CIEE Development and Globalization Spring 2013Walter Wuthmann, Mariko Dodson, Judy Florio, and Keith WarnerMay 10, 2013

Pass-On

Hello, future. Our group produced a video for our final project.  If you’re reading this, that probably means you are also making a video project, or are working with the Na Nong Bong community.  We hope an outline of our experience will help you with your project.

Why?The villagers of Na Nong Bong, specifically the People Who Love Their Hometown, requested a video presentation that they could use in local schools and for educating other communities about the effects of mining.  The villagers were really interested in a cartoon video done in the style of “The Story of Stuff,” which is an RSA animated video available on youtube. We originally planned to make two videos – one for school children and one for adults. The videos would differ in their style and content, the latter being more complex and less “cartoon-y” for the adult audience. After meeting with the villagers, however, it became clear that they didn’t necessarily want more detailed information, but a compelling story that conveyed significant themes. Meeting with the villagers before starting video production ensured that we were all on the same page about our goal and vision (-key to a successful project). Since there are already quality documentary-style videos made about Na Nong Bong (available online at the Isaan Record) our video, then, was designed to be magnetic and engaging in a different way than those documentary-style videos. CIEE also preferred to have a single, more professional video, rather than two videos that would have been more rushed.  So we started filming with  the revised plan of making one video, accessible for both elementary and mature audiences, that told a heartfelt story and provoked inspiring questions.

ResourcesTo write our script we used our notes from village exchanges, pass-ons from past projects, and the Unit 2 reading packet. Additionally, we conducted an exchange with the People Who Love Their Hometown, and spoke at length with P’Kovit. It was important to use a variety of information to make sure we were not only painting an accurate picture of the situation in Na Nong Bong, but using the most pertinent facts and cutting the fluff.  Our script went through many drafts with the Program Facilitators and Ajaans before we produced the final version.  Ajaan Poi translated the final draft into Thai. Based on our experience, we recommend outlining your story arc (we created a storyboard with subjects and visuals), dividing up the research by theme, and filling out the details of your script as you go. We found this to be a more effective way of organizing information.

MaterialsWe used a digital SLR camera with video capability for filming.  CIEE lent us a tripod. We purchased new whiteboard markers, erasers, and rubbing alcohol. We edited the video using iMovie on a MacBook, and recorded the audio narration using the same program. iMovie has a really useful feature where you can record audio while watching the video, which really helped with the timing of the narration.

MethodsIt took us quite a while to figure out our method, so you should definitely factor this time into your schedule.  Filming set-up was really tricky.  We originally started by trying to film someone drawing on a whiteboard, but it was impossible to omit their body from the shot.  We then started drawing on tables, and it took us about three more hours to figure out how to eliminate glare on the table (by using the middle space between classrooms 1A and 1B).  We mounted the tripod horizontally on top of two stacked tables, laying the tripod down over a plywood board to give it support and securing the board and tripod to the table with duct tape.  In the end, the camera pointed directly down over the top of the table, producing a shot where only the drawer’s hand and forearm were visible (but watch out for keeping your head out of the shot). We did practice runs before every shot to make sure everyone was on the same page for how the drawings would represent the story. Practice runs also helped us work through the more complicated drawings (we did this a lot for the Thai writing scenes).

We practiced voiceovers in iMovie several times before actually recording scenes. Aligning the pace of narration with the timing of the visuals can be difficult. It was very helpful to be able to watch the video and record narration simultaneously, but well-timed narration still required many takes and adjustments to the pace of the video. Watch out for background noises (rustling papers, voices through the wall) and check your volume for consistency.

It was also really helpful to make a sample video to show the villagers in our preliminary meeting. It allowed us to troubleshoot the aforementioned methods, and get a feel for the style of the video. The people we exchanged with seemed to really like the drawing style, and gave us suggestions for specific images they would like to see in the final movie.  This process gave us confirmation on the direction we were moving in, and helped us generate more ideas for how the video should look.

Be careful not to get stuck in the trap of thinking you have a “final product.” We made the mistake of acting like we were done when we went to present our video to the villagers in Na Nong Bong. Once they saw our “finished product,” however, they of course had some suggestions on how to improve it.  So we came back to Khon Kaen and used our last day of project time to perfect the video based on the villagers’ suggestions. Another thing we discovered last minute was that the Thai

translation of our English script was actually quite different from what we imagined it to be saying. This meant that our visuals were not lining up with the Thai script. In the future, be sure you have clear communication with your Ajaans about how the two scripts differ before you start editing any video. More corrections and manipulations could probably be made, but we were lucky to have the chance to do one more round of editing. Don’t expect to stop editing until right up until your project is due. And don’t forget that the villagers know better than you do.

