A tragic milestone
How the deaths of two rainforest activists serve as a milestone in the struggle to save the Amazon.
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| The Crying Forest documents the pressure environmental activists face [EPA] |
Video editor Adrian Billing explains how it is important to find the right balance and pace when editing a film like The Crying Forest.
Working on The Crying Forest has been an incredible experience. The right balance and pace in editing was crucial. The murder scene at the top of part two was a very difficult scene to edit. We had extensive footage of the murder scene which made it easy to build and inter-cut with interviews of the family and friends as they explained what they went through on that day.
Guillermo Galdos, the cameraman, did an incredible job filming Maria’s return to the settlement, their walk through the murder scene and meeting the beautiful Brazil nut tree, Her Majesty. These two scenes really stand out in the film, in my opinion.
Ze Claudio and Maria’s story is an important and tragic milestone in the struggle to save the Amazon. I envisage this film being used to reference the horrific pressure environmental activists have faced and, it seems, will face for years to come.
I hope the families of Ze Claudio and Maria receive justice, and I also hope they feel this film does justice to their extraordinary lives.
Adrian Billing, based in Doha, Qatar, is a staff video editor for Al Jazeera English. He has been with Al Jazeera for more than six years and edited numerous high profile AJE documentaries.