Merapi: Stories from the Volcano
One event told through many perspectives
Year
2011
Deliverable
Interactive documentary
Role
Creator & Designer
Contributions
Cinematography, Editing, Interactive Designer
Background
An interactive documentary exploring the spectacular eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Merapi in 2010.
Shot over 15 days, this project travels to locations around the volcano to hear the personal experiences of local individuals and depict the reality of living near one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The project was designed to showcase individual stories by thematically mapping stories against the varying impact and geographic distance from the eruption.
This project is currently being used as an educational resource in classrooms and universities across Australia. It is available to view at: www.merapistories.com
Filming interviews
Filming around the volcano was carried out in a fluid production process that moved away from traditional storyboarding. Interviews were often conducted on-location in short sessions lasting as little as 20 minutes long.
All interviews were conducted in Indonesian or in the Javanese dialect with assistance provided by locals. Over 20 interviews were gathered in 15 days using a Canon 550D and external zoom microphone.
Interaction design
This project combines elements of video & infographics on a platform of an interactive interface. - meaning that these different mediums were being worked on at the same time.
The thematic links between portrait documentaries were driven by the content of an interviewee’s story, shaping the interactive infographic in the process. The highlighted theme of ‘evacuation’ for example, shows that the people primarily affected by this theme was the local village community and the volunteers who assisted them.
Depicting diversity
When producing the videos much consideration was given to representing diverse demographics within the Indonesian population - including individuals of different ages, ethnicities, religious backgrounds and occupations.
It is in this way that this project seeks to show how a single eruption affected so many different people in a multiple of ways.