Producers of controversial Qatar video happy with debate it caused
The co-producer of a controversial video of Qatar has come forward with important background information about the short documentary.
Jake Couper, producer of Future Steps, said that they were pleased that the video had created debate and discussion among Doha residents.
The video was shared with the QL community on Sunday and quickly had many people sharing their thoughts on it.
Here is Jake's background information that you should read before watching the clip below:
1) My partner and I have a combined history in Qatar of 22 years, with me being here for 15 years (I am 17) and my partner being here for 7 (he is 18). We have both grown up here and love Qatar for what it is as it is part of our childhood, we are merely showing that there is room for improvement in certain areas as shown by the research, especially leading up to the 2022 World Cup and how FIFA have forced a large amount of rules on Qatar, especially on human labour.
2) In the making up this film we did use certain ways to exaggerate the impact, opening up peoples minds to the facts shown by the research, for example the water. We did not rig anything but in fact found a bottle on the side of the street filled with a little bit of sand. But not all documentaries are fully truthful and do contain exaggerated scenes as well as bias views. Furthermore, we did not film after a storm, in fact we had only filmed last week and the week before that, did any of you encounter a storm? No, in fact there was rain which would of cleared away the dust. Where Hollie rubbed her finger on the bus route board and dirt came off, that was 100% real and we did not expect that to happen, in fact we were going to touch on the public transport in Qatar but felt the short would be better for a dirty community. Furthermore, the scene where we see waste being dumped was not cleaned up the night after. We filmed that last week, and I was there two weeks ago location scouting and it was there. You can even go now and see that it is still there.
Finally, just because the water here is safe to drink does not mean that it isn't pure. It is only safe to drink because of all the chemicals put in during desalination of the salty water that surrounds Qatar making it impure.
Once again we are glad that this video has caused such a discussion with two minds on the video, one saying it is bias the others agreeing with the fact that Qatar does need to think about its 'future steps' especially with it being a large distributer of natural gas. This video was in now way intended to be bias, just to show people that yes, Qatar do need to think about its environment and workforce, even if one scene in the film, the water, was exaggerated. We hope you all enjoy it.
This is a propaganda of highest order..................... :(
Agree with first part by Galinda. But it is not only this thread..:) And dont think either mods or anyone behind QL seem to be wondering.
Galinda, When a wife has a concern she needs to talk to her hubby not go up the roof & tell the passers-by .......
At the end , who is close to her ... who is more responsible than her hubby ?
Thu, 20.02.2014, 09.23 hrs ....
' Targetting for the sole pupose of damage ' is understood well by those who are loyal & truthful ......
That is natural & just ......
Thu, 20.02.2014, 08.56 hrs ....
This video is just trying to make people aware of some problems we face everyday.
Do you like the way people drive in Doha? Is it safe?
Do you like how Fuwairit beach looks like on Friday/Saturday morning?
This guys are just raising awareness. They LIKE being here. They probably love Doha and they want it to be better. Who doesn't?
What's to argue about?
Reading through some of the comments on this thread from the close minded users is enough to remind why this site has gone so downhill so quickly. If the QL mods are wondering why no one bothers to post on this website, this thread provides the answer.
why she is running through construction sites .. lol
I strongly agree with the issues raised in this video. While it's not entirely accurate, it never had the intention to be. The point is that there are issues in the country that are not being addresses appropriately.
Who is behind them ?
Tue, 18.02.2014 , 09.33 hrs ...
I thought there was a fair share for optimism,but i guess i was wrong as every contrasting opinion was reported.Who said bigotry was a forgotten word?
Is Doha perfect?
Would you like it to be an even nicer place to live?
I think most people would agree that whilst Doha has many strengths, we should constantly be striving to make it the best place it can possibly be. This is the purpose of the documentary - it is asking us to seize the day and think about some of the problems the city has and how these could be addressed. It is a shame that some people are simply disregarding this message and unjustly seeing this as an attack on Doha.
