Tsunami video wins Asian digital media award for TODAY
TODAY senior multimedia producer Raj Nadarajan (centre) receiving the award in Hong Kong yesterday. With him are Google’s Jeremy Butteriss (left), managing director, partner business solutions — Asia Pacific, and Mr Pichai Chuensuksawadi, Bangkok Post’s group editor-in-chief and chairman of the WAN-IFRA Asia-Pacific committee. Photo: WAN-IFRA
SINGAPORE — Weaving together accounts of those who survived the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that devastated Aceh, as well as those bearing witness to its recovery, a TODAY digital project has won the bronze award for Best Online Video at the annual Asian Digital Media Awards.
Organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the awards were presented yesterday in Hong Kong together with Google.
TODAY senior multimedia producer Raj Nadarajan’s entry Rebuilding Aceh, 10 Years After Tsunami was among the winners selected from a pool of 133 submissions across 10 categories involving 34 media companies from 13 countries. Other media companies that bagged awards include Apple Daily, the South China Morning Post, Thomson Reuters and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).
The project was published in December last year, and featured videos of interviews with Acehnese who recounted their still-raw memories of the disaster and the painstaking rebuilding process. It also included interviews with Singaporeans who recalled the roles they played in the tsunami’s aftermath, including Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, who back then was the commander of the Singapore Armed Forces’ Humanitarian Assistance Task Force.
It was accompanied by photographs contrasting sites of devastation in 2004 against the same sites in their rebuilt state, as well as an infographic on the tsunami.
“There was a lot of uncertainty in getting content for the videos as I wasn’t sure if the Acehnese were keen on sharing the painful memories from the tsunami,” said Mr Nadarajan, who spent eight days in Aceh. “But after speaking to some who offered to share their experiences, everything fell into place. The initial plan was to have two videos for the package, but (we) ended up doing five.”
He added: “It was satisfying finishing the project for the 10th anniversary of the tsunami, and at the same time getting a chance to see how forward-looking the people of Aceh are.”
TODAY visual editor Mugilan Rajasegeran said: “What stood out for me was Raj’s use of compelling audio on top of the very good visuals to make a complete multimedia piece. The haunting Gayo (an Acehnese dialect) in particular set the mood and tone for this reflective and sombre piece.”
Going forward, Mr Nadarajan hopes to tell more “emotive stories locally” on video.
The judging panel comprised 19 judges from 14 countries. The Best Online Video category was judged on narrative qualities, originality and treatment, among others. The South China Morning Post’s A Maid’s Tale, which recounted the struggle of a Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong, won silver. The gold went to SPH’s It Changed My Life series, which featured stories of inspiring Singaporeans and was supported by Standard Chartered as part of its celebrations marking Singapore’s Golden Jubilee.
