Project’s Progression

“Tropical Rainforests: the film” is an association founded in 2009 with the aim of promoting the production of a two hour film aimed at a wide audience. To be filmed in 3D, and set in three different continents: Amazonia, Africa and South East Asia,the project will be a technically difficult one.
Recently back from an exploratory expedition in Laos, Francis Hallé talks about the technical aspects of the film ( see heading: MissionIn Progress). He also gives details of a possible scientific mission.

Pre-scenario proposal by Francis Hallé and Edmond Dounias:

Tropical Rainforests: the Film

1 – General Aim

2 – Diverse Forests, Deforestation

3 – Primary Forest: Understory and Soils

4 – Forest Canopy

1 – GENERAL AIM

The gist of the film is to give a holistic portrayal of the forests’ grandeur, strength and serene beauty. A talented filmmaker will show that the forest can be understood without man’s presence by allocating to humans the minor role they deserve – since when has the rainforest had need of mankind. As a giant with feet of clay, the rainforest’s fragility lies in its diversity and complexity. Man’s ignorance of the subtle balance that exists could easily and rapidly be disastrous. Since ancient times, tribes have lived in the rainforest,in harmony with their surroundings. By making a pact with the forest, they have discreetly contributed to its history. Their example is a lesson in humility for the seemingly omniscient western world.

In the past, films claiming to promote the rainforest tend to have relegated it to a secondary role. Generally it is used as the decor, admittedly a majestic one, for heroic adventures. It is important that the forest is the principle actress in a ”one lady show”. The presence of man is to be only hinted at, in for example a distant chainsaw, which is heard but never seen. Besides the portrayal of the forest in its entirety, other areas broached will include : climatic events, flora and fauna, and plant animal interactions, etc. Without losing any of the aesthetic quality, the filmmaker will address an area of powerful intellectual interest.
It is important to consider our combat against ideas and myths that surround the tropical rainforests. Illusory dangers, fear, impenetrability, ” green hell” and other fantasies, dating back to colonial times, will be brought to light and illustrated by quoting historic sources on the subject.
Rather than dwelling on deforestation – a few strong images, such as the treefelling (see: Trees) are sufficient – our belief is that it is preferable to concentrate on the beauty, the specificity and the usefulness of the rainforest we risk losing for ever.
Music is to play a large part in the film and whether classical,modern or world music, it would to a large extent replace, as in the film Microcosmos, a spoken commentary.

1B Scenario Structure The scenario has been divided into thirty seven shots . Possibly some of these will not be filmed. The most important ones have been underlined, and given an abbreviation to indicate in which continent they are to be filmed. (Africa: Af; America: Am; Asia: As; Madagasgar: Mad; Melanesia:Mel). When no indication is given, it means the shot fits any continent and consequently, one continent may be substituted for another.
Unlike the work of our predecessors, the film aims to highlight the role of the plants in the rainforest. The animal kingdom will take a backseat. This reflects the true place of the fauna in the rainforest, where, apart from on the forest canopy, its presence is discreet.

2 - DIVERSE FORESTS, DEFORESTATION

2A Primary Rainforest At ground level, light is sparse ( 0,1% to 0,5%) because the canopy acts as a lid. The forest floor is bare and it would be possibile to explore the rainforest on a bike, cycling in and out of the enormous treetrunks.
The verticality of the forest and the horizontal architecture of its branches form an impressive mosaic.
”The paradox of the three continents” is that whether in Africa, Asia or Amazonia, the landscape, atmosphere, fragrances, noise, light etc. of the tropical rainforests are similar, if not identical. Yet not one species, plant or animal, is found in two different continents.

2B Water in the Rainforest An essential element of the rainforest, to be treated with the utmost importance and respect. Mist in the morning, and at night.Heavy rainfall daily, preceded by rolls of thunder. Lightning storms. Water running down tree trunks. Puddles of water covering the ground; streams forming in the undergrowth and feeding the largest hydraulic basins in the world.
A raindrop’s journey from a leaf to the deafening roar of a waterfall and to gargantuan rivers.
The flow of sap ( water circulating in the core of the vegetation): water liana.

