that are now so well known and familiar.
An endurance challenge. I want to watch the documentary.
Undeveloped World War II Film Discovered from The Rescued Film Project on Vimeo.
We all have a deep fascination for the past and photography gives us a window in to that past. This documentary follows one individual as he catalogues and then develops 31 rolls of film. As he does so images and moments that have not been remembered for decades are finally visible for a modern audience. These images contribute to what Dziga Vertov called the All Seeing Eye.
Font del Truffe with T-Reb from Slawek Packo on Vimeo.
Cave diving in France. Although there is a squeeze at the beginning the cave looks forgiving from a visibility point of view.