Category Archives: Videos

New Portfolio: Hmong Grandmother

December 24, 2019 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

Hmong Grandmother

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Also posted in Black and White Photography, Humanitarian Photography, Portraiture, Travel Tagged Laos |

Good Time Girls Documentary Premiere

March 6, 2016 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

I worked on the Good Time Girls documentary and am glad to announce it is being premiered at the Pickford Film Center Wednesday, March 16th at 6:30pm.

Jon Filming Sarah

I also worked on a promotional music video for the same film. Take a look:

Tagged Good Time Girls Film |

Unexploded Ordnance Survivor Video

February 21, 2016 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

Last year I created a video for World Education (WE) in Laos. It’s a short documentary fundraiser for the War Victims Medical Fund (WVMF). When I was approached with the idea by one of the team members from WE’s Victims’ Assistance Support Team (VAST), I knew I had to do it—although, it wasn’t an easy video to make. I feel very strongly about the people still being affected by United States’ Vietnam-era munitions, and at times was overcome by the pointlessness of the violence happening to them.

If you cannot see the video above, click here.

My only disappointment about the project was that I didn’t get to travel to Teuy’s remote village when VAST did a checkup trip. When the team gathered in Teuy’s home, as is usual, many of the neighbors came by to see what was going on. When they saw him opening bottles of water and bags of chips, they were amazed. When they commented on it, Teuy said “And I can do a lot more!”

That would have made an amazing end to the video, but knowing it happened was enough.

Also posted in Humanitarian Photography Tagged Cluster Bomb, Laos, Unexploded Ordnance |

Haam Jap! (Don’t Touch)

February 14, 2016 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

This was a great project I worked on in Laos last year. The kids learned filmmaking skills, had a good time, and got to go to the capital (most had never been there). The twelve hour bus ride was a bit of an ordeal, but it was worth it.

Here is the info about the project:

Conceived, written and produced by the students of Lone Buffalo, the short film ‘Haam Jap’ is a Public Awareness Video designed to alert children in Laos (and worldwide) of the continued danger of Unexploded Ordnance.

The film was shown at the 2015 Vientianale International Film Festival.

The students wrote three scenarios in which bombies can maim or kill. They used props available in the classroom and local market to produce special effects, and shot the film on location in and around Phonsavan.

On Vimeo:

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Film Director Teng Vue Fai Dang (18) said he wanted to create a film that would remind both children and adults that bombies are sadly both metaphorically and physically “in our roots” and will pose a danger for many years to come, especially in Xieng Khouang, the world’s most heavily bombed province.

The only shots not taken by the students were of the defused munitions, since it was deemed inappropriate for them to be near or handle actual UXO, even though it was all FFE (Free From Explosives).

On YouTube:

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

The film was Executively Directed by Jon Witsell and James Thomas. This film was produced for and funded by the US State Department.

Lone Buffalo is an free English Language project in Phonsavan, North East Laos. The students who produced this film live in Xieng Khouang Province.

Also posted in Humanitarian Photography, Travel Tagged Cluster Bomb, Lone Buffalo, Unexploded Ordnance, Vientiane |

Raining Cluster Bombs

July 12, 2015 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

This is a time-lapse of the cluster bomb display at the Cooperative Orthotic Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) in Vientiane, Laos.

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Below is a picture of half the Chronos Light time-lapse rig used to shoot the image sequence—there is another tripod below, securing the other end of the rail.

Also posted in Timelapse, Travel Tagged Cluster Bomb, Laos, Unexploded Ordnance, Vientiane |

Myriads of Gods on Platinum Palladium Prints

June 14, 2015 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

Here is a wonderful video of a Japanese photographer that makes images of the environment he is afraid may disappear—and makes platinum palladium prints, a process from the early 1800s. The artistry and the craft that this man employs is just astounding. The paper he uses has the potential to last 1000 years…

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Also posted in Alt Process Photography, Black and White Photographers, Black and White Photography, Fine Art Printing

Collotype: A Story of Ink & Steel

June 7, 2015 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

This is a great little video on a beautiful antique photographic print process called the collotype. Originally created in 1856, sadly there are only two collotype printing companies in the world, both in Kyoto, Japan. Only one, Benrido can do color collotypes:

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

I find it very sad that in the not so distant future, the commercial usage of the process may disappear completely. I was alerted to this video by my good friend Derek who sent me the article A Look at Benrido, One of the Last Collotype Printers in the World at Petapixel, where you can find several other videos on the process.

