Home (2009 film)

Home
The opening sequence from the "HOME" documentary.
Directed by	Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Written by	Isabelle Delannoy
Produced by	Denis Carot and Luc Besson
Narrated by	Glenn Close
Edited by	Yen le Van
Music by	Armand Amar
Distributed by	Europa Corp., in association with PPR
Release date	June 5, 2009
Running time	93 minutes 18 seconds (free release) 120 minutes (theatre release)
Country	International
Languages	English, French, Dutch, Russian, Spanish and German.
Box office	Non-Profit

Home is a 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is entirely composed of aerial shots of various places around Earth. It shows the diversity of life on Earth and how humanity is threatening the ecological balance of the planet. The movie was released simultaneously on June 5th in cinemas all over the world, on DVD and on YouTube. Released on the same date in 50 countries is a world record for any film release in history. The film is 100% free, and no profits will be made from its release or future showings.

Overview

The documentary chronicles the present day stance of the Earth, its climate and how we as the dominant species have long-term repercussions on its future. A theme expressed throughout the documentary is that of linkage; how all organisms and the Earth are linked in a "delicate but crucial" balance with each other, and how no organism can be self-sufficient.

Beginning with footage of vast volcanic landscapes, HOME explains the origins of evolution from single-celled algae cells from the edges of volcanic springs. By showing this algae's essential role in the evolution of photosynthesis, it also shows the immense species of plants which all originate to this one celled life form.

From here, the documentary takes on a more human oriented scope, showing the agricultural revolution, and its impacts, before moving on to talk about the harnessing of oil, leading to fire, industry, cities and inequality gaps like never before. It portrays the current predicament regarding cattle ranches, deforestation, food and clean water shortages, the over-quarrying crisis and the shortage of energy, namely electricity. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, India and in particular Dubai are all exemplified in showing the mismanagement and wastage relating to energy, water and food. The recession of marshlands and glaciers are shown via vast aerial shots of Antarctica, The North Pole and Africa, while mass emigration and refugee counts are shown currently and forecast in the event that the environment remains unchanged.

It is at this point, that the focus becomes projected on Global Warming and the Carbon Crisis. HOME shows how melting glaciers, rising sea levels and changing weather patterns are ravaging the people who have least to do with climate change; but also how it soon will effect very populous areas.

Here, about three minutes of film is given to displaying harsh facts in large white text on a black background followed by a video representation of the fact. This is followed by a positive conclusion. The documentary shows the awful truths regarding our impact on the Earth, but also what we are now doing to combat and reverse it: including renewable energy, the creation of more and more national parks, international co-operation between various nations on environmental issues and the extra education and reform being had across the globe in response to the current problems facing the earth.

The credits are played on the extreme right-hand side of the screen while vast aerial shots are portrayed in the background with the place name displayed in white the the bottom left.

Production

HOME was filmed in various stages due to the expanse of the areas portrayed. Taking over eighteen months to complete, director Yann Arthus-Bertrand and a camera man, a camera engineer and a pilot flew in a small helicopter through various regions in over fifty countries. The filming was done using high-definition "Cineflex" cameras which were suspended from rails on the base of the helicopter. These cameras, originally manufactured for army firing equipment, reduce vibrations helping to capture smooth images, which seem filmed from crane arms or dollies. After almost every flight, recordings were immediately checked to ensure they were viable.

External links

• Official page
• Good Planet
• UNEP Champions of the Earth Profile: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a press release from United Nations Environment Programme.
• YouTube