ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Hoffman - Filmmaker
In David Hoffman's long film career, he's made documentaries on everything from Amelia Earhardt to B.B. King, from double-dutch jump-roping to F-15 fighter pilots. Lately he's been fascinated with the early space program and our mania for all things Sputnik.

Why you should listen

Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic. Highlights from his career include the groundbreaking experimental doc King, Murray, which blurred boundaries between truth and fiction as it tracks its subject through a debauched weekend in Las Vegas; A Day With Filmmaker Timmy Page, about a 12-year-old auteur; and his series of films on American indigenous music.

Lately, he has become fascinated with the Atomic-era Space Race, turning out a feature-length documentary about the Sputnik era. Sputnik Mania was scored by Thomas Dolby and has played at festivals and theaters around the country.

Hoffman suffered a devastating setback in early 2008 when, nine days before TED2008, his home, containing a vast archive from his long and fascinating career, burnt to the ground. His next project: to reframe his life and rebuild.

More profile about the speaker
David Hoffman | Speaker | TED.com
TED2008

David Hoffman: What happens when you lose everything

David Hofman (David Hoffman) o gubitku svega

Filmed:
1,155,400 views

Devet dana pre konferencije TED2008, režiser David Hofman izgubio je skoro sve što je posedovao u požaru koji je zahvatio njegovu kuću, kancelariju i sve ono što je činilo njegovu tridesetogodišnju kolekciju. Gleda na svoj život koji je nestao u trenutku i okreće se budućnosti.
- Filmmaker
In David Hoffman's long film career, he's made documentaries on everything from Amelia Earhardt to B.B. King, from double-dutch jump-roping to F-15 fighter pilots. Lately he's been fascinated with the early space program and our mania for all things Sputnik. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:19
I had a fireватра nineдевет daysдана agoпре.
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Pre devet dana desio se požar.
00:23
My archiveArhiva:
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Moja arhiva:
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175 filmsфилмова, my 16-millimeter-mm negativeнегативно,
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175 filmova, moji 16-milimetarski negativi,
00:28
all my booksкњиге, my dad'sТата је booksкњиге, my photographsфотографије.
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sve moje i očeve knjige, fotografije.
00:31
I'd collectedприкупљени --
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Sakupljao sam --
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I was a collectorkolekcionar, majorглавни, big-timeVelika.
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Bio sam kolekcionar, veliki kolekcionar.
00:35
It's goneотишла.
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Nestalo je.
00:38
I just lookedпогледао at it,
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Samo sam gledao u to
00:40
and I didn't know what to do.
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i nisam znao šta da radim.
00:43
I mean, this was --
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Hoću reći, ovo su bile --
00:45
was I my things?
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bile moje stvari?
00:48
I always liveживи in the presentпоклон -- I love the presentпоклон.
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Oduvek sam ziveo u sadašnjosti -- volim sadašnjost.
00:51
I cherishcijeni the futureбудућност.
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Cenim budućnost.
00:54
And I was taughtнаучио some strangeчудан thing as a kidклинац,
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Naučio sam neke čudne stvari kao dečak,
00:57
like, you've got to make something good out of something badлоше.
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kao na primer to da moram da napravim dobru stvar od loše.
00:59
You've got to make something good out of something badлоше.
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Moram da napravim dobru stvar od loše.
01:01
This was badлоше! Man, I was --
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Ovo je bilo loše. Bio sam --
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I coughkašalj. I was sickболестан.
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Kašljao sam. Bio sam bolestan.
01:05
That's my cameraКамера lensобјектив. The first one --
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Ovo je moj objektiv. Prvi objektiv --
01:07
the one I shotпуцањ my BobBob DylanDylan filmфилм with 35 yearsгодине agoпре.
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onaj sa kojim sam snimio film o Bobu Dilanu pre 35 godina.
01:10
That's my featureкарактеристика filmфилм. "KingKralj, MurrayMurray"
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Ovo je moj film "Kralj Marej"
01:12
wonпобедио CannesCannes FilmFilm FestivalFestival 1970 --
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koji je osvojio nagradu na festivalu u Kanu 1970. --
01:14
the only printпринт I had.
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jedina kopija koju sam imao.
01:17
That's my papersновине.
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Ovo su moji papiri.
01:19
That was in minutesминута -- 20 minutesминута.
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To su bile minute -- 20 minuta.
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EpiphanyBogojavljenje hitхит me. Something hitхит me.
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Desilo mi se prosvetljenje. Nesto me je udarilo.
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"You've got to make something good out of something badлоше,"