2C Light Young trees and creeping plants climbing towards the light. At dawn and dusk, whilst the treetops are in full sunlight, it is still night in the undergrowth.The progression of the sun’s rays across the forest floor. Despite the rarity of light in the forest, the shimmering plants, and their own particular biology and ecology (comparison with life forms found in the ocean depths).
Breaks in the forest canopy ( broken trees, windthrow ) modifying the amount of light entering the forest and its consequence on forest regeneration.

2D – Strange Trees Small trees that collect humus at the base of their leaves.
Strangler figs and their floral biology.
Trees with stilt roots: Mangroves, Uapaca (Af.), Palmiers (Am.)
Cauliflorus trees ie.flowers growing on tree trunks.
Trees which flower at the base of their trunk: Baccaurea (As.)
Trees which sprout flowers from underground stems: Paraphyadanthe (Af.) ; others which have flowers growing from their leaves: Phyllobotyron (Af.)
Ebonies, Agarwood (As.), Balsa (Am.) etc.

2E – Giant Trees A tree’s lifetime can be split into three ages that can be categorized by: ”future trees” , ”trees of the present” or ”trees of the past”. Trees of the present : the camera pans down a treetrunk , slowly uncovering a 50 metre tree, the sheer height of which is difficult to comprehend from a standing point. Rubber trees, cambogia trees, trees that make a hissing sound if they get broken or cut. Buttress roots at the base of the trunk: Ceiba, Ficus, Pterocarpus, etc. The timidity which exists between trees of the same species, observed at ground level. In comparison to European trees, the large tropical trees often display spectacular flowers: Wapa, Couroupita, Vochysia, Couma(Am.), Spathodea, Baikiaea (Af.), ou Amherstia (As.)
Simultaneity in the treetops, as if spring, summer, autumn and winter were coexisting in the same tree.
Fixed camera to show in acceleration the differences between an evergreen and a deciduous tree.

2F Liana The least known of plants on the planet because of the difficulty entailed in cutting and transporting vines. Climbing mechanisms : twining, coiling tendrils, hooks, flagellum and grapnel-like hooks.
Film ”live” the rapid growth: like a clock’s hour hand.
Reaching considerable sizes (up to one metre in diametre) the liana remain supple: incisions made in the living plant reveal a superb anatomy, and sumptuous colours not meant to be seen. Water liana, cauliflorus liana, rubber liana. The combat between the vines and the trees. Follow a vine from the floor of the forest to its flowering tip in the forest canopy.

2G – Flooded Tropical Rainforests Mangroves, mangrove tree species, floating trees at high tide on the coast. Varzea et Igapo (Am.) : fresh water region. Travel by boat through the trees. Forest marshes, rivers under the trees.Raphia palm groves (Af.), Pandanus forests (Mel., Mad.).Metroxylon sagu marshes (As.),Palms with fearsome thorns. Isolated meanders (Am.) aquatic vegetation and spectacular fauna.

2H – Mountain Forests Pluviometry: several metres (between 4 and 10 or more) of water per year per square metre. At between 1000 et 2000 metres altitude, the trees are stunted with twisted trunks and sinuous branches covered with epiphytic plants.
The open canopy allows light to reach the undergrowth, and epiphytics reach right down to the forest floor.
Dendrobates: magnificent but very poisonous frogs.
At 300 metres we find the first plants evocative of Europe: brambles, madders, primroses, violets, etc.

2I – Tropical Deforestation Cite the importance without insisting too much on this point, for it is well known to the general public. Exploitation. Wood exports – timber and precious woods – to the industrialised world.
Opencast mining, the building of dams and roads, urbanisation, prospecting for gold, river pollution. Clearing for industrial agriculture.
Secondary forests (2J); fire and the transformation from forest to savanna.

2J – Secondary Forests The causes of secondary rainforests are mentioned below in (2L).
A disrupted canopy allows light to enter. The difficulty of covering ground in the jungle: cutting a path through the undergrowth at each step.
Pioneer trees(2K), similar looking light coloured treetrunks: fast growing, soft wood and large leaves pierced with holes.

