Fine Cut: Disaster Seekers

By lwestfall — May 25, 2010 | 0 comments

Toronto – Mehreen Khan of Fine Cut explains the struggles of daily reporting from Haiti after the earthquake and the story of how Inside Disaster came into fruition. Fine Cut is a magazine from Humber College’s journalism students.

Getting inside Haiti was the preliminary hurdle the team anticipated. From mosquito repellents to meal replacement units, sanitation tools to technical equipment, the team members prepared themselves for all possibilities. They also arrived with a week’s supply of food. “We were very conscious of not wanting to tax the aid resources and rescue efforts. We had to be completely self-sufficient,” says Nemtin.

Mahreen also covers the extensive use of blogs and social media to increase awareness of the documentary series Inside Disaster.

Back in Toronto, McKenna was busy uploading Jolliet’s blogs, photos and video footage to the documentary website. Since Jolliet couldn’t respond to people’s comments on Facebook and Twitter, McKenna became the messenger. Under her management the Facebook fan page, Inside Disaster, grew to nearly 4,000 fans.

Social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube presented a truly multi-platform experience allowing the re-purposing of content for a larger number of viewers. After an exhausting workday in Haiti, Jolliet would bring his daily experiences to the many people following his blog. “He would leave in the morning, go out, shoot all day, come back just as the sun was going down,” says McKenna. “Occasionally he was shooting at night, and rather than sitting down before a warm meal, he would be editing and writing all night long. Some days he would be working 20 hours.” Jolliet, sandaled and scurrying in filth, mud, and rubble, got footage and shot pictures.

You can read the full article here on the Fine Cut website, or learn more about the Inside Disaster filmmakers here.

Tags: Behind the Scenes Featured Nadine Pequeneza Press Press Coverage