Also posted in Alt Process Photography, Fine Art Photography Business, Fine Art Printing

Symbolism in Tom Waits’ Hell Broke Luce

April 26, 2015 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

I recently taught a filmmaking class to a group of students at the Lone Buffalo Foundation in Phonsavan, Laos. Since Laos is the, per capita, most heavily bombed country on the globe, I thought that Tom Waits’ Hell Broke Luce might be a good, if difficult, choice to show the concept of symbolism.

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Well, I was right on that last count. Not only was it difficult, it was downright incomprehensible to the students. It’s an oddly uncomfortable feeling to be standing up in front of a class after showing a video that you are excited about and feel is a perfect example for a certain aspect of your lesson plan, and have the entire class look at you as if you, and the video, are from another planet. I wasn’t sure why Hell Broke Luce had flopped as an example, but the class was nearing its end so we wrapped things up for the day.

However, a few weeks later, I realized I wanted to give it another go. Symbolism is, when used well, an incredibly effective means of telling a story without the direct use of language. When effectively combined with language (in this case lyrics), it can then be even more powerful. It was worth giving it another try.

So, I spent some time thinking about the reasons why the students hadn’t connected with the video. I came up with four:

Read More»

Also posted in Humanitarian Photography, Travel Tagged Laos, Lone Buffalo, Phonsavan, Unexploded Ordnance |

Production Photos: Lone Buffalo Film Crew!

April 19, 2015 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

With all the excitement of the our film being shown at the Vientianale Film Festival (a group of Lone Buffalo students made an Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) awareness film for youngsters) I had been remiss in posting some of the photos of the crew and production.

(For photos of the students at the film festival, see here.)

I’ll make up for that now:

That’s me to the left and the wonderful James Thomas to the right. James is a journalist and volunteered to help produce the film; his wife Jackie was a volunteer English teacher at Lone Buffalo.

That’s Ms. Pa on the floor next to me. We were exploring the concept of using a low camera angle to make a subject seem larger or more powerful.

Read More»

Also posted in Travel Tagged Laos, Lone Buffalo, Phonsavan |

Lone Buffalo at the Vientianale Film Festival

March 26, 2015 by Jon Witsell | Comments Off

Finally! Here is the video and some photos of the Lone Buffalo students at the 2015 Vientianale Film Festival, where they presented their Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) awareness film Haam Jap! (Don’t Touch!) to a standing room only theater!

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Only two of the students had ever been to the Capitol, so it was quite the experience for them. It was quite a trip—nine hours on a bumpy, serpentine road. There was extensive car sickness, even with a dosing of motion sickness medication before we left Phonsavan…

The Students (and Philip, Second From Right) Presenting Their Film

Posing In Front Of The Vientianale Sponsor Board. That’s Paula, Another Teacher, To The Right

The Vientianale Program

But even with all the excitement of the festival, I think the following photograph captures my favorite experience of the entire trip. Philip (one of the teachers at Lone Buffalo, my translator during the film classes, and one of my all-time favorite people in Laos) was sitting next to Kou Kham, who is all of twelve years old (and one of the actors in the film). Kou Kham had a rough time of the trip, and after a long bout of car sickness, pretty much just passed out. Of course, you end up bouncing all over, which just adds to your intestinal misery.

Philip laid him down and hung onto him so he could get some rest. Right as this happened, that orange-red Lao sun broke through the clouds and lit up the inside of the bus. The light was gone a few seconds later.

These are the kind of people I meet in Laos; These people are the reason why I keep coming back.

Being Carsick Does That To You!

Also posted in Humanitarian Photography, Travel Tagged Laos, Lone Buffalo, Vientiane |