2K – Pioneer Trees These large leafed trees have developed few biochemical defense mechanisms and have a short lifespan. Schizolobium is a genus that grow rapidly, Imbauba, Papayas, Manioc, Balsa (Am.). Umbrella tree, Anthocleista (Af.). Banana plant, Macaranga, Kadamba tree(As.).
Surplus germination; ”mass” suicide of genetically weak seedlings.
However, they play an important role in the healing of the great primary rainforest and the tall sciaphilous trees would not thrive without their necessary intervention.

2L Forest Dwellers
Archive film
In keeping with the spirit of authors describing their shock at the discovery of the forest, my suggestion is to use rare archive film to portray the forest dwellers. In doing so, we can reach a triple target:

Of honouring a rich, often overlooked, cinematographical heritage (fantastic documentary on the Second World War with remastered archive footage).

Of showing that the idyll between man and forest belongs to the past. The forest dwellers are a shadow of what they used to be. They have left their nomadic lifestyle for a sedentary one that is at odds with the forest. Understandably some forest dwellers aspire to modernity and globilization and this compromises their complicity with the forest.

Of making the transition to historical ecology, by having a grip on the recent past.

Historical ecology: The idea is to show how societies have lived for the duration in the forest without impairing its integrity. Their presence throughout this time has had a real impact on the forest. They have maintained its biodiversity, whilst influencing its distribution. It is only in the past 15 years or so that a handful of scientists have begun to show interest in the interaction between these age-old societies and the actual composition of the forests.
Certain so-called ”natural” forests are actually the result of a co-construction between man and nature, and their interaction accounts for the difficulty in distinguishing the workings of one from the other. The interactions are of a cyclic nature; after humans abandon an area of the forest, nature takes over. The resulting forest is undoubtably ”natural” but without man’s intervention, it would not have taken on this configuration.
This historical ecology can be broken down with the help of the following examples:

Orphan trees (Af.): those trees spared during agricultural clearing, go on to influence the floral make-up of post-agricultural forest regrowth, and they contribute to the diversification of the mosaic of forest.

Territorial paths used by nomadic people to go from one camping ground to the next, attenuate the plant composition and their distribution.

Domestication : resources remain spontaneous but their distribution is no longer random: sago (As.), açai palms (Am.), yams (Af.), arrow-root leaves for the building of pygmies’ hemispherical huts (Af.), semi-domestic pigs of Papua (As.), edible fruit: wild mangos and durian (As.), Anonidium (Af.), seeds used in sauces: Irvingia, Afrostyrax, Scorodophleus, Panda, Coula, Rhicinodendron(Af.)

Show the benefit on seed germination and on the implantation of useful plants, of repeated stays in the same temporary settlements (seed distribution as a result of cooking and eating, undergrowth cleared, left over ash and charcoal from fires, moderation of light as a result of selective tree felling) and how ressources (moabi, wild yam) are controlled by social rules of ownership.

Raised fields of coastal Guyana and the Terra Preta (Am.), despite looking like primary rainforest today, the black earth here, rich in charcoal and very fertile, is evidence of ancient agricultural activity.

In the ecotones of Africa between forest and grassland,describe the forest’s propensity to encroach on the savanna, especially in .parts of the savanna where villages once stood. The progress of the forest boundary in this transitional region has been induced and accelerated unconsciously by man’s presence.

Human interpretation of the forest islands in Guinea Conakry, as vestiges of ancient rainforest, when in fact they represent edaphic savanna colonized by ”man-made” forests (Leach and Fairhead ”Misreading the African landscape1996”.See the film, ”Second Nature).

The role of sacred woods as sanctuaries of biodiversity.The challenge is to tell these stories about the positive mark left by man on the forest landscape whilst showing man as little as possible. Man is merely background music, part of the backdrop, in an attempt to reverse the trend in the film industry of using the forest as decor.