ContactsP’Kovit - NGO who works with Na Nong BongPa Mai - leader in People Who Love Their HometownPa Samai - leader in People Who Love Their Hometown

<<<<<<<<<SCRIPT>>>>>>>>>>>

PAST VILLAGE

Do you know what happens when a mine is built in your community?  This is the story of Na Nong Bong village.  In the past, life was good.  We were a farming community that grew rice in the wet season, and crops like soybeans and cassava in the dry season.  We grew enough to feed ourselves.  We foraged fish and crabs from the river, and used its clean water.  The forest was vibrant with life and we harvested vegetables and fruit to eat.  We had everything we needed.  People were happy and the community was united.

MINING LICENSE

But then, the Tungkum Limited mining company came to town in order to dig up the gold deep in our mountain.  The government approved TKL’s license to operate in the Khao Luang subdistrict, and in exchange, the mining company pays the government a share of its profits every year.  The first mining site is on Phu San Pa Bon mountain, which is only a kilometer away from our village.  TKL promised they would build schools, roads, a hospital, and temples for our community.  They said the mine would bring in new jobs for us.  According to the company, the mine would only bring good things to our community.

In only six years, a mountain thousands of years old was reduced to a pile of rocks.

CONSTRUCTION

The company began construction by destroying the forest.  We lost the trees, edible plants, and wildlife that we had relied on for years. They built roads so trucks and construction equipment could get up onto the mountain. Then they used dynamite to blow off the top of the mountain to get to the gold underneath. Explosions went off three times a day, making rock and dust fly into the air.  Flyrock crashed down near our houses and in our fields.  The noises woke us up at night and gave us nightmares.  We were scared the rocks would hit us. Sometimes they would warn us of an explosion with a loud siren, but eventually they stopped doing that.  They just raised a red flag when they were planning to blow up more of the mountain.  Some people began to fear that the mine was destroying our way of life, while others were excited for the opportunities it promised to bring.

CONTAMINATION

Soon after the mine’s construction, we began to notice changes in the environment. The river water turned a rust color that it never had in the past. The animals in the river began to die off, and we could no longer harvest them for food.  Many people developed skin rashes after bathing.  We could no longer drink from the local wells, and had to buy water from far away.  Farmers’ rice yields went down because they were using the bad water.  We could no longer eat all of what we grew because we feared our food was poisoned with chemicals from the mine.  So now we have to rely on products bought from elsewhere.  The Provincial Health Office came in to test our blood, and discovered that many of us had high levels of the toxic chemical cyanide - the same chemical used in the mining process. During the mining process, the company uses cyanide to separate the gold from the rest of the mountain rock. TKL then stores the toxic cyanide waste in man-made “tailings ponds” on the mountainside. Already this tailings pond full of cyanide has broken twice, leaking this toxic waste into our water and earth. Many people have left their jobs at the mine because they fear for their health.  TKL built roads because it helps their business, but they never built the schools or hospital that it promised. Very little of the royalty payment is accessible to villagers, with the bulk of the profit being kept by the company.  TKL pays a progressive tax, around 10% of their profit, to the government.  Only 20% of this small fraction goes to the local TAO, which is then divided among all the villages in the district, leaving each village with very little. Because of the mine’s controversy divisions grew between villagers who opposed the mine and those who didn’t. Families were divided by arguments over whether to support the mine, and even our temples took on sides.

COMMUNITY/THE GOOD FIGHT

And so TKL’s mining operations have caused our village to suffer. The mine is destroying the traditional way of life that has sustained us for many generations.  To protest this destruction, many of us are fighting back. It started when four villagers formed a group called People Who Love Their Hometown.  They formed the group in order to protect our village, and to prevent the mining company from destroying other

communities.  Not long after, many villagers from Na Nong Bong and the six surrounding villages joined the group.  The People Who Love Their Hometown work to protest the mining operations, educate people about the impacts of the mine, and demand their way of life back.  Because the company wants to expand their operations, they have to hold a public scoping so villagers have the chance to voice their opinion and ask any questions about the mine.  We tried to go to the TKL’s public scoping to show our opposition, but the company kept us out with police barricades and company trucks. We’ve even taken our case to the National Human Rights Commission because we do not believe this to be a fair public process, but meaningful changes have yet to be made.

NEW MINE

TKL has already taken all of the gold out of our mountain.  We do not want what happened to us to happen to other communities. Even though TKL is mainly focused on mining in the Loei area, there are five other areas in Thailand that are already identified as having gold mining potential.  These areas are in the regions of Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Petchabun, Rayong, and Chumporn. TKL already has plans to expand to another mountain in Loei, a mountain just like ours that is right above the houses and farmland of other villages. We want our story to be heard so this sort of destruction never happens again.  

FUTURE

The mining company does not respect our way of life and only cares about its own profit. We are afraid that the mine will force us to leave our village, and we don’t want the same to happen to others. What if you could prevent this from happening in your own community? The mining company promises development and wealth. But how much is our mountain, our river, our forest, our livelihoods truly worth? Is the gold mine worth the destruction of our way of life? Is it worth yours?

<<<<<<<STORYBOARD>>>>>>>>>