Blackwood Productions Inc was founded by the film-maker Michael Blackwood in 1966 to produce  documentaries on innovation in the arts. The inspiration to pursue this direction may have started with an assignment from German Television to film Nam June Paik’s Happening of a robot trying to cross The Wall into East-Berlin at Check-Point Charlie in1964. (The attempt did not succeed.)

The 1960s were a fertile time for the avant-garde in the visual arts, dance and music. There were many exciting possibilities to document their projects.
Our contributions were:
CHRISTO: Wrapped Coast” (1968);
“JAPAN: The New Art” (1970);
”David Hockney’s Diaries” (1970) ;
“Jim Dine, London 1970”;
“The New York School” (1971) and
“American Art of the 1960s” (1971).

At the same time we filmed with advanced composers:
“Hans Werner Henze: Summer of 1966”  and  Thelonious Monk: “Monk” and “Monk in Europe” (1968), as well as choreographers: “The American Ballet Company: Eliot Feld, Artistic Director” (1967/68).

In most of these early titles film maker Christian Blackwood played an important creative role, as cinematographer and editor. He eventually started his own production company,  at which time Blackwood Productions became Michael Blackwood Productions.

In 1983 we added architecture to our repertoire of documenting innovation, with “Beyond Utopia”,  a much appreciated title both in public television and in screenings in educational institutions. Since then we have released 30 films, both monographs and surveys on architects and architecture.

By 2010 the number of films produced on art, architecture, dance and music has grown to more than 130 titles. It has become an important resource for educational and cultural institutions world-wide.