An alternative approach to the presence of man in the forest: Rare examples of two-way relationships that exist beween man and animals; linger over the specificity of bird symbolism for forest dwellers.
Birds are rarely eaten because of the difficulty involved in catching them and the meagre meal they represent. Only children prey on birds (they run no risk from eating them, as children are seen as ”innocents ”).
However for adults – because of the bird’s symbolic function – many taboos surround the eating of bird meat. The bird’s ability to sing, to fly and to stay relatively close to man are the three aptitudes which earn it a unique position in the animal kingdom. They act as fantastic mediators between man and the forest’s supernatural forces. Often guiding man to key-ressources, and warning him ( of imminent danger, of the wrath of the gods..) Pygmies are able to recognise different species of birds for signalling a dangerous snake, or for guiding them to an elephant, buffalo, bushpig, yam or honey.
Describe the relationship between honey gatherers and honeybirds, as an example of mutual aid between the two. The latter feed exclusively on bees’ wax and waxworms, and they depend on humans, or other large mammals to procure their food. Once pygmies have collected the honey, they always leave some empty honeycomb to thank the honeybird for guiding them to the hive.
If we were obliged to show contempory film of the last societies living in the forest ( I am against doing this), it would be with the intention of finishing with the clichéd arcadian image of forest dwellers, still upheld by certain medias. No more fantasy stuff about forest dwellers: victims of rife alcoholism, obesity, cancer, homelessness, psychological troubles, sexually transmitted diseases, prostitution and social injustice.
Underline how today’s forest dwellers are both actors and victims of a confused attempt to adapt, wwhich has disastrous consequences for the forest. What bothers me about showing such images, is that it is the opposite of the positive and beautiful message we would like our film to put out.

3 The Primary Rainforest: The Undergrowth

3a Dawn Chorus Maximum humidity: dense mist, from the forest floor to the canopy.Background noise, water dripping through the trees and hitting the leaves at different levels. The dawn chorus: the concert of birdsong at the break of dawn coming from all around. The impression of a three dimensional sonar universe.

3b Plants adapted to the shade Due to falling debris, plants with tiny seeds only grow on a vertical support, for example, on rocks in the undergrowth or on the base of tree trunks. Many different coloured, often unusual pigments: polychrome leaves of the Marantaceae and Jewel orchids etc. The underleaf in most of these plants is purple. Black leaves of the Geogenanthus (Am.); petrol-coloured sheen. Begonias’ and Selaginelles’ leaves sheened with blue. Superb Amorphophallus titanum and its marbled petiole (As.). Plants without chlorophyl or leaves: saprophytes, Burmanniaceae and Gentianaceae (Am.), Geosiris (Mad.). Parasites: the fungal-like Balanophoraceae, Helosis (Am.), Rafflesia (As.). The epiphyls, epiphytic plants on leaves in the undergrowth. Long-veiled mushrooms: Dictyophora, Clathrus.

3C The Architecture of Future Trees. The undergrowth is home to numerous examples of young trees with a spectacular architecture. Types of Corner trees without branches: Oncostemon (Mad.) or Tapeinosperma (Mel.) Types of which look like the Coffea: Dipterocarpes or Ylang-ylang (As.), Castilloa (Am.) with pruned branches. Superb fan-shaped branches: Terminalia. Trunks like bayonets : Cacao tree (Am.), Alstonia (Af.).

3d – Small animals of the undergrowth Camouflage and immobilization strategies: Phyllies (As.). Arthropods often bigger than average: giant Scorpion (Af.), giant Cockroach or Tarantulas (Am.), giant lules and Woodlice (As.), giant centipedes (As.).Leeches (As., Mad.), Crabs on the forest floor.Giant Molluscs: Snails (Af.).Tireless bees without stings, foraging in every nook and cranny (Af. Am.), giant bees which settle in the limbs of the great Koompassia (A. dorsata) or take shelter under rocks (A. cerana) Beetles on the inflorescences of the Astrocaryum Palms (Am.). Weevil larvae on the trunks of the rafia tree. The unbelievable diversity of the fauna living on palms (60 spp. Specific to the oil palm, 165 to the coconut palm etc.) Underground fauna, fauna living on the surface, in the debris, on stalks and tree trunks, on leaves, on the canopy…
Film the most beautiful butterfly in the world, the Morpho butterfly (Am.).

