Wednesday, January 22, 2014

IUCN - Media Media!


Wow - and not in a good way!
Wait til Randy sees it!

Watch this.



With all due respect - this is embarrassing.
I've now watched it four times and am still distracted by the amateurish editing, horrible images and clumsiness of the narrators. The shark conservation universe is awash in incredibly talented editing outfits for whom producing this PSA, for free, would have been both an honor and an opportunity - especially considering the importance of the paper and the prestige of the authors!
Seriously, you may want to consider soliciting expressions of interest for producing a v2?

Anyway.
More when I got time to read the paper.

2 comments:

OfficetoOcean said...

Just bear with me while I climb aboard my soapbox...

Sometime ago, I had a discussion on my blog with a scientist about the merits of why Science NEEDS to enlist the help of professional, highly skilled film-makers to deliver their message because most people are not going to download and read jargon heavy, often highly complex and incredibly "dry" papers. What they need to do to deliver their message to a wide audience is to commission good professional film-makers to do that for them.

This particular scientist (I don't know who it was) was adamant that no, the science community should be responsible for and handle all their own media output.

This video is why that scientist was so very, very wrong.

I don't get it I really don't, there is all this work that goes into collating this data to get out there and particularly for the IUCN, to create a public dialogue about these findings and to do so, they need media outreach and stuff like this just does not cut it.

They should have a budget aside to PAY someone to make high quality media to enable and encourage outreach. Video and Film media is so much more than pointing a camcorder at someone, scientists do science, they don't do films, much like I make films, I don't do the science bit.

I hate to do this but to use A Ray of Light as an example, this weekend, 500 people attended yet another screening in Mallorca as part of a seminar to discuss marine conservation around the island. When I started things with Brad, we'd be lucky to get 10, when Brad started on his own, he'd be lucky to get 1.

Brad's passion and dedication, aligned with the film now means investment is going into marine conservation there and more and more people are getting involved, especially local businesses. Two television broadcasts, film festival headlining slot and approximately 80,000 online views in total proves it works.

So far, the total level of investment in community projects in Mallorca thanks i part to the film, is around 60,000 euros and I made that film for £700 of my own money.

Yes video can be an expensive business but it's money extremely well spent and the scientific community would be well advised to join the 21st century and embrace it given the fact that every man and his dog now seems to want to voice an opinion on the marine environment on social media.

The notion as has been said to me in the past, that the Scientific community should have complete control of the media delivery of their work is complete nonsense, because invariably, when they do, it's like the video you linked. Do these guys do all their own plumbing and electrics as well?

It's not their fault the video is bad, they don't know what they're doing, it's their fault they didn't speak to someone who does, however.

Right, soap box done and dusted with... According to that video, Neil Hammerschlag is "endangered," does he know about this?

DaShark said...

Do these guys do all their own plumbing and electrics as well?
Quite possibly! :)

Amen brother!