DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

The making of a hybrid film: People of the Delta

Aug 25, 2016 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

delta

Joey Lawrence has been photographing the tribes of Ethiopia since 2008. Drawn by the aesthetic of the country itself and its residents, it’s a place he’s returned to many times since. In 2013, Joey started a kickstarter to raise funds for a cinematic narrative film. The film was to be shot in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, and star the members of the tribes he found there.

The film has toured the festival circuit, picking up a number of very respectable awards. Now, the film is online, available to watch for anybody with an Internet connection. Joey has also released several behind the scenes videos to accompany the piece. You will want to sit back with a good amount of time spare to watch through it all, but it’s well worth it.

First, the film itself. JoeyL’s People of the Delta. It’s narrated from two unique perspectives. Uri, a young boy from the Hamar tribe who becomes a man during his right of passage ceremony. Segelgwo is an elder chief of the Daasanach, reflecting on the uncertain future of his community.

This “making of” video runs slightly longer than the film itself. In it, Joey discusses the reasons why I fell in love with the location and the people. He also talks about some of his goals for the project and how it all came together. It delves into the story, the places and the people.

It’s interesting seeing how the crew interacts with the tribespeople, and the rituals that surround certain events. How those rituals can affect the story. Some of those rituals, like your principle subject having his head shaved, can put you under a lot of pressure. You have to know you’ have every shot you need with him having hair. It’s not like you can just throw a wig onto him like you might in Hollywood.

No behind the scenes would be complete without at least some discussion of the equipmeny used. Joey has us covered there, too. Meeting the crew, and watching the story of how this all came together is an epic adventure in and of itself.

There’s so much information in these videos, that there’s something there to satisfy everybody. Whether you want to learn about story telling, what gear to use, how to work in a crew, or logistics. It’s one of the most complete and in-depth sets of behind the scenes videos out there. Certainly that I’ve found.

Joey does have one more video, highlighting the trip back to Ethiopia to catch up with the tribe and shoot footage he’d missed. Drone technology advancement over the last couple of years also allowed him to to get aerial shots that he couldn’t before.

If you want to watch that one, you’ll have to head over to Joey’s blog, and read the rest of the story.

Once you’ve had a watch, let us know what you think in the comments. I don’t know about you, but it sure makes me want to head off and shoot my own adventure in some faraway land.

[via ISO1200]

 

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Delta Air Lines caused $8,000 worth of damage to my camera gear, but they don’t care Sony pulls out of NAB 2021 in Las Vegas over COVID-19 Delta variant Breaking: Canon pulls out of NAB 2021 over COVID-19 Delta concerns PONF is a film/digital hybrid camera, and it will feature a 100MP Sony sensor

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: behind the scenes, BTS, documentary, ethiopia, Joey Lawrence, Video

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Blending for composite – two ways to get it right
DJI’s new Osmo+ brings 7x zoom to handheld gimbal cameras »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Kolari introduces Atlas – The lightest matte box in the industry
  • This epic timelapse shows the glory of the “blood moon” lunar eclipse
  • This is how your camera’s sensor sees the world
  • Create a beauty-light portrait with nothing but speed lights
  • Utah law now requires minors to ask parents consent for social media

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy