Have you seen any thought-provoking documentaries lately? Documentary films offer an in-depth look at the world in many different aspects. Documentaries provide an opportunity to understand and connect with the world, they are also a great way to gather together with friends to watch and engage around the important issues of our times. Watching more documentaries is important, but talking about them together in person is equally important. The dialect brought about by many documentaries is often controversial because they remind us of the real people on the opposite side of an issue, the complexity and nuances of the different conditions in which we live, and the importance of honest and earnest discussions.
Recently, I got the chance to watch the documentary Chasing Ice. The documentary shows the breath-taking ways global warming is affecting glaciers in the Arctic. “In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk” (2018), Balog realized he had more than just a documentary here.
The importance of Balog’s environmental photography captures the way the Earth’s climate is warming up, resulting in glaciers melting and our ocean’s water volume increasing. Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Balog finds himself at the end of his tether. Battling untested technology in subzero conditions, he comes face to face with his own mortality. It takes years for Balog to see the fruits of his labor. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice “depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet” (2018) that change is needed in order to preserve what is left of our planet. “Chasing Ice has screened the film around the world in over 172 countries, 70 universities, over 75 film festivals, the White House and even the United Nations. Creating a film is only half the process. Our team believes it is of equal responsibility for film makers to actively share the film as publicly and to as many diverse audiences as possible” (2018) allowing for huge conversations and mass dialects on the way the planet is reacting to human evolution.
Documentaries are, in my opinion, a tool of knowledge. Through documentaries, we are able to connect to the globe, and to engage in activities that may influence our collective future. After watching Chasing Ice, I am more conscious of when and where I need to drive my car as the carbon emissions gasoline burn-off creates harms the planet. Chasing Ice has successfully opened a platform for conversation on climate change. With over 54 contributors listed on their “About: Chasing Ice” website page, I’d like to think Jason Balog’s boldest expedition was more than worth it!
With over 54 million views on YouTube, I’d like to think Chasing Ice has reached mass media. This documentary is considered a part of popular media as millions of individual’s have generated a very serious conversation about the concerns of global warming. This documentary, no matter how many times I watch it, I get the chills. Well worth the time taken to be watched!
Sources:
https://chasingice.com/ourimpact/
Lauren Fischer 