After studying electrical engineering, he entered television in 1946 with the drama Chambre 34, his directorial debut.
On 24 February 1950, he produced the first live French television show by transmitting part of Marivaux's Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard and the Comédie-Française.
En votre âme et conscience was an original series, designed for small-screen drama, taking place entirely in a court where the camera filmed uninterrupted.
In 1959, the television drama Les Trois Mousquetaires was adapted by Barma for live transmission, with the role of D'Artagnan played by the young Jean-Paul Belmondo, who would later be known for his roles in À bout de souffle and Classe tous risques.
In the early 1960s, he adapted three Shakespeare plays: Macbeth in 1959, Hamlet in 1960 and Othello in 1962 .