I found Ed Scott-Clarke’s presentation thoroughly fascinating because digital media is an aspect of the sport industry that I am considering taking up as a career. However, I have limited experience thus far with videography and this is an area in which I hope to improve. That being said, Ed’s journey with videography gave me hope, as he had not touched a camera until after he had completed his master’s degree; look where he is now. Additionally, I respected the advice Ed gave us on a career in film; he was honest regarding the difficulty of obtaining success in the field, while also enticing when speaking about the gratification of filmmaking/producing.
I respected Ed even more for the topics on which he focuses on in his documentaries. While working for CNN, he focused on stories about our planet and sustainability. One such documentary he created was about the poaching of rhinos in Kruger National Park in Africa. This short film covered the team whose mission was to stop the continual killing of rhinos in the park, bringing exposure to the issue while also capturing an audience’s attention. Another project he tackled was a Warner Media crossover between CNN and Cartoon Network which involved creating documentaries on children’s sustainability efforts worldwide. This was then aired on the cartoon channel for use as an educational program.
While his current work is obviously well-thought out and incredibly filmed, Ed started out on a much smaller scale and had worked his way up to CNN through other projects. Ed’s first film, created as an amateur videographer, is called Plastic Shores, and it draws attention to the 6 million tonnes of plastic thrown into bodies of water. Despite this project being his first, the film has been shown in the United Nations, House of Congress and other reputable organizations. After this film, he began to make more, especially in the commercial aspect of the industry (as this allowed him to make a living). Using the money he received from commercial films, Ed then created E-Life, a documentary on Netflix about the infamous e-waste site Agbogbloshie in Ghana. When I watched this film, I was horrified by the toxic waste that western nations are disposing of in Ghana, creating work for natives that greatly affects their health.
The film explained how 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste was disposed of in 2013, with an estimated 50 million by 2020. A quick Google search confirms that this estimate had actually been exceeded by 2019, which is terrible news for our sustainability and ethical efforts regarding our planet. This e-waste is burned at Agbogbloshie to pull out various valuable elements, such as copper, despite the fumes that are exuded as a result of the process.
Films such as these are extremely valuable towards combating climate change and contribute to our sustainable/ethical efforts. The exposure these films receive is very important because the topics they cover are often left out of mainstream media and can be the first time the public hears about it. I admire Ed greatly for his ability to capture these subjects and create a talking point for people, and we must strive to end environmental concerns soon before it is too late. Media plays a large role in this because of the population it reaches and the platform which we give films. Documentaries are a great resource to learn more about various topics and are key to educating people about what they may be able to do to help.
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