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Moram da napravim dobru stvar od loše.
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I startedпочела to say to my friendsпријатељи, neighborskomšije, my sisterсестра.
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Počeo sam da govorim mojim prijateljima, komšijama, sestri.
01:29
By the way, that's "SputnikSputnjik." I ranтрчао it last yearгодине.
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Inače ovo je Sputnjik. Sniman prošle godine.
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"SputnikSputnjik" was downtownЦентар града, the negativeнегативно. It wasn'tније touchedдодирнуо.
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Sputnjikov negativ je bio u centru grada. Ostao je netaknut.
01:35
These are some piecesкомада of things I used in my SputnikSputnjik featureкарактеристика filmфилм,
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Ovo su neke sitnice koje sam koristio u Sputnjiku,
01:38
whichкоја opensотвара се in NewNovi YorkYork in two weeksнедељама
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koji ima premijeru u Njujorku za dve nedelje
01:40
downtownЦентар града.
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u centru grada.
01:44
I calledпозвани my sisterсестра. I calledпозвани my neighborskomšije. I said, "Come digкопати."
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Zvao sam sestru. Zvao sam komšije. Rekao sam im: "Dođite da kopamo".
01:46
That's me at my deskрадни сто.
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Ovo sam ja za svojim stolom.
01:50
That was a deskрадни сто tookузела 40-some-neki yearsгодине to buildизградити.
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To je bio sto koji je pravljen 40 godina.
01:52
You know -- all the stuffствари.
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Znate -- sve stvari.
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That's my daughterћерка, JeanJean.
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Ovo je moja ćerka, Džin.
01:56
She cameДошао. She's a nurseмедицинска сестра in SanSan FranciscoFranciska.
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Došla je. Ona je medicinska sestra u San Francisku.
01:58
"DigKopaj it up," I said. "PiecesKomade.
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Kopajte, rekao sam. Delići
02:00
I want piecesкомада. BitsBitova and piecesкомада."
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želeo sam komade i deliće.
02:02
I cameДошао up with this ideaидеја: a life of bitsбита and piecesкомада,
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Došao sam na ideju: "život komada i komadića",
02:05
whichкоја I'm just startingпочевши to work on -- my nextследећи projectпројекат.
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na kojoj upravo počinjem da radim -- moj sledeći projekat.
02:07
That's my sisterсестра. She tookузела careнега of picturesслике,
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Ovo je moja sestra. Ona se postarala o fotografijama,
02:10
because I was a bigвелики collectorkolekcionar of snapshotснимак photographyфотографије
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bio sam veliki kolekcionar fotografija
02:13
that I believedверовали said a lot.
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za koje sam verovao da imaju mnogo da kažu.
02:15
And those are some of the picturesслике that --
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A ovo su neke od fotografija --
02:17
something was good about the burntзапаљен picturesслике.
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nešto je bilo dobro u vezi sa spaljenim fotografijama.
02:19
I didn't know. I lookedпогледао at that --
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Nisam znao. Gledao sam u to --
02:21
I said, "WowVau, is that better than the --"
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rekao sam: "Ovo je bolje nego..."
02:23
That's my proposalпредлог on JimmyJimmy DoolittleDoolitle. I madeмаде that movieфилм for televisionтелевизија.
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Ovo je moj predlog za Džimija Dulitla. Napravio sam taj film za televiziju.
02:25
It's the only copyкопирај I had. PiecesKomade of it.
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Jedina kopija koju sam imao. Delići nje.
02:29
IdeaIdeja about womenЖене.
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Ideja o ženama.
02:31
So I startedпочела to say, "Hey, man, you are too much!
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Počeo sa da govorim : "Hej čoveče ti imaš suviše stvari,
02:34
You could cryплач about this." I really didn't.
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mogao bi da plačeš zbog ovoga" Nisam zaista.
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I just insteadуместо тога said,
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Umesto toga rekao sam:
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"I'm going to make something out of it, and maybe nextследећи yearгодине ... "
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Napraviću nesto dobro iz ovoga, a možda sledeće godine ..
02:41
And I appreciateценити this momentтренутак
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Cenim ovaj trenutak kad
02:43
to come up on this stageфаза with so manyмноги people
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sam došao na ovu binu pored mnogo ljudi
02:45
who'veко је alreadyвећ givenдато me so much solaceSolas,
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koji su mi dali veliku utehu,
02:48
and just say to TEDstersTEDsters:
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želeo bih da kažem TEDsterima:
