An ASIC Short Film
Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative (ASIC) is a burgeoning regional collaboration between private sector stakeholders from Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam who have come together to tackle social and environmental sustainability challenges facing the Asian seafood industry.
The brief for the project is to create a deeply emotive, beautiful film of the producers (shrimp farmers) in Sidoarjo and Pinrang - a film that captures their work, their dreams, their struggles, their environment and their lives.
CREDITS
Client: ASIC
Project: Brand Film
Producer & Director: Muliadi Utomo
ASIC Team
Managing Director: Corey Peet
Director of Marketing: C.J. Scott
Project Manager: Trini Pratiwi
Aquaculture Improvements Assistant/Translator: Yitno Suprapto
PT. ATINA Team
Director: Harry Yuli Susanto
We visited shrimp farms in Sidoarjo (East Java) and Pinrang (South Sulawesi) and spoke with the producers and people in the shrimp industry over a period of nine days.
Natural light is used throughout the film. To focus on what’s happening in front of the camera during interviews only one camera is used, so the shots needed to be planned very carefully.
I filmed the producers as they traveled to the farms, spent time with their families, harvested shrimp, and everything in between.
The methods of shrimp farming in Sidoarjo and Pinrang are different. In Sidoarjo the producers either use bamboo cages or catch shrimp with their hands, while in Pinrang, they use traps made of nets.
To show the size, shape and extent of the shrimp farms, a drone was used to take aerial shots. Like all footage taken with the camera, a log profile was used for the drone footage for maximum dynamic range and flexibility in post-production and color grading.
In most of the aerial shots, the horizon is in the center and the drone moves with a simple, elegant forward movement.
Where applicable, the rule of thirds is used to make the composition more dynamic and elements from the environment utilized to frame the shots.
To find structure and order among the expanse of the shrimp farms, where applicable, the frame within a frame technique is in some shots.
Aside from conducting interviews, portraits of the producers were taken amidst the serene beauty of their farms and their homes.
Filming the producers’ daily activities allowed us to showcase the essence and spirit of these hardworking individuals, their deep-rooted connection to the land, and the passion they have for their work.
This film celebrates the producers’ extraordinary journeys and offers a glimpse into their daily lives, telling their remarkable stories and the unique challenges that they face on a daily basis.
