In 2012, a group of journalism students from the University of Oregon produced a multimedia production for Flux magazine. They traveled to Redmond, Oregon where they interviewed and filmed smokejumpers––firefighters who launch themselves out of planes in hopes of ceasing aggressive wildfires. The producers and editors behind the video component Up in Smoke take their audience through a day in the life of these aerial heroes. A clever arrangement of composition, POV, and shooting style exude the sense of danger and urgency smokejumpers face every day at work.
My favorite scene in Up in Smoke uses a time lapse to show the tree-climbing process during refresher training. At (2:01), we see a smokejumper hoisting himself up a 50+ foot tree. The shooting style of this time lapse helps initiate a relationship between the viewer and the smokejumper. The movement of clouds as the sun sets and the sheer height of the tree elicit a sense of encouragement and awe from the viewer’s perspective. The producers enhance this effect by using a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the relative size of the tree, making the foreground more prominent and striking––all while capturing the expansive background of the forest. The camera follows the smokejumper steadily, creeping closer and closer to the top of the tree. This shooting style effectively aids the story; the camera movement following the trainee through the process puts us there. I hope to use this style in future pieces where I want to place the audience in the moment––to share the experience firsthand.
At (2:08), the scene then cuts to another tilted shot upward that moves the viewer closer and closer to the subject. The angle of this time lapse continues to show the viewer the physical demands of this climb as the sun continues descending and the sky gets darker and darker. At (2:22), the producers conclude the scene by pulling away from the jumper as he retreats down the trunk of the tree.
A fade to black transitions to the next scene: an angled profile shot in daylight on the tarmac of the crews’ Jump Spot plane––preparing for takeoff (2:27). The shallow depth of field emphasizes the propellers of the plane while high levels of natural sound from the engine allude to viewers that training is over; the time has come to free-fall 100-feet with your jump partner and 70 pounds of gear in tow.
As one of the jumpers approaches his leap, a medium shot (2:44) from inside the plane captures gear double-checks at mere seconds before the descent. The camera then turns on him––a GoPro attached to his hard hat (3:05). The point-of-view shot answers the unanswered question: Will he land safely?
The shot cuts to the Jump Spot safely on land (3:27) where the audience witnesses safe arrivals from all across the base camp. We see a series of three jump cuts; tensions are high and people and cargo are coming out of the sky.
Although different crew members are landing in real time 1,000s of feet apart, they are framed in a way that depicts their close proximity. A long lens is used to compress the shot; the large depth of field helps juxtapose members all safely in one–conclusive spot. At (3:41), he finally joins the rest of his team as the angle from the point-of-view GoPro shows the abrupt, but safe landing of the jumper.
The use of wide angle lenses, long shots, jump cuts, and POV help make this piece effective in telling the story of a day in the life of a smokejumper. When stakes are high and I want to engage my viewers with an unanswered question, I plan to use the same fast-paced, POV shooting style that the producers of Up in Smoke have utilized in service of the story.