Swimming with Piranhas
By Mike Greenwood for BBC World Service.
Documentary length: 23.27 minutes.
Brief summary
The documentary is about Chaco, a region in Paraguay which
is known for its natural beauty but is facing the challenge of deforestation and industrialization.
The title of the podcast, “Swimming with Piranhas” is a play on words. He refers
to the fact that he was mingling with developers who are seen as
environmentally destructive piranhas.
The narrator described uprisings in Paraguay including the
president’s impeachment as a side note, implying that political instability is
not new to the region. He also shed light on the ethnic backgrounds of the
people in Chaco, alerting the listener that many people there come from German
descent.
Throughout the documentary he provided two sides to the
story, informing the listener of both the environmental conservationist’s
perspective and the developer’s perspective.
The points he raised were interesting, however I felt that the
documentary was too long and drawn out. I lost interest at times but regained
them at other times. The statistics he presented us with were interesting
though. For example he mentioned that the Chaco may be completely
industrialized by 2013, which is worrying considering how beautiful the
landscape is according to his descriptions.
Audio Quality
The audio quality was excellent. Interviews were noise free
most of the time, unless they were deliberately in public in which there would
be the noise of the hustle and bustle in the background.
Natural sound was used effectively. At the very beginning of the segment, he described that he was moving through a forest and to compliment
that there was the sound of branches being cracked, birds chirping and water
flowing in the background. The sound of a motorcycle engine was often heard in the
background, aiding the fact that he was on the move.
Narrator’s Voice
He sounds like a wildlife commentator, almost like Richard
Attenborough. There’s calmness to his voice but it’s also pitchy in order to
keep the listener’s attention. His voice isn’t monotonous at all and is
engaging throughout the documentary, even if the subject matter loses focus.
Writing Quality
At several points, he interestingly explained the dichotomy
of untouched environmental beauty and modern development. He did this by using
imagery to describe the beauty of the nature and interviews with developers to
gather their reasons for changing the landscape. His use of imagery was very
fitting and placed the listener in his shoes.
Documentary Length
I’d say the documentary was a bit too long. He could have
cut out several of the interviews and just kept the most crucial or engaging
ones.
Beginning and Ending
The documentary began with the narrator explaining that he’s
climbing through a forest while describing his surroundings. This is a surefire
way to draw in the listener’s attention. The documentary ended with hard
hitting facts followed by a short conclusion of his findings. One of the facts
he raised is that the equivalent of 2,500 football fields are deforested every
day.
Website Navigation
The BBC World Service website is very easy to navigate; all
the podcasts are on the page and are ordered by date.
Other Observations
His music selection was interesting. He used a South
American sounding selection of songs at times, perhaps Paraguayan. Other times
he used church chants which fit into the context of him explaining residents' religious German background. His use of imagery gave me a
visual impression of what the region looked like. I later looked up images of
the area and they weren’t too different from my preconceived impressions.
