นักทำสารคดีที่มองสงครามผ่านเลนส์ทุกระยะ | Wannasingh Prasertkul | TEDxBangkok

Quick Overview

Documentary filmmaker Wannasingh Prasertkul explains that war, whether in conflict zones like Ukraine or in places like the Congo, is fundamentally driven by the equation: Resources minus People equals Scarcity, and Scarcity minus Process equals War, emphasizing that capturing these raw human emotions and realities requires different filming techniques like using 85mm for intimate portraits and 24mm for wide context.

Key Points: Wannasingh documented conflicts in 122 locations, including Rwanda (40 years prior) and the Congo, where he witnessed the rawest human emotions. He defines the underlying cause of conflict as: Resources - People = Scarcity, and Scarcity - Process = War. He uses the 85mm lens (The Close Up) for intimate portraits to capture raw emotion, and the 24mm lens (The Wide Angle) for broader context. Filming in conflict zones like Ukraine involved extreme conditions, such as documenting Russian soldiers operating in Ukrainian territory, which required avoiding focus on national identity and instead focusing on the universal human experience. He emphasizes that true documentary work requires showing the inherent value of life, even in the most desolate environments, contrasting the suffering of war with the simple needs of survival (like hunger). The drone, or 'God's Eyes,' offers a detached, God's-eye view, contrasting with the close, intimate, and often painful focus of ground-level filming. His ultimate goal is to show that all life, whether human or animal (like the gorillas he filmed), shares the fundamental struggle for survival against scarcity.

Context: Wannasingh Prasertkul, a documentary filmmaker known for his work in conflict zones and remote areas, presents his philosophy on capturing reality through the lens at TEDxBangkok. He shares personal experiences from filming in places like Rwanda, Congo, and Ukraine, illustrating how different focal lengths (85mm vs. 24mm) and tools like drones help him approach subjects—from human suffering to wildlife—to tell stories that transcend politics and focus on core human emotions and universal struggles.