Article: Saving our Home

Tuesday June 2, 2009

Director/photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand says that from the air, it's easy to see the Earth's wounds, and that's why his debut film is made up entirely of aerial photography.

WHILE it is home to many species, the Earth is being singularly destroyed by humans. In 2005, it was reported that 13 million hectares of forest disappear every year. The International Union for Conservation of Nature noted that species are dying out 1,000 times faster than the natural rate.

But it's not too late to rebuild. Truth is, we have to change our ways, reverse uncaring trends and act if we're to make our home a better place for our children and all other living creatures.

Man behind the film: Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand doing what he does best – taking photos of Earth from the air.

More and more of the Earth's resources are being depleted before they have a chance to renew themselves, leaving the planet close to being barren. In Home, a movie that's being released simultaneously on the same day – June 5 (World Environment Day) – in 85 countries, first-time director and renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand attempts to show viewers the beauty of our planet.

With thousands of aerial shots taken in over 60 countries, the Frenchman reminds us that we are all part of the solution to saving the planet; we all have the power to change.

Working together with producer Luc Besson and distributor François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of PPR (the film's official sponsor), Arthus-Bertrand conveys the urgency of doing something for Mother Nature.

Because of the nature of the film and its strong message, Home is being made accessible to everyone for free, and in numerous formats including television, cinemas, DVDs and online.

The message from the filmmakers is clear: Watch it and make that change.

Below is an interview transcript with Arthus-Bertrand, the co-writer and director of Home. Arthus-Bertrand used his popular exhibition and book – The Earth From The Air – as a reference point for Home. He and his team started working on the idea of making the movie in 2006.

Once everything came together, they went up in a helicopter to capture the shots of the Earth from various locations. Specifying that there was no other way to make the film other than to use a helicopter, Besson did reveal that the air team generated less pollution than a single airliner flying empty from Paris to Los Angeles. – Compiled by Mumtaj Begum

When did you feel the need to make this movie?

Yann Arthus-Bertrand: When I invited Al Gore to show his film, An Inconvenient Truth, to the French Parliament, I realised just how much impact a movie could have, even more than a TV programme. I saw how moved the audience was – to tears in some cases – and I said to myself that a feature film was an excellent way of reaching people. It also seemed a natural progression from photography and TV. It occurred to me that by taking photographs of the Earth, my subject was humanity, which is the same logic behind movies.

Hub of activity: Human settlements spring up and trading is often carried out near water sources, such as this river. This and other vivid scenes are captured in the documentary, Home.

This is your first feature film and a hugely ambitious project. From production to shooting and editing, did you encounter many difficulties?

Denis Carot, the producer of Live And Become, was introduced to me by Armand Amar, a composer and friend. He said "Yes" right away, just like Luc Besson. That's when the going got tough! When you're given so much money to make such a unique film – shot entirely on high-definition from a helicopter – it's a massive responsibility with constant stress. I worked through it on instinct, as always, learning as I went along. We soon realised that the crew in the helicopter had to be pared down to the pilot, cameraman and vision engineer. Then we had to overcome technical issues stemming from the new camera we were using and the shooting conditions, which were different in every country we flew over. Also, I made the movie without a script, based on a single page synopsis. I knew the story I wanted to tell, but the narrative only emerged as we were shooting, especially the central issue of energy – first the energy of human muscle power, then the revolution sparked by what we call "pockets of sunlight", oil. In the end, it really is the movie of a photographer who's not used to restrictions.

What is the film's core message?

The film has a very clear message. We have a greater impact on the Earth than it can bear. We over-consume and are depleting the Earth's resources. From the air, it's easy to see the Earth's wounds. So, Home simply sets out our current situation, while saying that a solution exists. The film's subtitle could be It's Too Late To Be A Pessimist. We have reached a crossroads; important decisions must be made to change our world. Everybody knows about what the film says, but nobody wants to believe it. So Home adds its weight to the argument of environmental organisations that we need to revert to a more common sense approach and change our consumer way of life.

High and dry: A group of people in India in the process of digging a well. Over the years, many of these deep wells have been abandoned after they ran dry.

This also involves the film being distributed in a rather unprecedented way ...

I got the idea of distributing the movie on pretty much every format, for free whenever possible, after talking to Patrick de Carolis who wanted to buy the film for France Télévisions. He told me that he couldn't broadcast it until two years after its theatrical release. I went to see Luc Besson and said we should distribute Home free of charge. He replied that it was impossible, before being won over by the idea of a movie being freely accessible all over the world on the same day. It had never been done before and it was made possible by François-Henri Pinault, the Chairman and CEO of PPR, who immediately gave his backing to our movie. What I really want is for the people whose consumption has a direct impact on the Earth to feel the need to change their way of life after seeing the movie.

Why the title, Home?

It was Luc Besson's idea and it became an obvious choice. It's highly symbolic because ecology is the study of our relationship with our home environment.

Home is carbon offset. What does that involve?

All the CO2 emissions engendered by the making of the film are calculated and offset by sums of money that are used to provide clean energy to those who don't have any. For the last 10 years, all my work has been carbon offset.

What do you hope audiences will take away with them?

Besides changing their way of life, I'd like people to want to help, to share. There's a magnificent quote from Théodore Monod: "We've tried everything, except love". I hope this movie will be synonymous with a lot of love.

If you'd like to be a part of this worldwide event, make a date with Home on June 5 in a medium that you are comfortable with. Any profits made will go to GoodPlanet (Yann Arthus-Bertrand's non-profitable organisation).

Catch the movie at Golden Screen Cinemas (tickets only available via redemption with The Star/Rage coupons); or watch it at home on Friday on Ntv7 at 10am or on 8TV at 11.15pm. You can also view the movie as well as read interviews and keep up to date with comments by the public at youtube.com/homeproject. Go to goodplanet.org/en/ for more information.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies: News & Features 2 June 2009