FAQs

1. How do I watch the film? Click here to find out.

2. When will the film be available to stream from YouTube? Our YouTube Channel will be streaming the film from midnight GMT on the 12th April.

3. Is the film in Russian or English? The archive mission audio which we've used in the film is almost all in Russian with subtitles. We have also included some audio from a Radio Moscow report in English.

4. How interesting is the film to sit down and watch from start to finish? First Orbit was conceived and made as more of an installation film rather than one which you sit down and watch from start to finish. The film intercuts our new 'Vostok 1' views of the Earth with a mesmerizing musical score from Philip Sheppard. There is no narration and the story is carried solely by Gagarin's conversation with the ground in Russian (subtitled into English) and the Radio Moscow English language broadcasts from the time. We suggest that you use the film as a backdrop to an event you might be planning rather than the conventional screening for a seated audience.

5. How will I know which part of the Earth we are flying over? We have done our best to explain the route across the Earth with Yuri is taking on the this web site. You can find out more about it here. We didn't want to put a map on the screen as it would spoil the view, but we have created an iPhone and iPad App which will also help you to chart Yuri's flight around the world. And if we have time before the 12th April we will also try and create a tagged version of the film on YouTube - with the countries Yuri is flying over marked.

6. I want to organise my own global premiere screening of First Orbit, so can I download the film to screen? Yes - you can download the film for a screening on the 12th April. Please visit our downloads page for more information. Please note that this page is only for applications to download copies of the film for screening events rather than for private copies. If you just want to watch the film at home then please visit our YouTube Channel.

7. Who owns the film? The film First Orbit was funded and produced by The Attic Room and has been released for the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's pioneering space flight under a Creative Commons license. The copyright of the film First Orbit resides with The Attic Room. Rights to the music in the film are owned by the composer Philip Sheppard. The footage shot specifically for First Orbit by Paolo Nespoli on board the International Space Staion was sponsored by the European Space Agency, and ultimate copyright of this imagery resides with ESA. The additional NASA footage used in the film is regulated by the law of public domain. Please see NASA's own guidelines for further use of it.

more FAQs...