Cinematic News – At the Desert’s Edge
NOTE FROM JONAH: This is a response from a comment from a guest blog I wrote for DSLR News Shooter. See the original post here.
After finishing a couple projects for the New York Times and some shorter video pieces, I had the opportunity to do some long form video journalism for the Asia Society, once again on the topic of desertification (this now being the 14th video I’ve made on the subject).
The threat of desertification is an issue of global concern. In China, expanding deserts are taking a heavy toll on the lives and livelihoods of citizens all across the world’s most populous country. China lost approximately 660,000 squares miles of land to deserts between 2005 and 2009 alone.
While there is not one single solution to combating desertification, Kulun Qi, a dry area in northeastern Inner Mongolia, has shown signs of hope that may eventually work as an example to others adversely affected by encroaching deserts around the world.
At the Desert’s Edge documents the trials and tentative successes of a collaborative effort between locals, governmental initiatives and NGOs fighting to combat China’s growing deserts by planting vast barriers of trees.
Cinematic Journalism and the Resell
If you follow this blog, you’ll notice this footage is a re-edit and combination of twelve short videos Kit Gillet and myself made for Shanghai Roots & Shoots and Dragon TV on the Million Tree Project. I think its a good example of how to use your assets as a freelancer.
We had characters and interviews that never made the 12 previous videos, and enough content to make a completely different video with its own monetary and intrinsic value. Clients frequently ask, and sometimes demand “exclusivity.” When I say, this cost a lot more they don’t understand and are sometimes largely put off by it. However, as freelancers, our images are our assets and repackaging and reselling content can make a real difference in our incomes.
While the other videos were “short and sweet” – this one is on the long side. The request came in for a 10-minute video which was at first was a bit intimidating.
However, when you start piecing together a video, 10 minutes does go pretty quick. However, for Web purposes I believe it is on the long side. The challenge here is creating something that isn’t boring, not rushed and can hold a viewers interest for 10 minutes without them clicking on another page. Admittedly, this might be impossible.
Do people watch 10-minute videos online?
When it comes to Hulu or other online movie sites the answer is, yes. However, with news videos I believe the 10-minute mark is pretty steep.
In a recent review of Kessler Crane’s Pocket Dolly on DSLR Newsshooter, photographer Chris Gibbs commented on the film:
If I have one comment it would be about the use of these sliders. I just don’t appreciate the effect in journalism. Furthermore, over the web, the effect rarely plays back satisfactory. Just an observation from a viewers perspective!
While Chris is directly referring to the slider, I think he may be refering to cinematic news in general. Is it ok to use a jib for a news report? If I decide to setup a dolly, am I changing what’s actually happening? Are you tricking the audience? Is it less truthful? I think these are all valid questions and I can sympathize with the old-school photojournalism view here. However, the fact that people don’t follow the news and do follow movies is a good symbol to me that we need to make (as Dan Chung so elegantly says) “real life look as good as cinema,” if we are going to keep a modern audience involved with current events.
Nothing in my films is ever “setup” to the extent I tell people what to do. However, I might setup my gear with anticipation of something happening. The more you film and shoot the more predictable shots become and the better you can get at creating a cinema style news report.
Nonetheless, I think its important to think about Chris’ point in order to keep ourselves in check. Cinematic news is a fine balance between recording events with precision, without changing them and making things exciting to watch. When the photographer starts changing reality, thats when we’ve gone too far.
On the other side, if we make news videos which audience members don’t watch — then we have achieved nothing at all, except for wasting our time and someone else’s money. When the assignment came in to make a 10-minute video, it was obvious to me I had to make the video a little more cinematic than the traditional “man in front of camera” talking video, simply in order to get people to continue to watch without clicking off.
Chris has some beautiful images from Alaska and beyond. Check out his site here.
