Gabriel Spitzer's "Moving the Village" is founded upon good writing – clear, explanatory journalism. The documentary benefits further from Spitzer's compelling narration, his voice conveying both authority and humanity. His on-the-ground (and -water) research and writing combine most crucially to explain the underlying science of climate change. In narrative and through well-selected interviews, Spitzer communicates scientific data clearly, without resorting either to oversimplification or jargon.
While maintaining a factually accurate portrayal, Spitzer does not lose hold of the requirements either of storytelling or of radio -- story illustrated with sound. "Moving the Village" follows a narrative arc that launches from the particular of Shishmaref's Inupiaq culture to more general human themes – Why are we where we are? Why is "sense of place" important – how does it resonate beyond the local to the universal? What sense of self does a place impart? In the words of one voice of Shishmaref, there's a change ahead, to being "mainlanders, not islanders".
The success of "Moving the Village" comes not from clinical journalism divorced from real people, but from the precise weave of research, writing, and audio. The ambience is never garish, but the sounds – of a caribou's internal organs being gutted, of huskies and four wheelers, of angry ocean – enhance the story like good punctuation or typography.
Without sacrificing objectivity, Spitzer helps humanize the story through his willingness to place himself in it, splashing through the storm surge.
This is 21st Century radio, where head and heart come together. Great documentary requires this marriage, and Spitzer celebrates it. He gives voice to villagers and also affords alternate views, including the theory that local activities such as building seawalls may provoke as many negative effects as global warming.
In "Moving the Village", producer Gabriel Spitzer deftly avoids the pitfalls and exploits the opportunities for a medium-form environmental documentary. This is great radio that speaks to every village in the public radio system. Get moving.
Review of Moving the Village
Geo Beach
Posted on February 15, 2005 at 01:40 PM
Gabriel Spitzer's "Moving the Village" is founded upon good writing – clear, explanatory journalism. The documentary benefits further from Spitzer's compelling narration, his voice conveying both authority and humanity. His on-the-ground (and -water) research and writing combine most crucially to explain the underlying science of climate change. In narrative and through well-selected interviews, Spitzer communicates scientific data clearly, without resorting either to oversimplification or jargon.
While maintaining a factually accurate portrayal, Spitzer does not lose hold of the requirements either of storytelling or of radio -- story illustrated with sound. "Moving the Village" follows a narrative arc that launches from the particular of Shishmaref's Inupiaq culture to more general human themes – Why are we where we are? Why is "sense of place" important – how does it resonate beyond the local to the universal? What sense of self does a place impart? In the words of one voice of Shishmaref, there's a change ahead, to being "mainlanders, not islanders".
The success of "Moving the Village" comes not from clinical journalism divorced from real people, but from the precise weave of research, writing, and audio. The ambience is never garish, but the sounds – of a caribou's internal organs being gutted, of huskies and four wheelers, of angry ocean – enhance the story like good punctuation or typography.
Without sacrificing objectivity, Spitzer helps humanize the story through his willingness to place himself in it, splashing through the storm surge.
This is 21st Century radio, where head and heart come together. Great documentary requires this marriage, and Spitzer celebrates it. He gives voice to villagers and also affords alternate views, including the theory that local activities such as building seawalls may provoke as many negative effects as global warming.
In "Moving the Village", producer Gabriel Spitzer deftly avoids the pitfalls and exploits the opportunities for a medium-form environmental documentary. This is great radio that speaks to every village in the public radio system. Get moving.