ON THE CLIFFS OF THE FAROE ISLANDS
In 1965, the Territory of Others crew took on the cliffs of the Faroe Islands, where thousands of seabirds come to nest and breed.
Presented with cliffs over 300 metres in height, they accepted the challenge…
After several failed attempts at scaling the cliffs, and fully aware of the difficulty of the task before them, they decided to develop a contraption that would do away with the need to lean against overly steep and slippery rocks.
Gérard Vienne / co-director
Guillemots on the cliffs of the Faroe Islands
To help them reach the various bird species of the islands, the crew designed an autonomous hoist that would enable them to move up and down a rope ‘like a spider along a spider’s web ’.
Gérard Vienne / co-director
Video excerpt
33”
The Territory of Others / Faroe Islands
Guillemots on the cliffs of the Faroe Islands
Made for the purposes of the shoot, the hoist, which is operated with the help of a small engine on which the filmmaker sits, can move around amongst the birds, adapt to different terrains, and be directed to shoot from different angles.
Gérard Vienne / co-director
These birds, which spend their entire lives at sea, only coming ashore to nest, know nothing of humans and therefore do not see them as enemies.
This makes it ‘easier’ to avoid disturbing them as we film their lives. Getting closer to them is another matter, however…
Atlantic puffins on the cliffs of the Faroe Islands
‘A bird like any other’, the filmmaker becomes a close observer that conveys the emotion experienced upon encountering a foreign territory…
Gérard Vienne / co-director
Video excerpt
35”
The Territory of Others / Faroe Islands
Northern gannet colony West Ireland
Video excerpt
33”
The Territory of Others / Faroe Islands
