A Nature Documentary About Humans
SYNOPSIS
A story that feels and looks like a nature documentary—a story about people living in a remote area and what connects them. No interviews, only verite footage that feels like an old black and white film.
Think Planet Earth meets Chef's Table.
Set in the Westman Islands of Iceland, Human Thread will show each member of this small community, learning about them from far away, only to be brought in closer and closer to their lives. A chef, a fisherman, a teacher, a baker, a puffin caretaker, a child. Each story unfolds and shows us what life is like for a remote community, and what connects them.
30 minute stories told over 6 episodes.
EPISODES
Ep. 1 - Chef, Gísli Matt
Ep. 2 - Fisherman, TBD
Ep. 3 - Teacher, TBD
Ep. 4 - Baker, TBD
Ep. 5, Caretaker, TBD
Ep. 6 - Child, TBD
STORY ARC
Each episode will focus on one member of this small community off the coast of Iceland. The first season will focus on one area, the Westman Islands, population 4,600. Rather than a typical three act structure of a narrative, each episode will follow a simple formula:
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Who is the character?
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What makes his daily routine interesting or unique?
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How does he contribute to the community?
From this, we will learn of the unique viewpoint of this character, and start to see what life is like for someone on the other side of the world.
VOICE
One of the hallmarks of nature documentaries like Planet Earth is the lack of on-camera interviews. They achieve their storytelling through observation and voiceover.
Human Thread will adopt this same approach by only using voiceover and never showing a single interview.
This is a deviation from most conventional documentaries, but will be a part of the main storytelling devices in the series. Instead, the audience will hear a voiceover of a small child, someone who is a younger member of the community. This will provide an opportunity to observe adults and their behaviors in a new way, as well as a few likely comedic moments. This will tie into the 6th episode when that same child will narrate their own story.
THREAD
What ties each person, each story together?
On January 23rd, 1973, when the island was asleep, a crack opened up in the earth. When the islanders woke up from the sound of emergency sirens and stepped outside, they could see lava spewing out of a fissure 2 miles long, with smoke and ash billowing in the air. Eldfell——what was a meadow moments before——had erupted.
The entire island was evacuated that night, and in the coming months, less than a third of the population would return. This event has shaped Heimaey and its community, even to younger generations who weren't alive during the blast.
A Chef relies on the Fisherman, the Fisherman visits the Baker, the Baker is related to the Caretaker, and so on. Just as the island is tied together in Edfell's eruption in 1973, so are the daily lives of the islanders today——and this is a part of Human Thread.
PRODUCTION TEAM
On-site production team for Human Thread
“An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfillment."
- Sir David Attenborough