Uranium: Boom, Bust and Back Again
- added April 7, 2008
- 7 responses
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embed code
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- dbocaz
- added this
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Rough cut of our documentary about the history of Grants, New Mexico which is the Uranium Capital of the World. Mining is a major part of our community's history but everyone isn't sure if they want it back or not. We have enough for a 90 minute documentary we think but I want to see if people find it interesting.
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It seems to be very professionally made, though its a bit too much talking heads for me. Nice music. Somehow though I can't really understand what the gist is of the film, like the underlying cause or passion or so.
But I find it quite interesting. -
Thanks... I do want to do a new edit of this and was looking for feedback... that helps. Yes, I need to get away from talking heads.
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Nice pod. It is well shot, and the music is well placed and helps tie everything together. I agree with ulla though, there are a few too many 'talking heads' cut one right after the other at certain points in the pod. They all make good points, but maybe you can break them up a bit by following a central character through their daily life dealing with problems created by the uranium, and periodically checking back in on them between the 'talking heads'. Just an idea...
It is well made, and looks at an interesting topic. Thanks for sharing it with us! -
Good ideas, lrudser. I actually debated about the central character approach and I have footage that can work for that I think. I might try that for a new cut of this.
Thanks,
Doug -
Film done in interesting manner but lacks presentation of factual data and passion. Are you afraid to get involved with a decision that will have consequences for a million years?
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Nice introduction to your film! I think this is an important subject and lends a compelling narrative to a piece of American history that gets too little exposure. The work fits in nicely with many earlier works, notably media activist Branda Miller's "Witness to the Future" project about environmental contamination in the United States -- including the legacy of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State -- and photojournalist Carole Gallagher's haunting monograph "American Ground Zero - The Secret Nuclear War."
The history of uranium mining in Grants, New Mexico, reveals how that community today continues to struggle with the legacy left behind from nuclear weapons production during the Cold War. Further documentation on this subject can also be found in two recent books: "Yellowcake Towns (Mining the American West)" by Michael A. Amundson, and "Uranium Frenzy: Saga of the Nuclear West" by Raye Ringholz. Of note, Amundson's book concentrates on four uranium mining communities including Grants, New Mexico; Jeffrey City, Wyoming; Moab, Utah; and Uravan, Colorado.
Both books are reviewed from a 2004 contribution by Jason N. Krupar published in Environmental History, a journal co-published by the American Society for Environmental History and the Forest History Society. -
Wow, thank you for the book info and the feedback. I'll have to check out those books. Thanks!
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