Documentary Storytelling — The Impact of Wonderment

There was a day when I was sitting with my Director of Photography and long-time collaborator, Jeremy Lau, as we chatted about why our work exists. It was a timely prompt from him, since just a week prior, Isaac Neo, the editor behind my weekly LinkedIn articles, had the same question for me.

My immediate response was that I am naturally drawn to certain things. Most of the time, that curiosity leads to a date with Google as I scour the web for answers. And in a few lucky instances, I get to meet with people who are the source of what I seek. But simply finding out is not the end goal. I have to share it with others as well.

Ever since I was a child, I have yearned to tell others what new discoveries I have found. Science classes in Primary 4 had many opportunities for that. "Mars is known as the Red Planet!" - I eagerly raised my hand and answered when a teacher asked for a fun fact of the solar system. I had just learnt about it from watching the series "The Universe" on History Channel a few days ago.

Part of this yearning was undeniably due to the attention it generates. A little stroke of the ego as I provide new found knowledge to my peers. But there was another desire - that of witnessing the experience of wonderment of my peers when they become aware of things that they previously did not realise.

"Wa! Really?", "Oh, wow…" "Wait, what? You mean…", "I didn't know that before!" - There are probably many other ways to identify that moment of impact when wonderment occurs. My childhood was filled with that, particularly because of the documentaries that I had access to. 

And while I may agree that the young and the young at heart are more susceptible to wonderment, I do believe that everyone, even those whose path in life resulted in the diminishing of their inner fire of curiosity - that flame never truly dies.

On 26 December 2019, Singaporeans got to witness a rare annual solar eclipse. It was to occur during the weekday peak lunch hour. And I had been excited about it since learning of the impending event years prior! This was not just an opportunity to witness an epic phenomenon, it was also to witness something very human.

I went down early to Clarke Quay, a central area relatively close to the business district. I saw the crowds growing larger. Working adults, the elderly, school kids, families and friends - people from all walks of life came and formed snaking lines to use the telescopes that were graciously offered by various local astronomy groups.

And then, as the eclipse occurred and sunlight dimmed on the area, I saw the manifestation of wonderment in the crowd - everyone looking at something in awe and leaving the scene with a little more happiness than a moment prior.

I hope my documentaries can do the same.