Documentary Filmmaking

To tell a story in its most truest form, photographers and filmmakers sometimes have to put their lives on the frontlines of human struggle. The Japanese photographer and cinematographer Hideyo Fukuda puts himself in harm's way in order to tell a tragic story that is dear to his heart, mine, and several other people. Documentary filmmaking: Japanese photographer and cinematographer Hideyo Fukuda near thick toxic smoke grabbing a scene during many weeks of filming at Agbogbloshie, Ghana, an area once ranked alongside Chernobyl. Copyright © 2019 Muntaka Chasant It was gloomy, but rays of sunshine forced their way through the gathering dark clouds to shone light on us. I embraced the backdrop (bumped up my ISO to 12,800) while Fukuda stood in the smoking fires of burning waste cables to grab a critical scene. For several weeks, Fukuda had been filming Agbogbloshie 'urban miners' use scrap tires and styrofoam packing to burn electrical wires to recover the copper materials inside. He took the risk despite his age and exposure to heavy metals because he wanted to be there to make a difference. Fukuda was exposed to toxic substances, including fine particles, lead, cadmium, dioxins, and furans, for weeks. Documentary-filmmaking: A Japanese cinematographer uses the Sony A7III, the Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens, and the RØDE VideoMic Pro Plus to grab a scene during documentary filmmaking. Copyright © 2019 Muntaka ChasantJapanese photographer and cinematographer films at Agbogbloshie, Ghana. Copyright © 2019 Muntaka Chasant Many thanks for doing this, Fukuda-san! Copyright © 2019 Muntaka Chasant