Magnum photographer Richard Kalvar’s “Earthlings” is a unique look at humankind. “I capture reality, never pose it. But once captured, is it still reality? I’ve always tried to play with the false impression of reality, with the ambiguity of appearances. Things are what they seem to be, or maybe something else,” he says in the text that introduces the project.
At 6:41, it’s a bit lengthy for a multimedia piece, because some viewers may not sit still online that long, but I find the length is justified by the content. The photos paired with Kalvar’s narration are well paced.
However, it took me a full 2:20 to understand the distracting noise in the background was part of the musical soundtrack. I thought the noise was accidental – a reflection of poor audio gathering. It sounded like the photographer was making tea in his kitchen while being interviewed. Instead, the sounds intended to add a sense of alien-ness.
The interview itself was stimulating. I liked hearing the photographer’s words. He used the French word “disponible,” which means “available.” When paired with photography, this means a photographer should “be open and ready for the unknown,” he says. This attitude is evident in his work, and I’d like to incorporate the same attitude in my own.
The piece is easy to navigate. I like the thumbnails that pop up when scrubbing along the progression bar. A bit of resolution is lost in full-screen mode, but that’s not surprising.
Overall, well done. While one could enjoy the photographs alone without sound, I enjoyed hearing the photographer's thoughts. I could watch this several more times. Again, the only thing I would change would be the soundtrack. I appreciate the effect the creators were trying to create, but a similar effect could be achieved through another piece of alien-type music. Or, perhaps the same piece without the lengthy intro of mere noises.
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