Being such a major contributor to the Canadian economy, the benefits of the industry a far spread, creating high-paying jobs for large portions of the Canadian population. However, the Environmental impacts of development and growth are instantly obvious and far reaching, causing many to view the Oil Sands as an ecological disaster, whilst the increasing health impacts on many residents that live in the surrounding areas are hard to ignore.
Using the title of Curse or Blessing, this on-going project aims to explore both sides of this argument, designed to be viewed as companion films, to allow the audience to draw their own conclusions about whether or not the Oil Sands are in fact a Curse or a Blessing.
Showcased as part of the COP26 summit in 2021, we made short versions of these films to be part of an exhibition title Bruised Lands, that also included the Mountaintop Removal that happens in Appalachia.
Oil Sands: Curse
Oil Sands: Blessing
We are also exploring the development of a web-based documentary, that allows the user to work their way through the subject matter, focusing on the 5 topics of Health, Environment, Social Impacts, Economy & Politics. Below is an early proof-of-concept video that I put together to showcase the ideas that I had in mind for the project and how we could showcase that content:
Oil Sands: Curse or Blessing webdoc (proof of concept):
MY ROLE:
Director, Cinematographer, Editor
EQUIPMENT:
Canon 5D Mrk2, Fuji XT-3, Premiere Pro, After Effects
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