Sciencedoc
Sciencedoc is the result of a lifelong interest in science and a career that has spanned nearly 25 years in television. The company has existed for several years. Prior to that, I worked as a producer for Dutch Public Television – first at the VARA and later, at the VPRO. With Sciencedoc, I have also produced and made films on commission by companies.
One major production of Sciencedoc until now is the series Dat Willen Wij Ook, a 12-part series of 25-minute episodes, about what humans can learn from nature. EMS Productions produces the series for the VPRO. Parts have been broadcast in the USA on the Discovery Science Channel and, in Germany, incorporated in the series Natürlich Genial for Arte.
Other productions include eight episodes of Labyrint for the VPRO, short filmed items for Nieuwslicht, the science programme of the VARA; a film about plastic in the sea, commissioned by the Rotterdam Port Authority; a film for Covidien, manufacturer of medical isotopes; and short films for the VU University of Amsterdam and for the University of Amsterdam.
Karin Schagen
My name is Karin Schagen, the owner of Sciencedoc. I direct and devise subjects for series or separate episodes for documentaries, often science-related. I also produce films in collaboration with cameraman Chris Blokhuis.
I am interested in everything – well, almost. Bookkeeping does not turn me on. I started and abandoned three different training courses before I realised that I could not finish them because I wanted to know everything simultaneously. And that is not possible, except perhaps in one profession: journalism. There, you can find an outlet for your interest in the natural environment, in the hard sciences and for people. The reason I do this by making films is because it is a profession in which there is always something to learn. It is both difficult and fun! It is never perfect. It always leaves something to be achieved in the next film. Next time I will make the perfect film!
Karin Schagen, (yours truly) was born in Amsterdam on the 14th of July 1957. She graduated from the Atheneum (Dutch grammar school) and went on to study mathematics and physics, Pedagogy and Journalism – all in Utrecht. For the reasons given above, she did not complete these studies. Currently, she is studying philosophy, an enjoyable but rather odd combination of the soft and hard sciences. It is possible that she will complete this study, in which case it could happen in 2012.