3E – Ants and their habitat A marker of the primary rainforest: ants killed by the Cordyceps fungi. Columns of army ants: Anomma,Dorylus (Af.) Giant flying ants: Magnans (Af.) Columns of Atta ants carrying remnants of leaves (Am.) to be buried.The ”ant gardens” (Am.) Ant plants: Cecropia (Am), Mullerian bodies located at the base of the leaves, hollowed stems where the ants live with the commensal fauna. Barteria (Af.), Tococca, Maieta, Duroia (Am.), Dischidia (As.), Khortalsia (ants which bang against the side of the plant cavity, causing the plant to vibrate). The summum of plant-ant cooperation: ”Devil’s Balls”, Myrmecodia (As, Mel): external view, section, function.

3F – The Animals of the Undergrowth Snakes are timid and large animals are a rare sight, except for lemurs (Mad.). Chameleons and Geckos (Mad.).
Humming Birds and flightless birds (Am). Flying Lizards (As).
Gorillas, Duikers, Pangolins and flying Squirrels (AF).
Anteaters, Armadillos, Bats under the leaves (Am).
Elephant dung, tadpoles swimming in elephants tracks (AF).
Turtles eating mushrooms.
Frogs mimicking dead leaves (Am).
Clutches of amphibian eggs in riverside leaves.

3G -A Network of biotic interactions The Artibeus Fruit Bat disperses the Imbauba (Cecropia) seeds.The Imbauba is a pioneer tree, which grows in profusion where trees have been severely uprooted.
The Aztec ants live in the Imbauba tree, where they rear mealybugs and defend their host against predators. The Aztec ants will, however, tolerate the Ant gardens in the branches of the Imbauba and they also tolerate the sloth.
Sloth fur is host to a unicellular species of cynobacteria which makes it green. Their coat is also home to butterflies, for whom it is an exclusive ecological niche.
Sloths are “carriers” of Leishmania with flagellum.
Leishmania is spread by sandflies,the tiny Diptera phlebotomus, Lutzomia. Bites cause the disease leishmaniasis, which for humans, can go via a metastasis causing death.
Gradually, this network of biotic interactions involves the whole forest.

3H – Coevolution of plants and animals: source of new species(Am). The Heliconius butterfly lays its eggs on the Passiflora, the caterpillars hatch and eat the passion flower leaves.The Passiflora changes genetically, becoming poisonous. The butterfly changes genetically, adapting to the poison food, becoming noxious itself. Each stage is controlled by a genetic modification. The poisonous Heliconius, adopts bright wing colour patterns to dissuade any predators. Batesian mimicry:harmless butterflies adopt warning colours. The genus Passiflora diversifies the shape of its leaves. Heliconius collects watermelon pollen, a rich nutrient which enables the butterfly to live longer and to memorise different leaf forms of the passion vine. The passion vine sets out ‘false eggs’ which ressemble those of the heliconius and dissuade the latter to lay. The response of the Heliconius is awaited in anticipation.The accumulation of genetic changes corresponds to the appearance of many new species of Heliconius and Passiflora.

3I Undergrowth: The Afternoon Heat A talented film maker will be capable of conveying the ”heavy weather” which develops each day at about 4pm. In the patchs of forest where trees have been uprooted, the wilted leaves of the pioneer trees. Particular noises associated with the heatwave: pods and capsules bursting in the tree tops and seeds falling to the ground. Some seeds acting as projectiles.Cicadas as loud as an electric arc. Whilst many other animals remain silent. The sound of cracking debris underfoot.It becomes dark, shadows fade and the wind grows stronger: the storm is close by.