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I'm proudпоносан of me. That I take something badлоше,
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Ponosan sam na sebe. Na to što sam nešto loše
02:53
I turnред it, and I'm going to make something good out of this,
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preokrenuo i nameravam da napravim nešto dobro od ovoga,
02:55
all these piecesкомада.
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svih ovih komadića.
02:57
That's ArthurArtur Leipzig'sLeipziga je originalоригинал photographфотографија I lovedвољен.
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Ovo je originalna fotografija Artura Lajpciga, voleo sam je.
03:00
I was a bigвелики recordзапис collectorkolekcionar --
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Bio sam veliki kolekcionar ploča --
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the recordsзаписи didn't make it. BoyMomak, I tell you,
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ove ploče nisu uspele da prežive. Ljudi, kažem vam,
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filmфилм burnsопекотине. FilmFilm burnsопекотине.
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film gori. Zaista.
03:07
I mean, this was 16-millimeter-mm safetyбезбедност filmфилм.
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Mislim, ovo je bio 16-milimetarski film na celuloidnoj traci.
03:09
The negativesнегативи are goneотишла.
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Negativa više nema.
03:12
That's my father'sотац letterписмо to me, tellingговорећи me to
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Ovo je očevo pismo upućeno meni, u kom mi saopštava
03:14
marryоженити се the womanжена I first marriedожењен when I was 20.
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da oženim ženu koju sam oženio kad sam imao 20 godina.
03:18
That's my daughterћерка and me.
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Ovo smo moja ćerka i ja.
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She's still there. She's there this morningјутро, actuallyзаправо.
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Ona je još tu. Tačnije bila je i jutros.
03:24
That's my houseкућа.
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Ovo je moja kuća.
03:26
My family'sпородица livingживи in the HiltonHilton HotelHotel in ScottsIz Skotsdejla ValleyDolina.
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Moja porodica živi u hotelu Hilton u Scotts Valley.
03:29
That's my wifeжена, HeidiHeidi,
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Ovo je moja žena, Hajdi.
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who didn't take it as well as I did.
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koja nije podnela dešavanja tako dobro kao ja.
03:34
My childrenдеца, DaveyDavey and HenryHenri.
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Moja deca, Dejvi i Henri.
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My sonсин, DaveyDavey, in the hotelХотел two nightsноћи agoпре.
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Moj sin, Dejvi, u hotelskoj sobi, pre dve noći.
03:41
So, my messageпорука to you folksљуди,
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Dakle, moja poruka vama narode,
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from my threeтри minutesминута, is that I appreciateценити the chanceшанса
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iz mojih tri minuta, je ta da ja cenim priliku
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to shareОбјави this with you. I will be back. I love beingбиће at TEDTED.
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da podelim ovo sa vama. Vratiću se. Volim što učestvujem na TEDu.
03:49
I cameДошао to liveживи it, and I am livingживи it.
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Došao sam da ga živim i živim ga.
03:52
That's my viewпоглед from my windowпрозор outsideспоља of SantaDeda Mraz CruzCruz, in BonnyBoni DoonDoon,
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Ovo je pogled sa mog prozora nedaleko od Santa Kruza u Boni Dunu
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just 35 milesмиља from here.
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samo 56 kilometara odavde.
03:58
Thank you everybodyсвима.
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Hvala vam svima.
04:00
(ApplauseAplauz)
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(Aplauz)
Translated by Aleksandar Diklić
Reviewed by Ivana Korom

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Hoffman - Filmmaker
In David Hoffman's long film career, he's made documentaries on everything from Amelia Earhardt to B.B. King, from double-dutch jump-roping to F-15 fighter pilots. Lately he's been fascinated with the early space program and our mania for all things Sputnik.

Why you should listen

Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic. Highlights from his career include the groundbreaking experimental doc King, Murray, which blurred boundaries between truth and fiction as it tracks its subject through a debauched weekend in Las Vegas; A Day With Filmmaker Timmy Page, about a 12-year-old auteur; and his series of films on American indigenous music.

Lately, he has become fascinated with the Atomic-era Space Race, turning out a feature-length documentary about the Sputnik era. Sputnik Mania was scored by Thomas Dolby and has played at festivals and theaters around the country.

Hoffman suffered a devastating setback in early 2008 when, nine days before TED2008, his home, containing a vast archive from his long and fascinating career, burnt to the ground. His next project: to reframe his life and rebuild.

More profile about the speaker
David Hoffman | Speaker | TED.com