The Trigger:
I've often used images to convey ideas, but my video work began from necessity: "Someone" had to edit and publish the digital videos of the Sri
Lankan Tsunami Work: We needed to inform the generous UK donors, gain publicity and counter some of the wild, unhelpful media stories.
Prem's Village Fund for Sri Lankan Tsunami Relief was based on the Janashakthi self-help organisation in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. After the 2004 Tsunami, Prem's Village Fund distributed immediate aid to survivors and helped many, many families to re-start their lives and small businesses. Some of this work was recorded as photos and video, much of it by local Sri Lankans using MiniDV camcorders and digital cameras for the first time.
Editing Style:
Much of the Sri Lankan video has a Sinhala language soundtrack. I prefer to let the images tell their own story, with the minimum of explanation or special effects.
Although it's against modern fashion, I prefer lengthy scenes, giving a calm impression, rather than lots of short cuts and cut-aways.
There's always more to learn; especially about style, polish and story-telling: A scene I've seen countless times during the editing process, and in its original context, may appear very different to someone viewing the finished movie for the first and only time.
The Future:
One future challenge is to edit the many interviews with survivors and return the edited result to the community in Sri Lanka. However, it's very hard to edit video unless you're fluent in the language!
