With UNICEF in the great Himalayan kingdom
Bhutan
Date
06/04/2019
Client
UNICEF
Projects
• 2 x 60 second films
• 2 x photo stories
• 30 x photographs
Telling the stories of Bhutan's young people.
In April, Reelmedia Film travelled to Bhutan, the ‘land of happiness,’ to produce a series of documentary films and photo stories for UNICEF.
The films and photographs we produced were for UNICEF’s campaign to celebrate the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC@30). This campaign spotlights UNICEF’s young child rights champions, highlighting how the organisation’s work has positively impacted the lives of many children in the country. We also produced content for UNICEF’s Voices of Youth campaign, exploring the challenges that young people face in preparing for their transition to adulthood, focusing particularly on employment and future opportunities.
Country profile
Nestled between India and China, Bhutan is a small and remote Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. The country has a population of around 800,000 people who speak Dzongkha, Bhutan’s national language. The country is renowned for its many beautiful monasteries and fortresses, as well as its awe-inspiring landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys.
Young monks pose for a selfie inbetween shots.
Overcoming challenges
There were many challenges to overcome in Bhutan, specifically with regard to time. We arrived late into the country due to travel complications which set us back instantly, meaning that we had to revisit and adjust our schedule. We also had to re-examine our production practices in order to consider the slow-paced environment of Bhutanese society.
Young farmers show us how it's done.
Our technical approach
Our films were shot in 4K with a Sony FS7. We used Fujinon MK Cine Zooms (18-55 and 50-135), which allowed us to capture cinematic shots throughout our fast-paced schedule.
On assignment with UNICEF in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Date
29/03/2019
Client
UNICEF
Projects
• 2 x 60 second films
• 2 x photo stories
• 30 x photographs
Telling the stories of Sri Lankan's young people.
Earlier this year, Reelmedia Film travelled to Sri Lanka to produce a series of short documentary films and photo stories for UNICEF.
The films and photographs we produced were for UNICEF’s campaign to celebrate the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC@30). This campaign spotlights UNICEF’s young child rights champions, highlighting how the organisation’s work has positively impacted the lives of many children in the country.
Country profile
The tropical island of Sri Lanka, neighbouring the southern tip of India, has attracted many visitors for centuries with its natural beauty. The country has a dense population of around 21 million people and an amazing cultural diversity, with it’s major religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
A young school child plays with her abacus.
Overcoming challenges
Sri Lanka was one of our harder filming locations for this project, with the crew having to overcome obstacles such as filming during a scorching heatwave and keeping the young children engaged during long filming periods. We created a schedule that helped us avoid extreme temperatures, and strategically planned the filming process to keep the children focused. Instead of filming our interviews with the children, we conducted short audio-interviews which highlighted the most significant aspects of their stories. This then gave us a clear direction on the type of shots we needed to cinematically convey their journeys in only a 1-minute film – all of which helped us to work quickly and effectively and to keep the children engaged.
Students pose for a photo inbetween their studies.
Our technical approach
Our films were shot in 4K with a Sony FS7. We used Fujinon MK Cine Zooms (18-55 and 50-135), which allowed us to capture cinematic shots throughout our fast-paced schedule.
Stories from the sea
The Maldives
Date
22/03/2019
Client
UNICEF
Projects
• 2 x 60 second films
• 2 x photo stories
• 30 x photographs
Telling the stories of young people in The Maldives
In the spring of 2019, Reelmedia travelled to the Maldives to produce a series of short documentary films and photo stories for UNICEF.
The films and photographs we produced were for UNICEF’s campaign to celebrate the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC@30). This campaign spotlights UNICEF’s young child rights champions, highlighting how the organisation’s work has positively impacted the lives of many children in the country. We also produced content for UNICEF’s Voices of Youth campaign, exploring the challenges that young people face in preparing for their transition to adulthood, focusing particularly on employment and future opportunities.
Country profile
The Maldives, located in the north-central Indian ocean, consists of a cluster of around 1,200 small coral islands and sandbanks. With only 200 inhabited islands, the country’s population consists of around 350,000 people. The official language is an Indo-European language called Dhivehi, but Arabic, Hindi, and English are also spoken. Islam is the country’s state religion.
Afa opens our eyes to environmental damage in the Maldives.
Overcoming challenges
We overcame a range of different obstacles in the Maldives, including the inability to film during central hours of the day due to scorching temperatures, and travelling to islands that weren’t easily accessible. There was also a lot of content to produce (two films, two photo stories and thirty photographs) in the space of only five days, so we worked extensively in pre-production to develop an organised schedule that took into consideration all of these possible challenges prior to arrival.
Hamna aspires to be an Olympic swimmer.
Our technical approach
Our films were shot in 4K with a Sony FS7. We used Fujinon MK Cine Zooms (18-55 and 50-135), which allowed us to capture cinematic shots throughout our fast-paced schedule.