3J Storm in the Sous Bois Real danger: dead branches and epithitic plants blown down by the wind.The sound of a wall of water approaching; the rain lasts about an hour. When the sun comes out again, the undergrowth steams like pavements in a town after a shower.The fauna comes back to life: revival of the forest concert.Variation on the theme of water: many plants secrete water from their leaves.The streams in the undergrowth become torrential.

3K Tropical Forest Ferns. Ferns are plants associated with humidity,and are particularly fascinating. Show the technical aspects of the 2 phases in a fern’s life, N and 2N. Arborescent ferns reaching heights of 10 metres. Epiphitic ferns, aquatic ferns and creeping ferns. Ferns which produce spores and ferns with creeping stolons.Microscopic transclucid ferns at the base of trees: Hyménophylles.

3L Water Associated Fauna. Snails, Achatina, Slugs and Molluscs without shells. Leeches on the forest floor, or perched in low branches, awaiting their prey. Frogs, Tree Frogs. Multi-coloured Dendrobates found in dark zones of forest. Goliath frogs, whistler frogs (Af.) Crabs on forest floor, Shrimps and Cayman in streams and rivers. Mangrove: Periophtalmus, amphibious fish on the branches of mangrove plants.
Manatees, dugong (AF), Amazon dolphin (Am), huge catfish.

3M Strange fruit, Unexpected seeds Cacao pods (Am.) or Tambourissa (Mad.) Fruit growing from tree trunk, Fig trees or Omphalocarpum (Af.) Cauldron-shaped fruit of the Lecythidaceae (Am.) Colourful fruit, Cola (Af.) Achiote and Genipa (Am.) Durian, the king of all fruits (As.) Flying wings of the Zizania (As.) Anthology of flying seeds, their multiple arabesques. Fibre of the Kapok tree. Tarry cavities of the Saccoglottis seeds which enable them to float.Giant pods from the Entada which reach up to 1.80m (Af.) Fruit with scales: Raphia (Af.), Moriche Palm (Am.) Rotins and Sago (As.) Seeds and germinations: undergrowth, place where rotting and renewal goes on.

3N – Forest Soils High microbe activity leads to the quick disappearance of organic material: red, yellow or white soil.Abundant underground life: symbiotic root fungi, specialist roots.Insects, Collembola, Nematodes, Onychophora, Mites,etc Underground ants nests and termite nests.; mushroom cultures. Burrowing Mammals: Armadillos (Am), Echidna (Mel), Pangolins (Af.), bearded wild boar of Borneo, Babirusa (As.)

3O – Roots Trees with aerial roots: Mangroves, Pandanus (Af. As. Mad.) Uapaca (Af.) Tree trunks made up of roots: Banyan fig trees, arborescent Ferns.Roots in the leaves of the Dischidia (As.) Roots encircling a Palm, or a dead tree,either upright or not. Roots on the temple of Angkor in Cambodia.Soldered roots of the Okoumé in Gabon.Roots under ”repetition” (?)

3P Night in the Sous-Bois The storm has passed,lightning far in the distance,no thunder. Phosphorescent fungi on the forest floor. Fireflies, Glow Worms, Fulgor,etc. A hunt for insects in the undergrowth using a light to lure them. Shining eyes in the beams of the torches: Tupai, Potto, Bats, Genets, Civets, Hyraxes, Pangolins,Anteaters.Phenomenal nocturnal time activity of fauna (large and small) and flora (plant respiration, rapid growth of vines). Contredict idea that night is for ”sleeping” (possibly film a chimpanzee nest); reveal how growth and regeneration happens, to a large extent, at night. Towards midnight the mist begins to rise: cold air. Compare to high temperature during the day, and contrast with idea that in the tropics the temperature remains constant.

4 The Primary Forest Canopy 4A - Access to the Canopy: some technical aspects.Climbers.Trained monkeys (As.)Towers, cranes, walkways.The Guyana ”COPAS project” (Am.)”Forest Canopy Raft” equipment: raft, sledge, balloon, cineballoon, Icos and tree canopy glider/surfer.

4B The Climb Climbing material, preparation, departure. The climb itself: forest stratification comes into view. Fatigue.Gradual increase in light from 0.5% on the forest floor to 100% at the level of the forest canopy. Close up view of tips of tree tops ,seen from below, and their demure calmness.

