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The making of Insect Man

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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

Insect1 When I first visited the "Red Villa" in Sérignan 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.
Magnify 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."
Insect 3 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.

Fabre Sadly, of the rich biota during Fabre's time, only a few sanctuaries remain. Ninety percent of the film was shot in France.
Insect2 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


1 The Insect Man by Eleanor Doorly (Author), Walter De La Mare (Introduction), Robert Gibbings (Illustrator) was first published in 1936. Written for children it has a family visiting France to learn about Fabre's work. Paperback copies of later editions can be found on www.amazon.co.uk for 50p with older hardback copies selling for up to £20.
2 Century Optics has merged with Schneider Optics. See their website www.schneideroptics.com.


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