Is the Connected World a Werner Herzog Film? Yes

It is the REAL DEAL

There has been a good deal of healthy cynicism regarding Werner Herzog’s involvement in the film Guardians of the Connected World. Some people are stating the NETSCOUT is conducting a farce and that the trailer currently running on YouTube is not actually the work of Werner Herzog.

I am writing this to inform the unbelievers that Mr. Herzog is indeed producing and directing this film and I will tell you why he is. When I first spoke with Werner regarding this project he expressed skepticism and stated the he does not do commercial work. In fact Mr. Herzog turned down the project entirely.

The next day Century Link experienced a vandalized fiber optic cable resulting in huge Internet service interruption in Arizona. I shared this story with Werner and explained to him that if the internet were to go away we would not go back to the 1980s rather we would go back to the 1880s for the simple reason that so much of what we do today relies on our new Connected World and the old processes and approaches are obsolete and laid to rest. The fact of the matter is that the Connected World is a valuable and precious asset and we are substantially dependent upon it.

Now to many of you this may seem obvious but until you really stop to think about what happens when it gets interrupted you really have not thought about it. This is where Werner comes in.

He gets it. While he is not a cell phone carrying, Twitter using, Internet slave, he does not even use the Internet, he understands how pervasive it is and how critical it is to the everyday function of global society. He knows what is at stake and he sees a story. There is a story here. Like Danny Hillis says in the trailer, “the internet was not designed to be the infrastructure of society.” but it is.

So I applaud those who are suspicious of Werner’s involvement in this project. It is wise and advised not to believe everything you read, however, in this case it is true. Werner Herzog is making a film about the Connected World. We at NETSCOUT are sponsoring his work because we believe this is a story that needs to be told. Filming began in March and should be concluded at the end of July. Editing will take place in August and we hope to have something to share with all of you in September.

So too all of you healthy skeptics you have my word that this is the real deal. It is a wonderful project about our industry by one of the world’s greatest storytellers. It celebrates the dedication of all of you who design, build, manage and propel the Connected World. It is an important topic and I for one cannot wait to see how Werner presents and explores what has become one of the most impactful inventions in human history.