24h Berlin – A Day in the Life
24h Berlin is television's longest programme ever: No actors, no screenplay, no tricks – just real life. A 24-hour documentary, told in real-time, that was aired September 5th, 2009 starting at 6AM on Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb), ARTE, VPRO (Holland) and on YLE Teema (Finnland).
The journey begins
On September 5th, 2008, a story both intimate and exotic began in Berlin, a story told from the perspective of the people. Exactly a year before the broadcast, 80 camera teams immersed themselves in the lives of Berliners, for 24 hours.
The film strives for an up-to-date image of life in a modern metropolis while simultaneously providing broad evidence of our present: The reality of work, family life, city spaces, fears and dreams, fleeting moments and relationships in their naturally colourful forms – they all interact with one another, with the city as the stage that binds them together.
More than the sum of its parts
The diversity of the parallel lives and realities comes to light when images of the city blend with portraits, conversations, encounters and quiet impressions. The film material capturing the German capital's present is assembled in real time; and from it emerges evidence of an epoch, a historical document and a phenomenon whose sum of its parts creates something more than a typical documentary.
Behind-the-scenes technology and logistics
On September 5th, 2008, 80 camera teams under the overall creative direction of Volker Heise were busy for 24 hours capturing images in HD that were then assembled into a single 24-hour television programme. These crews followed a precise plan that had been in preparation for more than a year. Countless protagonists, locations and film permits were painstakingly researched; myriad HD cameras, memory chips, automobiles, mobile phones and computers were put into use; some 400 people were part of the team.
In addition, anyone in Berlin could have themselves filmed while telling about their lives at one of the many Talkpoints spanning the entire city. Videos shot with one's own camera on September 5th could also be uploaded to the website, from which a selection was chosen that is included in the 24-hour television programme.
Ultimately, a total of 750 hours of material was compiled for the film. That's 18 terabytes of data – an 18 followed by 12 zeroes. The entire material will be catalogued and permanently archived at the Deutsche Kinemathek Foundation.
But first it came to television, for exactly 1440 minutes, that is, 24 hours:
from 6AM onwards on September 5th, 2009 on Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, on ARTE, on the Dutch station VPRO and on Finland's digital channel YLE Teema – without interruption, unique in the history of television.
The project and the city
During the September 5th broadcast, events have taken place in Berlin that incorporated the viewing of 24h Berlin in public spaces, in cinemas and in bars – all around the city, in our midst.
24h Berlin is a project from zero one film, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) and ARTE. Funded by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the Capital Culture Fund, the DEFA Foundation and German Films. In cooperation with Triad Berlin.
