This video was shot
in Inner Mongolia while volunteering for ecological NGO Society of Entrepreneurs
and Ecology. The subject matter emerged from that time – from the experience
helping workmates who are stopping desertification in the region.
The piece was cut
from footage from 2008. I reviewed what I had shot over a two-week period and
decided that a “Local Encounter” was best told using a ‘slice of life’. I based
the narrative around one evening; one meal; one celebration. I decided against
inserting subtitles as the pictures tell a strong enough story.
If pressed, I would
say that the challenges encountered were the lighting conditions in Inner
Mongolia (clear atmosphere, so bright sunlight!), the local dialect of the
region, which I couldn’t speak (although Mandarin was also used), and the
effort it took to understand from a local perspective what was going on in
order to take meaningful footage (film as ethnography). I’ve been told by a
friend who knows the area well that I haven’t quite captured the soul of the
place – so take it with a grain of salt!
I am a university
student in New Zealand studying film and anthropology. I will continue making
short documentary films for enjoyment and curiosity. I hope to move to feature
documentaries when I have enough skill. In New Zealand I have previously made
short docos on endangered water spiders, volcanic activity, forest regeneration
projects, sea snails and climate change.
For one of my photos
of Inner Mongolia featured on UNESCO’s website, click here.
