Al Gore’s campaign to take the issue of global warming to the world is documented in “An Inconvenient Truth“, released in US cinemas in May. It’s only this month arrived in Australia. And as today is International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer I’m breaking my own rule of posting once a day to write up the movie and its online presence.
The super includes the following sentences:
“At Sundance it received three standing ovations. It will shake you to your core. If you love your planet… If you love your children… you have to see this film. By far the most terrifying film you will ever see. Last August… Did the planet betray us or did we betray the planet? From Paramount Classics… this summer. Nothing is scarier than the truth.”
Al Gore provides much of the voiceover:
“If you look at the ten hottest years ever measured, they’ve all occurred in the last fourteen years and the hottest of all was 2005. Scientific consensus is that we are global warming. I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States of America.”
Gore shows us Patagonia 75 years ago, and the same glacier today (now a lake). Mount Kilimanjaro thirty years ago, and last year. Within a decade there will be no more snows on Kilimanjaro.
“This is really not a political issue, so much as a moral issue.””Temperature increases are taking place all over the world, and that’s causing stronger storms.”
“Is it possible that we should prepare against other threats than terrorists?”
Gore shows his audience the impact of the Arctic ice cap melting, on Florida, Shanhai, Calcutta, New York City. He asks them to think of the impact of 100 million refugees.
“Our ability to live is what is at stake”.
Credits
An Inconvenient Truth was directed and produced by Davis Guggenheim, with executive producer Jeff Skoll, producers Laurie David, Lawrence Bender, Scott Z. Burns, Lesley Chilcott, and director of photography Robert Richman.
The documentary was edited by Dan Swietlik and Javier Alvarez at Cut & Run, Los Angeles, with Jay Cassidy.
The production began in the middle of last year, when the crew and director Davis Guggenheim followed Al Gore as he traveled the country, including a visit to his family farm. Gore’s presentation was then filmed in a 24p HD four-camera shoot designed to be finished in the digital intermediate realm for a film distribution. Cut + Run/LA Founder/Editor Dan Swietlik, who previously collaborated with Producers David and Bender, joined the project at their invitation and began the edit process in October of 2005. Working hand-in-hand with Director Guggenheim, the editorial team united the humanity of Gore’s personal life with the science and striking imagery of Gore’s unique presentation.
An Inconvenient Truth was edited at Cut + Run, Los Angeles by editors Dan Swietlik and Javier Alvarez, and independent editor Jay Cassidy.
The original score for An Inconvenient Truth was written by composer, producer and guitarist Michael Brook.
It will be interesting to see how industrial and political leaders respond to the pressure. Australia and the United States are both singled out in the movie as countries which have refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Before the movie broke, the Competitive Enterprise Institute in the States launched two television advertisements with the line, “Carbon dioxide. They call it pollution. We call it life”.
Futurama Trailer
A more amusing and immediately provocative teaser for “An Inconvenient Truth” was made by Matt Groening using Al Gore and Bender, a character from Futurama. The tagline, “An Inconvenient Truth: The Movie that Will Make You Feel you should probably do something!”.
Bender is played by voice actor John DiMaggio.
Animation for the spot was done at Rough Draft Studios, with director Peter Avanzino, producers Claudia Katz and Geraldine Symon, animation Stephanie Arnett, FX animation by David Lee, rough draft editor Samuel Williams, clean up by Aimee Steinberger, camera composite by Scott Vanzo, digital ink and paint by Hugo Linares. Producers were David X. Cohen, Matt Groening, Richard Sakai and Paul D. Calder (also editor).
Climate Crisis Information
More information on climate change and actions for individuals and groups can be found at www.climatecrisis.net.