Dispatches – Undercover in Tibet

3 Months Undercover, thats dedication to the cause. ‘Attempting something which has never taken place before’ a Free Tibetan named Tash Despar, attempts to show the reality of the crisis in Tibet and faced Imprisonment if he was found.

Amazing video of the crossing over the Himalayas that some of the Tibetans take to escape the Chinese shows them being gunned down “Like Dogs” and interviews with some of the survivors. I found this facinating as they were able to voice their opinions safely to the Dispatches crew, whilst being backed up with real footage from the scene they are describing.

This episode is a big change into the ways Journalism is created and broadcast, especially video Journalism. There is no doubt that this documentary will be remembered for its style and content. Even the fillers are strategically placed to enhance the scenes being set by the narrator, many of the homes created by the Chinese to house Tibetans are located out in the middle of no-where. A falcon or bird of prey is filmed, maybe as a symbol of the dense area in which they live.

In various stages of the program, shots are also filmed from inside the car of police following them curiously, a very risky way to get the shots.

The most memorable scene for me was an interview with a woman who was forced to be sterilised in the most cruel way I have ever heard of, and in the interview agrees to show the scars to the camera. Tash remains calm and keeps the interview running smoothly and allows pauses for the woman to really speak her mind, finishing the interview with “Since then people are too scared to have many Children.”

Whilst this blog is just my view on how well the program was created and carried out, you can find an interesting debate on the Channel 4 News site by folowing this link!

http://community.channel4.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/503603557/m/4800077679

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