China Quake 2011
Distributed by The Video Project, PO Box 411376, San Francisco, CA 94141-1376; 800-475-2638
Produced by Natural History New Zealand (NHNZ)
Directed by Mike Single (Director of photography); Rachael Wilson (Field director)
DVD, color, 47 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Asian Studies, Science, China, Earthquakes, Seismology
Date Entered: 09/08/2011
Reviewed by Michael Fein, Coordinator of Library Services, Central Virginia Community College, Lynchburg, VAThis production, which has played on the National Geographic Channel International, is an engaging report on the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province China, which killed an estimated 90,000 people and left upwards of 11 million homeless. The program follows scientists, researchers and engineers who are analyzing the effects of the earthquake on various types of structures—residential dwellings, historic sites, even dams—and reports on their findings. There are also interviews with survivors of the quake. Video footage from the day of the quake in addition to computer graphics give the viewer an idea of what happened that fateful day. The overall production is good with the visuals being of excellent quality and the strongest part of this production. The sound is, however, problematic. The English voiceover employed when Chinese speakers are on screen is very difficult to next to impossible to hear. It is very distracting and detracts from what would be otherwise an excellent production.
Awards
- Golden China Dragon Award, International Science and Education Producers Conference