Documentary

A nice documentary looking at climbing the Eiger. There are some interesting sequences and shots which could be used in a number of documentaries. Remember that this is meant to be seen on a huge screen, not your laptop.

Two friends of mine decided that they would go to the bottom of the wall at the dive site in Chindrieux. This dive site is on the Northern end of the Lac du Bourget in France one hour’s drive from Geneva. The classic dive, which I have done a number of times is a 40 meter dive along the wall. You see the rock overhanging and a blackness below. On previous dives we have been two groups. One deep group and one shallower group. The deep group were at 50+ meters while the shallow group were no deeper than 40m. Several weeks or even months after they first hatched the plan they finally invested in the appropriate gas mixtures and dived down. Here are the preparations for this dive. We were planning on interviews but by the end of the dive we were cold. Those who dived were in 6°c water for 70 minutes. We were also planning on taking a gopro down there but did not use it. I stayed on the surface with the camera gear. You can expect more videos of this type in the near future.

13 years to circumnavigate the glope using Human power. That’s a nice challenge to set yourself. It’s even nicer to complete.

Earlier today I was at Chindrieux, a lake side village looking out over the Lac du Bourget lake in France. It is a nice lake with good visibility. The dive site where my friends and I usually dive is a wall. You swim out for 300 meters before heading down the bank to a little gap in the cliff. At 9 meters depth you start going west along the wall. On this wall you can find lots of shells and the occasional fish hiding in one crack or other. There are overhangs and scree fields. The bottom of the wall is at 65m. From there it slopes gently off to 110m. So far my dives have only taken me to 40 meters on this wall. Diving in this part of the world takes a certain character type. The water at depth is at a stable 5°-6°c but the water column varies from 21°c at the surface in Summer zo 6°c at the surface in winter. In summer you go from warm water to cold, and then you get back to warm. You’re sweating in your dry suit and to cool down is welcome. In winter the opposite is true. You’re cold. You’re happy to put your dry suit on, and gloves, and hood. The drawback is that you go from cold air to cold water and back. Friends of mine and I have come out of the water shivering in winter, unable to use our fingers anymore. This is all part of the fun. Today for a change I went with my video camera. I am currently working on a diving documentary and I want to get footage of the surface as well as down below. The vista are nice. You can see parapentistes, the occasional boat, trains passing by and in the distance snow covered mountains. They serve as a backdrop to Aix Les Bains. I will keep you informed about how this project progresses.

Short documentary about urban climbing in German. Some nice sequences. You see them climbing a tower, you see them jumping from the top. You see them climbing up a bridge’s support legs.

A nice first ascent climbing documentary with a minimal production crew to produce a personal documentary about three climbers. I appreciate hearing this particular accent of course. Definitely worth viewing.

La Voie du Milieu is a nice documentary showing the challenge of placing the safety equipment for a series of new climbing routes. The documentary is in French and there is a nice combination of long shots and close ups. There is little use of helmet mounted camera work.

An interesting documentary about Human trafficing.

Kayaking over waterfalls, camera operators hanging from ropes to get the shot. Spectacular images.

CASCADA from NRS Films on Vimeo.

Richard from England Your England on Vimeo.

An alternative way of living and paying off debt.