Behind-The-Scenes Of Making A Documentary

 

I have begun the phase of editing my documentary. I still don't have a title! I've had some challenges with technology but finally worked things out. To be expected I am sure. I've been slowly but surely transferring footage collected since 2006-2007...culminating in this recent trip to UK and Europe in 2024 for more interviews. 

I made a little video here on my phone...just showing how I've been going to my co-editors place in Wisconsin about an hour from my apartment in Chicago to work on the doc. I hope to share more updates as I go along...likely on Patreon Page and here....I've actually been posting on Patreon the places we stayed in Europe...kind of fun!

Tuscany...Citta Di Castello

In February, 2024, we were continuing our way part sightseeing...but part going to meet people I was interviewing for my documentary. We met up with an online friend in Citta di Castello taking trains and buses. Tuscany is so much like one imagines from movies and the motifs of Italian restaurants LOL. This medieval city is walled and on the Tiber River. Some have theorized it was the birthplace of the Renaissance...but I'm not sure that's true.

We walked around the walled city one day and along the Tiber River.

This was a main square in the small village/city. We had some great lunches, coffee and walking around here. The region is Umbria and the city along the Tiber was begun in 3 century BC.

Some scenes from the bus we took from Arezzo.

 One of the gates to the walled city.

The Round Tower, Copenhagen

We were in Denmark in February 2024. It's taken me a while to catch up and post more photos. I will keep loading today along with some other current photos. I have always been fascinated by Tyhco Brahe. He was an astronomer, alchemist and philosopher observing the night sky before the invention of the telescope.

The Round Tower, or Rundetaarn, is a 17th century building attached to a church in the very busy city of Copenhagen. It was built for astronomy. Hans Christian Andersen was obsessed with the tower and used it for inspiration in some of his stories.

Inside I saw this rendition of the tower which I thought was pretty cool.

In tis curved ceiling you can see a map of the stars and below that...on the curved ceiling is a lens for observing the sky....but there is an outdoor roof.

The views from this roof were stunning. Sometimes there was a legend so you could identify the buildings still existing.

As you can see it's quite a dominant feature in the old city.

We had a fairly cold wet day for our excursion...Stagg is not a fan of rain but he was a trooper. We also went for a nice lunch after LOL...which I share photos of our trip on my Patreon Page

A detail on the tide of the tower.

As one walks up the tower...no lift or elevator! There are windows with more fantastic views. And I suppose a light source for climbing the tower.

A lovely coffee shop and area for rest and for kids to play as well as a gift shop.

Here is a better photo of the star map.

As we started walking up the tower we were amazed there were no stairs. I thought it was to save space and money from brick laying...no it was so horses could deliver the astronomers and Kings!!!! Can you imagine riding a horse up here? My god.

Inside the tower was a shaft...partly for a toilet yuck 

Copenhagen was one of our favorite stops on our trip.

A doorway exists between the base of the tower into the church. I thought this demonstrated how tolerant the church was for science. Not at all...back then the powers that be...the church...were supporting observation of the stars, astronomy, science in order to improve navigation...for colonization. Hmmm...booo...but at least we did have astronomers.