Blog action day

The natural environment around us is not only the lifeblood of Earth-Touch, we feel it’s also the lifeblood of the planet.

Unfortunately, elsewhere, film-makers sometimes compromise their principles by harming the environment they are in to get that important piece of footage they need.

We’ve heard all sorts of stories – from simple things like trees being cut down to rare birds having their nests disturbed, in the name of getting that prize-winning shot.

Sadly, this behaviour is not rare, nor does it seem to arouse the kind of universal outrage that it should.

This is not the way we do things at Earth-Touch. Instead of talking about how we need to protect our natural environment, we have published our Code of Conduct which clearly spells out how every writer, photographer, film-maker, editor and member of staff is committed to respecting and preserving the environment.

When you see wildlife footage on www.earth-touch.com you see real life, without harming the natural environment.

We welcome the topic of Blog Action Day 2007 and encourage all our readers and subscribers to get involved. Fifteen thousand blogs and 12 million readers can surely make a difference in working towards a better future.

- by Brian Palmer, Earth-Touch

Can you believe everything you watch?

By Brian Palmer, head honcho

I’ve just read an article about a British TV show that was about surviving in the wild, using ‘nothing but a water bottle, a cup and a flint for making fire’. As it turns out the presenter was staying in hotels and being fed pancakes. The producers say that the show was a ‘how to’ and not an ‘observational documentary’ – but what they don’t say is that they happily misled their audience to believe that the show was real.

Which leads me nicely to Earth-Touch – what we show you is 100% real. Whatever is happening in those parts of the world we happen to be filming on that day is what we show our audience – we laughed in the Earth-Touch office on our launch day that it would have been nice to have some great white sharks or some lions in the lead story position – but we launched with a calm and peaceful river estuary and two wollynecked storks because that’s what happened on that day. Who knows what we’ll get tomorrow?

Check out the article here

Earth-Touch field crew VS the crew of the Black Pearl (Pirates of the Caribbean)

By Brian Palmer, head honcho

They might look pretty similar, and smell the same after a month or two in the field, but there are some essential differences:

Earth-Touch Field Crew
Crew of the Black Pearl

Love sharks
Get eaten by sharks

Evil Earth-Touch directors
Evil Captain Barbossa

Wash once a month
Wash once a week

Tripod legs
Wooden legs

Filmed treasure
Buried treasure

Drink river water
Drink rum

Camera eye
Wooden eye

Malaria infested
Scurvy riddled

Still alive (just)
Living undead

Pet camera assistants
Pet monkey

Clean camera equipment
Swab the decks

Curse when not paid
Paid in cursed Aztec gold

Welcome to Earth-Touch!

By Richard van Wyk and Brian Palmer
(Earth-Touch head honchos)

It's taken many years to finally arrive at this point – the test launch of Earth-Touch.com, to a group of 100 friends, relatives and generally clever people we'd like to associate ourselves with, and whose opinions we value. Earth-Touch strives to connect people better with the natural world as it is now so that they can marvel at its beauty in a medium - the world wide web - that is more immediate, personal and interactive than a TV set or a cinema screen.

There's nothing new in the idea that the earth can be compared to a living organism. We are part of that organism, cohabiting with a diversity of species and landscapes that live, change and die in perpetual rhythm, as we do ourselves. How much more we would know and understand about this planet if we could just see it unfold in front of us as wildlife film-makers do? And not have to wait for ages to do so, when what we’re watching becomes removed from the present? We believe in presenting something simpler, more continuous, something that will connect us better.

We invite you to join our crews daily and witness the beauty of this planet as they do. This is your space and opportunity to connect with the earth. Be part of the wilderness we co-habit. We would like you to join us in sharing our special locations and to become part of the process.

You are one of just 100 people whom we're letting loose on Earth-Touch. We hope you'll give us your honest feedback and constructive comments as you enjoy new technology in action, capturing some of the beauty of life on earth as it takes place.

Start to engage with us RIGHT NOW by posting a comment of what you think so far on this blog entry.

Thank you for taking this first, tentative step out into the world with us! May we enjoy an exciting and wonderful journey together...