4C Tree top Forms All shades of green, all shapes of tree top: dense crowns or uppermost part of tree split into many tiny tree tops, pointed, spherical, curvacious or flat crowns.”Windthrow”, a hole in the canopy caused by a fallen tree. The view from above, far down to the undergrowth, to the pioneer trees and the glistening streams.The flowers and all their colours.Desynchronization found in the same tree top. Intricate pattern in the canopy made up of trees and vines. Blue tree tops in the distance.Circulation in the high branches: access to epiphitic plants of the canopy.

4D Epiphytic Gardens The tall trees are carriers of epiphytic plants from the forest floor up, but the real epiphytic gardens are found at a height, a few metres below the forest canopy. Seeds carried by ants create the major part of the gardens (3E) (Am.) The main plants growing there are Moss, Ferns, Orchids, Begonias, Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Utriculaires, Melastomataceae, Ericaceae, Rubiaceae, Apocynaceae, etc. Rarer types of epiphitic plants such as the cactus and the gentian are also found.

4E Flora and Fauna of the Bromeliaceae aquariums (Am.) Throughout tropical America, the Bromeliaceae family makes up a significant part of the epiphytic flora. The largest of which act as aquariums or rain gauges.Some Bromeliaceae aquariums, suspended high up in the tall trees, contain up to 20 litres of water. At the foot of the plant, fauna live in a terrarium: Geophis snakes, spiders, scorpions and insects etc.Meanwhile the aquarium provides shelter for shellfish,insect larvae, sandflies, tadpoles and diverse amphibians; the aquatic flora includes unicellular algae and Utriculairia.

4F – Insects of the Forest Canopy Ants in surabundace. Ant hills and termite nests in the trees. Jewel-like beetles: Cetoines,Carabes, Longicornes, Charançons, Cassides, Ladybirds, Buprestes etc.Insects which mimic other insects.Floral biology of figs.( The importance of a collaboration with entomologists).

4G Reptiles, amphibians,birds and mammals Lizards, Chameleons, (Af. Mad.) Tree frogs. Birds of Prey, night birds. Hummingbirds going from one flower to another (Am.) Squirrels and Flying Squirrels. Ahua or Dendrohyax (Af.) Bats stopping on nocturnal flowers. Monkeys. Howler Monkeys (Am.) Lemurs (Mad.) Sloths (Am.) Orangatans(As.) (Collaboration with zooligists essential).

4H Forest Canopy in the Storm Convey the sense of extreme heat at the end of the afternoon. ”Heavy weather”: white sky, no shade, silence, daily heatwave. Arrival of cumulonimbus clouds. Violent gale before the storm. Arrival of wall of water: characteristic noise. Thunder and lightning. Storm passes, can be heard in the distance: leaves glisten, steam rises from canopy. Dragonflies sweeping through the air. The sun returns and the fauna starts up again.

4I Forest Canopy at Night Far away lightning but the thunder has stopped. From dusk , the sound of the nocturnal concert.No moon ; the milky way, fireflies.Tree Frogs, insects, night birds, Ahua (Af.) The ”pulsation” of the concert which lasts until the dawn chorus. (3A) The night there is no moon, following the rain, an insect hunt; armed with a light trap, in order to come face to face with the biodiversity at its sheer maximum: millions of insects.On other occasions, the horizontal moon of the tropics, or the full moon on the forest canopy.

Conclusion

As I have already mentioned, our intention is not to film all the frames; this would take a lifetime. On the other hand, we are bound to film quality scenes which we hadn’t set out to film. Here, we are in the cradle of biodiversity on Earth. Note that although the novice might not initially see the interest, some images will be of great wonder to the expert eye.

A final important remark concerning the undergrowth. We are dedicated in our portrayal of the austere character of the undergrowth and refuse to go down the road of the angelic ecologists by showing endless images of magnificent plants and animals.

.Francis Hallé – Edmond Dounias – February 2010

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