posted 10-06-2011 03:19 PM               

Moonbug

"It is a rare and wonderful experience to visit the men who went to the moon. Steve Pyke has done it – and thanks to Nichola Bruce's compelling film Moonbug, everyone else can come along." — Andrew Chaikin, author, A Man on the Moon

Bitten by the 'Moonbug', photographer Steve Pyke set out on a journey across America in his search to meet and photograph the Apollo space pioneers. A journey in which he was to meet the adventurers, risk takers and dreamers who were behind one of the most historic endeavors of our time.

From living rooms and moonscape deserts to Cape Canaveral, Steve captures these men in frank, revealing portraits while unraveling their very personal and divergent memories.

Documented by filmmaker Nichola Bruce with rare archive footage and an original score by Matt Johnson (The The), Moonbug is both a photographic road trip and an exploration of how photographs become signposts for history.

posted 02-19-2013 10:06 AM               

It was filmed in 1998 and one of the highlights features Richard Gordon attending Pete Conrad's home.

Wally Schirra is also interviewed and shows off his knowledge of photography.

posted 02-23-2013 07:02 AM            

The photographer Steve Pyke chats with the subjects rather than interviews them but this approach coupled with the candid nature of the filming makes the film all the more endearing.

The conversations may have been all too brief but having met several of the guys featured it captures an essence of each pretty well. ...particularly Fred Haise.

My only criticism is harsh in as much as the film left me wanting more; more conversations with more astronauts.

I noticed other astronauts thanked in the credits including Al Worden and Charlie Duke; surely a missed opportunity to have filmed one or more crewmen from each flown Apollo mission.

The film served also to heighten my regret at not having met Pete Conrad and Wally Schirra.

posted 03-11-2013 08:57 AM               

But there is too much fluff in the midst of these snippets. Almost every interview starts with close up shots of the photographer setting up his tripod and camera and his assistant unveiling a black back drop. Then we see them changing lenses, loading and rewinding film etc. He seems interested in his equipment and technique as much as his subjects. I don't agree with that, and I don't thnk an old twin lens reflex camera is noteworthy. Yet the photographer goes on and on about how it's his first camera and how he's loathe to use anything else.

The photos themselves are all of a certain style. You can't avoid that if you put a camera a foot from someone's face and use the same background for every shot. This method brings out the wrinkles and fine hair in people, but I don't think it gives much insight into their character.

posted 02-13-2024 09:38 AM               

Filmaker Nichola Bruce has returned my email to tentatively suggest that there may be an 'extended version' of Moonbug released which would include some 'behind the scenes footage' that wasn't included in the original release, specifically 'So that the filmed meetings can be more fully shown'.

She added that funding may be an issue.