@Dogmentally is on twitter but doesn’t tweet.

There is not a lot on TV that excites me quite as much as these epic documentaries shot using the latest filming technologies and taking years to complete. The Open University (whom i work with occasionally) are co-producers on this programme, which so far has been four years in the making and has been filmed in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. This is what good TV is all about.

It’s planned to be a series of 10 one hour programmes telling the definitive story of life on Earth. The following video clip shows Mike Gunton, the Executive Producer of the series, explaining how the production team intend to build on the awe, spectacle and epic scale of the Planet Earth footage..

I spotted this promo while at the Open University talking with Dr Janet Sumner. She let me don a pair of headphones and I submersed myself in the amazing HD footage.. I missed all this when Planet Earth was on the first time round but now have the HDTV to fully enjoy. The pullback using the Heligimbal took my breath away. The incredible score combined with the macro work and high definition time lapse shows me how big money production does it right.

I love to create my own video content and the kind of tools at my disposal today could only have been dreamed of 10 years ago. These guys with the kit they have at their disposal are probably the only people who can confidently say they want to create “..a definitive story of wildlife on this planet.”

This is a massive undertaking. But never-the-less it’s something that has to be done.. Who knows for how long we will be able to wonder at these animals. I am so glad the BBC and The Open University can get together to work on projects of this magnitude.

I have been very lucky to travel with some of that time spent observing animals in their natural habitat. I hope my future child gets to see with his own eyes some of the amazing natural history captured in this incredible body of work.. and as Mike Gunton says.. it really does “..celebrate the wonderful diversity of life.”

More Links:

http://www.open.ac.uk/darwin

www.open2.net/darwin

On the 24th to the 27th of July I will be in a field near Hambledon in Surrey whether you guys want to join in or not.
I will most likely have a T-shirt on saying ‘Geeknbury 2008′ and although I don’t know exactly how many people are required to make a festival, I will be proudly stating that this is the first ever Geeknbury.. and history will note it so.

The idea for a Geeknbury is a few years old in my mind but up until a few weeks ago I had no idea how to make it happen. It was already the summer when I had decided to actually do something and bumping into Rachel Clarke and then being introduced to Rebecca Caroe turned the idea into a possibility.

Rebecca already has a private party/festival (Vann) she puts on every year and was happy to have Geeknbury as a bolt on to her event. All we need to make this happen is find bands, activities, events, inspiration and most importantly of all Geeks!

The existing festival runs from Saturday till Sunday but the Geeknbury Geeks can arrive on Thursday night and have a little extra time to strum guitars, tweet around the camp fire and burn marshmallows.

So I guess this is a rallying cry for all those people who are really interested in being a part of Geeknbury 2008 to put their hands up and minds together so we can make this happen.

It is a family (and geek) friendly festival with limited 2 meg wifi but openings for all imaginations to run riot and get creative.

Tickets are £50 for adults and £20 for all kids over 4 years old.

For this you get entry for the festival, camping, access to all the music amenities and activities and a certain amount of food and beer (Saturday night dinner, beer/cider/soft drinks and Sunday morning bacon butties plus tea and coffee.) Not to mention the good times, connections made and great memories to take away.

(There are four staff/helper positions available that will pay £50 and all the above for free.)

If you look at the Wiki at http://geeknbury.pbwiki.com/ you will see a more up to date progress list..

But In A nut.. what we have sorted so far:

Large field – 6 acres
Loos – 5 portable
Tents – 2 – one large 40 foot by 20 foot and one 20×20 foot
Food & Beer – provided for Saturday night dinner, beer/cider/soft drinks and Sunday morning bacon butties, Coffee and tea (all covered by paid for ticket holders)
Electricity – a wired spur from the main house
Hot tubs – 2 x 8 person (one for kids, one for adults) Bring your swimmers!
Wifi – is available but currently low, probably about 2 mb
Fire pit

Entertainment
Making water rockets from empty plastic bottles (they fire 60 foot into the air!)
Team games – non-stop cricket, rounders, football
Garden tours – Gertrude Jeykll water garden
Band(s) for Saturday night. Main evening act (jazz/blues/soul review with singer Gwyn Allen fronting), and I think main afternoon act, Isadore & Clay (folk rock) & a classical octet.
Yoga
Tai Chi
Casper the Rocket Man (with two helicopters.)
a Monster truck that runs on rocket fuel.
Childrens activities eg play, mask making.

..and here are some ideas for things we may need:

Films, a projector and screen
More music/bands and an open mic stage perhaps?
More accessible power to charge laptops and mobiles (Solar power?)
Better wifi and a mobile booster aerial
A Silent Disco
Massage
Meditation
..and so on..

So can you help? If you have any ideas for features, shows, acts or classes leave a comment below or DM me on Twitter

Colin Rogal is the Music Coordinator but is abroad filming a documentary till the 7th of July so please bat all ideas and suggestions in my direction. (leave a comment below)

Tickets can be purchased by sending your request with an address via paypal to.. rebecca@caroe.com

..You can also guarantee yourself tickets by making a cheque out for the full amount payable to ‘Vann Summer Fest‘ and sending it to:

Rebecca Caroe
7 Vicarage Close
Waterbeach
Camebridge
CB25 9QG

So if you can help out in any way, be it with the organising, funding, sponsorship, performing, teaching or supplying of anything that can be put to good festival use.. please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

(p.s Big thanks to Derek Mantle for making a logo for the festival at super short notice.)

Check out the GEEKNBURY PHREADZ CHANNEL to see some of the action.