Insights and Sounds of the Forest

Rainforest Rescue imagery master Martin Stringer takes us behind the scenes, sharing insights behind his film ‘Growing a Rainforest Community’, inviting us to further immerse ourselves in the sounds of the forest.

INSIGHTS INTO THE FILM ‘GROWING A RAINFOREST COMMUNITY’

I was asked to create a video to describe my experience with Films for the Forest — an annual international short film challenge created by Rainforest Partnership in 2010. The goal of Films of the Forest is “to create awareness about the importance of tropical rainforests and the ongoing threats faced by forests and their communities, through the powerful medium of film.”

At first, I was excited to be shortlisted. However, as Covid-19 began to spread, the screening which was to be held at SXSW in Austin Texas, was one of the first festivals to be cancelled. The program shifted to an online film festival instead, and this meant that my film was screened live around the world three times!

My film ‘Growing a Rainforest Community’ went on to win the Audience Award!

In the following behind the scenes video, I explore the creation of “Growing a Rainforest Community”. The film is more than just about planting a rainforest, it is about reconnecting through culture, nature, and each other.

I talk about how I first got involved with environmental films, through my love of exploring the rainforests with my camera and wanting to help Rainforest Rescue protect these magnificent ecosystems. I was inspired to show the world the beauty within and what is at risk, so that I can also inspire others to take action and help Protect Rainforest Forever.

If you haven’t seen it already, check out my award-winning ‘Growing a Rainforest Community’ … be sure to let me know in the comments what you liked most about the film or how it made you feel. Perhaps you star in it and were one of the many amazing volunteers that helped to Plant a Rainforest at Nightwings Rainforest Centre.

Thanks to the CameroPro Explorer’s Grant which I was awarded, I also look forward to creating my next short film. Look out for that one soon!

SOUNDS OF THE FOREST — A SOUND MAP OF THE WORLD

In addition to making films, I’ve made sound recordings of the magnificent Daintree Rainforest and contributed to a sound map of the world created by Tiber Festival in the UK. They are “[…] collecting the sounds of woodlands and forests from all around the world, creating a growing sound map bringing together aural tones and textures from the world’s woodlands. The sounds form an open source library, to be used by anyone to listen to and create from. Selected artists will be responding to the sounds that are gathered, creating music, audio, artwork or something else incredible, to be presented at Timber Festival 2021.”

This is a great idea, especially for so many of us who are under strict Covid-19 restrictions to help stop the spread of the infection, because now we can explore the forests of the world on this interactive map, from the comfort of our own home.

One of my four recordings captured the early morning sounds on Lot 46, a major Rainforest Rescue restoration project which borders the UNESCO World Heritage Daintree Rainforest National Park.

Rainforest Rescue is purchasing and protecting high conservation value rainforest in the Daintree, and re-establishing rainforest through planting, maintenance and restoration. Ultimately these areas are certified as protected nature refuges, protecting them from development forever.

These rescued properties act as wildlife corridors, where endangered species can move about freely and have a safe habitat where they can thrive.

Please share these sounds with someone whom you think would benefit from this ‘Forest Therapy’. You can also listen to all my recorded sounds in my SoundCloud Rainforest playlist.

For the rainforests,

Martin Stringer

For more of Martin’s work check out his website, Facebook or Instagram

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