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The Insect Man won a Diamond Award at BIAFF 2008.

It deals with the work of Jean Henri Fabre (1823-1915) the famous student of insects whose interests extended to all scientific disciplines. He left 11 volumes of "entomological memoirs", many watercolours and other writings. He lived in a country house called Harmas (the red villa) near Sérignan du Comtat in Provence. The house is now a national museum.

The Insect Man

by Florent Van Opstal

	When I first visited the "Red Villa" in Serignan in 1983 I was fascinated by the collection of insects made by Jean-Henri Fabre. Even then, I visited the sites of the entomologist and filmed them in Super 8.
	When, years later, I discovered the English book "The Insect Man" (Heinemann 1959)1 and a few Dutch documents about Fabre, I knew I had to make a film about him. I was mesmerised by this man of science who called the subjects of his discipline "My beloved insects."
	Making the Film Between 2005 and 2007 I travelled to Provence in Southern France at various seasons. I visited the still existing sites where Fabre had studied his subjects. The region around the "Mount Ventoux" and the flora and fauna alongside the Rhone yielded my most beautiful images.
	Sadly, of the rich biota during Fabre's time, only a few sanctuaries remain. Ninety percent of the film was shot in France.
	Camera and Editing Camera: Canon XL 2 Format: Mini-DV Conversion Lenses: Canon Close Up 500D Century Optics2 Close Up Diop. 7 Century Optics Wide Angle 0.6 X Editing: Final Cut Pro 5

Page updated on 18 May 2009

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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