Slug & Lede

Ehrin Macksey’s video piece, Van Mon: A Forgotten Existence, recognizes the poor conditions of Van Mon, a dermatology hospital, located in the Vietnam countryside that is recognized as home to the growing number of elderly people who reside there.  The 300 to 400 people living in Van Mon are fighting the disabling disease, leprosy.

As the video began, I was instantly impacted while viewing the heartbreaking photographs of various patients residing at Van Mon.  The introduction was great; I thought it really grabbed the audience’s attention and immediately caught my interest.  The flashing photography captured the wide array of deformaties each patient experiences. Each photo was up-close and showed a clear picture of each person which really gave a deeper meaning.  

 I felt that majority of the piece included photography, but the few video clips that were shown had a good amount of impact within them.  The video scenes revealed the true picture and what each elderly person battling leprosy deals with on a regular basis.  While viewing the bathing scene, I was shocked that this is how it always is for these people and for them, taking a bath is not nearly as enjoyable as it may have once been for them.  I really think the video portion captured that point.

The black and white photography was excellent and I thought it captured the mood that Macksey wanted to capture. This piece was emotional and eye-opening on all levels, including the photos, video, and the voiceover that went on throughout the piece. The black and white photos were in sync with the words being spoken by Robert Lucius, which made it easier to follow the piece and know exactly what he was talking about.  I really enjoyed how the piece was a voiceover, but when Lucius would be shown being interviewed, I thought this took the focus off the actual Van Mon piece itself.

There was a wide range of shots, such as wide, medium, and close-ups.  I particularly enjoyed the close-up shots because some very extremely clear and showed immense detail and there were others that seemed blurry but the picture still seemed to have a great impact.  The photos of the river, the church, and the different locations each patient would go to think or reflect were beautifully captured. Each photo was taken either in a wide shot ot medium shot which added a good variety to the piece.

Overall, I thought the piece was excellent and had a very meaingful touch to it.  If I were to do something differently, I would have made the entire piece a voiceover and cut out the interviews because I think it took the focus off Van Mon. I also would have included more video to the piece because I think it would have exposed a closer look and would have allowed the audience to actually see what the patients deal with.  All in all, I enjoyed the piece and thought video was the best choice because this piece is something an audience needs to see, hear, and feel.

Ehrin Macksey’s video piece, Von Mon: A forgotten Existence brings to life the suffering that patients at Von Mon endure.  Von Mon is a dermatology hospital in Vietnam that houses between 300-400 elderly patients who are suffering from chronic illnesses they developed from having leprosy in earlier years.

The author did an excellent job of capturing the depression and emotion present at Von Mon without making it too difficult to watch.  Right away, I became emotionally drawn into the piece when the pictures of the patients were shown with the soft music playing in the background.  In my opinion, the black and white images worked very well with this piece because it added to the emotion; however, I would have done the interview with Robert Lucius in Black and white as well because the colored images of him seemed to stand out more than the actual footage.

The strongest parts of this video were the moving shots and various angles that were shown.  Macksey used a wide range of close up shots and wide shots throughout the piece that provided detail, making the video interesting to watch.  During the series of pictures where the man is gardening, the camera begins with a wide shot and gradually moves closer, eventually showing just his hands.  There are many other instances throughout the piece where just the patients crippled hands are shown, which I thought really added to the solemn mood being expressed. The moving shots during the bathing scene were also a strong point because they made it easy to imagine the distress the man in the video was feeling.

If I were to change anything about the video, I would exclude the images of Robert Lucius completely and only include his voice in the background.   In my opinion, it would have been much more interesting to see more footage of daily life at Von Mon, or hear an interview one of the patients or employees at the hospital. Especially at the end of the video, the interview with Lucius seemed too long and, in my opinion, it would have been more effective to end with emotionally capturing images.  Overall, I thought that this was a very powerful and engaging piece.

Ehrin Macksey’s Van Mon: A Forgotten Existence brings to light the poor conditions of Van Mon, a dermatology hospital, in the remote Vietnam countryside where around 300 to 400 people, mostly elderly, live disabled by leprosy.

Although the actual video used within this piece was very minimal, I felt that the use of photography was in fact very appropriate and intriguing. In using photography, Macksey presented a broader range of material than video might have allowed. In some instances, such as a patient being bathed, Macksey instead merged continuous frames taken of the bath, creating an interesting alternative to video. I also found that the introduction created almost an immediate emotional impact. The many individual portraits of the patients at Van Mon clearly reveal the physical deformities that their illnesses have inflicted upon them. Macksey’s photography is heartbreaking to say the least.

The black and white photography obviously adds to the dramatic impact intended on its audience as well as being aesthetically cohesive. Yet, what clearly stood out was when the video would return to Robert Lucius, whose interview was laid as a voice-over during the majority of the video. The video of his interview, done in color, interrupted the cohesive flow of the black and white photography. I felt it was not necessary to actually have to show Lucius, for he was not on location at Van Mon, but simply seated in front of a black backdrop. When watching the video, I was not interested in who was speaking, but rather what was being spoken, therefore the included video felt distracting more than anything.

If I could have done something differently, I would have first of all excluded the video of Lucius’ interview, for as I said above, it felt distracting and interrupted the flow of the piece as a whole. Secondly, although I appreciate Macksey’s photography and creativity in providing an alternative to video, more actual footage of the patients in action might enhance the piece. There were many shots of patients with severed limbs or fingers, but what would have been interesting would be to see footage of how they overcome these disabilities in activities that to us seem effortless.

