The documentary’s title is “DigIt! The Secrets of Soil,” and it has been produced by the Soil Science Society of America. It is intended for school-aged children, to whom it provides a broad and comprehensive overview of the nature of soil and its role in nature as well as human life. Its purpose is to teach the viewer how soils are formed and differentiated from each other as well as what makes them special. To that end, the documentary is regularly interspersed with quizzes testing the viewer’s understanding of the material that was just covered. The director’s message is that not all soil is the same and that the study of its differences is a complex and fascinating subject.
Before watching the documentary, I was already aware that there were different types of soil, framing the difference primarily in terms of fertility and suitability for farming. I expected to see further elaboration on that topic, which was indeed present in the documentary. With that said, it also covered topics such as construction, which did not immediately occur to me. It also covered the effects of past human interactions with soil, such as waste dumps in wetlands. My primary questions were how to increase the fertility of a particular piece of land and how different soil types could be differentiated with the naked eye if that’s possible. The documentary answered both of those questions satisfactorily and in substantial detail, which I appreciated.
The subject of the documentary is soil, with its fundamental importance to life on Earth and its prevalence throughout the world. It is about the different properties of soil as well as how it interacts with human life, both directly and indirectly. As such, there are essentially no events taking place in the film, as it simply moves from explanations of one topic to another. The film takes place in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and is interspersed with computer graphics that illustrate the topic being discussed better.
The film uses minimal sound effects, mostly in the form of the soundtrack. With that said, it only appears to consist of one music track, and its usage throughout the documentary is irregular, with some points where it would have been appropriate going unaccompanied. The images used are reasonably sharp, with the text presented on the screen easily readable and adequate time given to do so. The camera angles are mostly static, with several panning shots used to introduce rooms within the filming location. There are no interviews, but the narrators’ explanations are well-articulated and informative. No special effects are used, other than fadeout screen transitions, but they are also not necessary given the documentary’s nature.
My favorite part of the documentary was the discussion of ways to improve its fertility, notably terra preta. The addition of pottery was fascinating, as, on the surface, it seems as though it would impede plant root growth. I have learned a lot about the qualities of soil and its different types as well as how they are relevant to humanity. The most surprising part was the discussion of people’s failed efforts to manage soil, such as when ground meant to improve drainage trapped water instead. With that said, the documentary also had some issues, the most prominent one being its somewhat weak visual and auditory engagement. I would not necessarily recommend the documentary to my friends, as I would instead advise them to read a written presentation of the same material.
Reference
Soil Science Society of America. (2014). DigIt! The secrets of soil [Video]. YouTube. Web.