It is quite clear that the critical comments on this forum lack an understanding of the media and how it works. In this case, the documentarists have put forward THEIR version of reality which is based upon THEIR experiences of living here and also (now this is important) RESEARCH from numbeo.com, The Guardian and Qataraccidents.org. All of the sources are provided at the end of the documentary, so before claiming that the film makers are telling "falsehoods", it might be an idea to conduct some research of your own. Granted, the statistics from Numbeo.com can hardly be considered conclusive, yet they do give some insight into how people feel. Also, you cannot really refute the statistics about the deaths of manual workers and traffic accidents - these are largely accepted by Qatari authorities!
Moreover, the critics above need to understand that NOTHING in the media can be considered completely 'real', everything you see and hear is a mediated reality. I think Michel Brault and Wolf Koenig put it well:
"I don't know what truth is. Truth is something unattainable. We can't think we're creating truth with a camera. But what we can do, is reveal something to viewers that allows them to discover their own truth." (Brault)
"Every cut is a lie. It's never that way. Those two shots were never next to each other in time that way. But you're telling a lie in order to tell the truth" (Koenig)
Most countires around the globe have their own issues to deal with whether it is crime, health, jobs the economy, no where is perfect. Qatar is growing and there will always be areas that need to be improved. The main thing is they are slowly moving in the right direction. Things take time to change. This video simply highlights some of these real issues.
We as residents of the country are required to join hands and atleast do our part before signing off. We have always preferred the alternative ,tossing an empty can or polluting the beaches with leftovers and non-biodegradables like plastics.
Have we done ourselves any favour by eating up all the chips and leaving the empty packet for others?Expats form the major community in qatar
he wants improvement ..whats wrong in that ? why bring western eastern northern in that
To the people saying that this video is not showing a positive view of qatar, you guys have no idea what you're talking about - this is a video to make you environmentally aware, it wouldn't make sense to talk about how great the country is. This isn't a holiday advert, it's designed and targeted at all of us, to depict the environmental situation we're in here. Technically everyone in the world should be taught about how we should treat the planet. Hats of to these guys for making an effort. True human beings right there!
This comment is directly towards anyone who is overeacting to this video, i.e. acchabaccha. You must be extremely narrow minded and very cold hearted to criticise this piece of work as much as you did. The video was not produced by the Guardian or the New York Times. It was produced by STUDENTS. The point is they are trying and this is how they learn. You don't have to completely bash them for what they did. It is extremely easy to just criticise, but why don't you go and make a video thats atleast half the quality of this one, i bet you can't. I think people should give them a break and just appreciate the art of it. And why would such teenagers make a video just to insult or offend someone? They wouldn't. They are clearly just trying to POSITIVELY send a message to people. and no where in the video did it say 'Qatar is a horrible country' Did it? NO
There are two types of impacts: the negative, and the positive. You wasted your time and energy to create a negative impact of Qatar rather than a positive one. You could have used your efforts to show the shiny side of Qatar of which there are plenty. For people like myself who reside here, I noticed the flaws in the video within minutes and pointed them out. What about those people who do not reside here and are unaware of the other side of the picture? What will they be thinking of this country after having watched that video? Surely, this video was meant for them. As for your comments regarding construction wastes not getting removed from sites, allow me to add to your knowledge that such wastes are removed in a periodic manner according set timetables depending on the volume of waste being generated from a site each day. A small construction site may require just a weekly removal at the most. As for the drinking water in Qatar, you have stated in your posting that you have been here for 22 years. Pray tell me which water you were drinking then? There were no bottled water available in those days as I have been this region as long as you.
Your efforts to wipe off your action with just a swipe of a brush has simply failed to clear image you have created. In our part of the world the saying goes, "Don't drill a hole in the plate from which you eat." I think this applies to you very aptly.
The co-producer is Sarhan Khan. You guys are missing the point - they are using their amazing talents for spread a message and encourage people to think/change/discuss!
And plus - they are still teenagers. Its so typical for older people who are doing nothing constructive to sit back and and criticise, from behind their keyboards! #cowards
while enjoying all the privileges for just being a Westerner.
western people and its media always have negative thought about middle east countries
Good going , MM.
No body enjoys falsehood , let it be clear ......
Mon, 17.02.2014, 09.58 hrs ...
A propaganda at its worst .... ha ha ha ...
Mon, 17.02.2014, 09.55 hrs ...