Overall, I think that the piece was effective in emotionally impacting its audience with its insight into the poor conditions of Van Mon. The photography was both eye-opening to a subject I had no prior knowledge of, and heartbreaking at its brutal reality. I agree with the format chosen with this piece. Photography and video is definitely both appropriate and needed for the emotional aspect. Any other way would be less effective.

In a remote countryside of Vietnam, photographer Ehrin Macksey and Robert Lucius, executive director, take viewers on an unforgettable journey through the meek and dull halls of Van Mon, where a small population of elders suffer from Leprosy disabilities.

Our journey through Van Mon begins instantaneously. Just as the violin begins its fast melody, viewers are quickly flashed black and white photographs of Van Mon refuges. Their sad and lonely faces become richly etched into my mind. Macksey has immediately captured my attention. At first I felt that the pictures went by too fast, leaving me no time to closely examine them. However, I felt that slowing down the music and slowly flashing the photographs across the screen gave viewers a better sense of the sadness these people feel on a day to day bases.

An additional key aspect to the video was the black and white photographs that were consistently used throughout the piece. Black and white photography seems to carry an element that colored photos lack. They show peace, nature, beauty, sadness, and loneliness in many different contexts. This color scheme works beautifully with the Van Mon audio because it illuminates the dark, isolated, and depressing world that these disabled individuals live in.

Macksey’s use of slow moving video was also a immense addition to the piece. As Lucius explains the horrible conditions that these elderly people must live in, a nurse is pouring a bucket of water on a naked man bound to his wheelchair. That is their bathing environment and the slow moving picture allows viewers to really picture the grotesque and horrendous conditions.

Although I thought this piece was moving and powerful, I do wish they would have explained what Leprosy is at the beginning of the video. Throughout the video we learn and see the effects that the disease has on the human body, yet unless you have prior knowledge, the full extent of the disease is left unspoken. I also felt that the video piece was a bit long and that some of the edits were a bit obvious. For instance, at .57-.50 seconds it is apparent the editors cut a section out a put these two segments together. This is evident but Lucius’s words slightly overlap themselves.

Van Mon: A Forgotten Existence is a powerful and meaningful video. It is a rare topic covered, yet the passion that these directors and photographers have towards the topic is passionate. Their pictures, audio, and slow moving videos transforms these forgotten souls into remembered ones.

During the Ehrin Mackey’s video Bop, a Chinese survivor of leprosy tells the story of his youth, his disease and his daily routine. The package features grayscale video, photography, ambient sound and an overlaying vocal track from its main character, Bop. Interesting storytelling, clear sound, good lighting, appropriate shot width and proper framing each comprise the positives of the piece. Lack of a true timeline, photography that overlaps video and confusing terminology, however, each detracts from the piece.

 As an overall package the combination was quite effective, with only a few weaknesses.

An interesting aspect of the cinematographer’s storytelling is his use of a delayed lead. The “unveiling” of Bop is slow and gradual. Bop is by no means hideous, oozing or dirty, but his scars and disfigurement is abrasive at first. Showing his crisp clean clothes, his steady walk and his clean haircut before a full close-up allows viewers to grow accustomed to his unique figure.

Another video choice that works to Mackey’s advantage is the use of stabilization. The entire piece is shot without shaking except for one scene: the bathing scene. Whether the cameraman held his camera to avoid splashing water or to portray the scene from a human perspective, the shifting image works with the frantic scene. The shot still honors “the rule of thirds” and maintains Bop’s headroom.

In terms of shot width, wide shots, medium close-ups and cut-ins portray Bop walking, eating rice and preparing food, respectively. These are various widths work well with his story telling and give engaging variety to the piece. Photographic close-ups are used to portray his ability to cry but not his ability to speak, an interesting editorial choice. This could possibly be because of an interview that was recorded purely in audio to maintain the high quality. His speech pattern would have given depth to the piece, however. Regardless, these shots are used skillfully as the focus of the piece (Bop) is never lost while his background is shown vibrantly.

Angles and focus also serve the piece well. Bop is usually portrayed at an angle, which gives each shot a wider context and dramatizes his features. His scarred face, his crisp cloths and his amputated digits each fall into easily visible off-center areas of the screen, respecting the “rule of thirds”.

The story is interesting and told very personally, but could be recounted slightly more effectively. Historical photos or stories would give Bop some context. While he touches slightly on American bombings, Quynh Lap beach and the Van Mon leprosy camp, no definite story can be derived from his speaking.  This could be fixed with an additional narrator, more depth from Bop’s dialogue or shots of the areas he talks about.

Another thing that could compliment the piece is color. While the bleakness of his situation is represented in the video’s grayscale, churches (a major component of his life) typically feature deep reds and very natural brown wood. These tones would have been nice to see in the piece. Also, times during the day could be deduced through sky colors during window shots. Being as he mentions 3 a.m., sky coloring would have supplemented his storytelling.

One last thing that detracted from the story is a purely subjective observation. I found that I did not like the photo shots that cut to video of the same scene, from the same angle. Many of the photos were striking and many of the videos were revealing into Bop’s life. When shot from the same scene at the same angle, however, I found the piece wasting time that could have been better spent portraying other aspects of Bop.