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Have you noticed that language can so often get us into trouble? We try to say one thing but it can then  get interpreted in different ways. This is because language is so subtle. For example when Bohr and Heisenberg explored the nature of the quantum world they asked themselves “what is quantum reality”. Heisenberg’s answer was that it lay in the mathematics. But Bohr objected that every time physicists gather round the blackboard to discuss this mathematics they do so in ordinary language. And the language we speak, be in English, Danish or German, contains all sort of hidden

Towards the end of his life Bohm often talked about wholeness and the threats to wholeness posed by fragmentation. He had come to believe that one path towards wholeness of the individual and society lay in a form of dialogue. In this approach around 30 or so people meet on a regular basis with no theme, no goal and no leader. At first their discussions are polite and avoid controversy, at the same time a level of trust builds. Then as the dialogue continues it becomes possible for more controversial topics to come up and for people to get more

Now we come to one of the key figures who was to influence one aspect of Bohm’s life, Jiddu Krishnamurti.  As a young man Krishnamurti had been discovered by Annie Besant and hailed as the reincarnation of one of the great world teachers. He was placed at the head or the Order of the Star. However Krishnamurti dissolved the organization declaring that “truth is a pathless land”. However he continued to give teachings in Ojai, California, Brockwood Park, England, and in Switzerland. Bohm became interested in Krishnamurti and arranged for an initial meeting in London. During their conversation Krishanmurti greeted

One of the most shocking things about David Bohm’s life is the way he was silenced by the scientific community in the shape of J. Robert Oppenheimer. While in was in California Bohm became a member of Oppenheimer’s group and came to see Oppenheimer as a father figure. He attended Oppenheimer’s lectures and learned how the physicist has spent time with Neils Bohr in Copenhagen and discussed the meaning of the quantum theory. When Bohm moved to Princeton he became a friend and neighbor of Einstein and continued to discuss quantum theory with him. He also decided to write a

As a filmmaker I know that a documentary film can be described as a form of motion picture or a series of images and sounds which are intended to document some aspect or aspects of reality. However, the documentary genre, with its inherent drive to document reality, has to give consideration to how the recorded ‘reality’ is subject to the filmmakers’ interpretation. Essentially we have two distinct aspects which, in Bohmian speak are, the ever changing and evolving nature of reality itself and the objective-subjective interpretation of that reality through various means – be it through philosophy, literature, religion, science,

Read Part 1 As I have previously stated, the range of material covered by documentary includes biography, natural history, science, wildlife, entertainment and comedy and various combinations of all of the above; but there is also a further sub-division that embraces the above but refines it even more. Effectively this brings us to the consideration of what we refer to as ‘observational’ type documentary and ‘non-observational documentary’. Observational refers to material, which is gathered within a particular context where we the audience become observers of what is actually happening in front of the lens. Usually this is not set up

Read Part 1 | Part 2 The interview One of the very important elements in a documentary, regardless of genre, is the quality of the interviewees and indeed the Presenter, that is if the documentary or series of documentaries is going to be ‘presenter led’. This is the equivalent to casting movie stars in a movie. The interviewees and/or presenter are the stars of the documentary and should be selected very carefully. These are the people, men and women collectively, who are going to give individual perspectives on the core subject matter of the documentary and help bring it to

Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Visuals Next on the planning agenda are the visuals. Where is filming going to take place, what are the locations that are going to provide the backdrop to the film and provide most of the visual material. Separate to actual locations, visuals may also include possible archival material to be sourced in libraries, which may be either moving picture and still footage or a combination of both. Animation may also be employed to illustrate ideas or situations that require illustration not possible through other practical means. In the case of the