Before attempting to understand Rouch’s body of work, it is helpful to have an understanding of the man behind the camera. Rouch was born in Paris, on the 31st of May, 1917. During his upbringing he was exposed to both science and art. His father was a naval officer and his mother came from a family of painters and poets. He attended high school in Paris and then went on to study engineering at l’Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées (the School of Bridges and Roads). During this study Rouch discovered Cinémathèque Française, which screened films from all around the world. He also studied under anthropologist Marcel Griaule. Eventually, he left Paris to work in the French colonies in West Africa as a civil engineer. In 1941 he was sent to Niger where
