(detailed information about this entry from Wikipedia)
| Home |
The opening sequence from the documentary. |
| Directed by |
Yann Arthus-Bertrand |
| Produced by |
Denis Carot and Luc Besson |
| Written by |
Isabelle Delannoy |
| Narrated by |
Glenn Close (English and Dutch (subtitled) Versions), Yann Arthus-Bertrand (French Version) and Salma Hayek (Spanish version) |
| Music by |
Armand Amar |
| Editing by |
Yen le Van |
| Studio |
Europa Corp. |
| Distributed by |
Europa Corp., with sponsorship from PPR |
| Release date(s) |
June 5, 2009 |
| Running time |
93 minutes 18 seconds (free release)
120 minutes (theatre release) |
| Country |
International |
| Language |
English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Kurdish and German. |
| Budget |
$12 Million |
| Gross revenue |
Non-Profit |
Home is a free-to-view 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is almost entirely composed of aerial shots of various places around Earth, taken in over 50 countries in the process. 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 5 in cinemas all over the world, on DVD, TV and on YouTube. Released on the same date in 181 countries is a world record for any film release in history.[1] The film was financed by PPR, a French multinational holding company specializing in retail shops and luxury brands.[2]
[edit] Overview
The documentary chronicles the present day state 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 such as New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the United States, Shenzhen, China, Mumbai, India, Tokyo, Japan, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates 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 these events 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 affect rich 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.
[edit] Production
A
Cineflex camera used in the filming of HOME
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 a gyro-stabilized sphere 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.[3] After all filming was complete, Besson and his crew had over 488 hours of footage to edit from.[4]
[edit] Distribution and promotion
Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand (left) and Co-Producer Luc Besson at the HOME press-conference on March 9th, 2009.
To promote the documentary online, a YouTube channel known as "HomeProject" was created. Uploaded to this were various short clips of filming which took place in different parts of the world including The Arctic Circle, Africa and the large metropolises featured.
On March 9, 2009, a press-conference was held in Paris, France, where Yann Arthus-Bertrand and various producers talked to the media about the issues raised in the film, as well as confirming that HOME would be the first film ever to be simultaneously released in theaters, on television, on DVD and on the internet in five continents.[5]
On May 5, 2009, a second press-conference was held again in Paris, where the same crew members announced that the film's release date would be June 5, 2009, World Environment Day. Here, they also announced that HOME would be 100% free for everyone to view, as "The Benefits of this film cannot be counted in dollars, but in audience figures." They also revealed that PPR was going to sponsor the film in order to facilitate unavoidable costs.[6]
The film, which is currently available for free release until June 14, has been broadcast in 14 languages.[7] The Blu-ray edition was released by 20th Century Fox and features both the English and French versions. It is expected to sell in excess of 100,000 copies. When production costs are met, all proceeds sale takings will go to the Good Planet Company.[8][9]
[edit] Reception
The film received a large response upon release, receiving over 400,000 combined views within the first twenty-four hours on YouTube.[citation needed] It was shown to high ratings on channels around the world including international station National Geographic. France2 debuted the film to over 8.3 million viewers in France alone.[10] In India, HOME was shown exclusively via the STAR World cable network.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Slovenski | 
English | 
Deutsche | 
Hrvatski | 
Srpski
Home (2009) 
Home (2009)
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Zemlja - naš dom (2009) (Slovenia)
