The work was awarded the A prize of the National Journalism Award in 2022 in the category of television documentaries. To better understand the process of creating this work, the journalist of Journalism & Public opinion had a talk with journalist Ho Tri - Center for Digital Content Development and Production (VTV Digital), Vietnam Television.
Working on the other side of the border has never been easy
+ VTV Special titled "Trap" was broadcast, causing a stir in public opinion in 2022, so what idea did you and your team come up with to deploy this topic?
– We began to hear from small pieces of information on social networks and through conversations of people that here and there someone was scammed, missing. But that's a small story, all the information is still quite obscure. The team spends time researching information from many different sources, both domestic and foreign. It is known that such a thing happened, but specifically, I need to find out and directly exploit it.
The special VTV movie "Trap" was first broadcast on December 24, 12, exposing what is happening to Vietnamese workers abroad.
We decided to hit the road and make the first scenes from the early days of 2022, the ambiguity gradually cleared. With each step, you discover new things, the more you go, the more comprehensive and specific you look. Gather data one by one to create a story that is logical, logical, and true.
Before "Trap", we have had a few times to work abroad with topics "breathable" But whatever it is, it's never been easy to operate on the other side of the border. The barriers of language, culture, terrain always make work difficult. Most of the other topics, we all have destiny and story before departure, but with "Trap" not. The information at the time of setting foot across the border was too general and vague. It also made us have a lot of emotions and giving up was also something the whole crew thought about.
But no matter what topic you do and where you work, the most important thing is the legal factor. From asking for permission from the agency, preparing procedures, immigration documents, etc. Must understand the rules of operation, which images are filmed, which are allowed to be used... because this is also related to national diplomacy. When working, we should not put limits on ourselves, but instead need to be ethical and legal. As a reporter, everyone "greed" data, this is a good thing because of the desire to get the most information to serve your audience, but don't let that be disregarded and then violate ethics and violate the law.
We don't try to make anything special and we don't start with a special goal
+ When working, do you have a feeling that your work will become a "blockbuster" with great influence and influence?
– We are not determined to create a blockbuster. We always think simply, it's our job so we want to do it and have to do it. Journalism is inherently superior to others in that they know the truth and are even the first to witness the truth. And knowing such a cruel truth without speaking up is also a crime.
Journalist Ho Tri – Center for Digital Content Development and Production (VTV Digital), Vietnam Television.
In the process, we see a lot of information, if it is only wrapped in a few pieces of reflection, the content will be broken. Even one or two reports cannot convey all the information and messages in the most complete way. Nearly 8 months into the making, when the film closed, the recorded material became special because of its high alertness. And so it accidentally became special VTV. Saying this to let the audience know that we're not trying to make something special and that we didn't start with a special goal, that it just happened.
These are footage of the truth. It does not have a script to force the characters and the story to the will of the crew. The film also does not have a director, because the character does not act under the direction of anyone. All choices are theirs and the reporter's job is to record that fact. Finding and approaching the characters is even more difficult than how to shoot the images in the movie. Therefore, the effort to make the film cannot be calculated by the number of people, the number of days, but by human fate.
More than once wanted to give up
+ Is there ever a time when reporters themselves fall into the "trap", because of the fact that there are many beatings, where the law is ignored, basic freedoms are taken away, guns and violence are always present?
– After the post-production period, we agreed to choose the word "Trap" Name your movie, this is a noun but also a verb. Here are the victims "trapped" occurs from domestic to international, the characters are falling into traps, both their own and those of traffickers. Sadly, many victims knew it was a trap but still rushed in because they wanted to escape poverty. They struggled in traps, some of them had to pay with their lives.
In the process of working, difficulties come a lot. It comes not only in working on the other side of the world but in how to capture the image inside the criminal organizations of online fraud and human trafficking. Fear is there, but just worrying or being afraid will not solve the problem, but only makes things more complicated. Instead of being afraid of being arrested, beaten or killed when they find out that they have entered to record, they must think of a way to deal with that hypothesis. The team believes that if you do something for the truth, for the sake of doing it, and for doing it, then you will have produced a vaccine to protect yourself.
+ With so much pressure, is there a time when you and your team want to give up?
– Now, after the show airs, everything can be said so beautifully and smoothly, but myself and my colleagues more than once wanted to give up. The biggest pressure is on progress, the longer the time, the more victims fall deeper into the trap. At times, the crew had to argue fiercely because the coordination was not really good. Because too much pressure makes it difficult for people to keep a cool head to stay awake. There was a time when I wanted to give up… but then I thought, if we don't continue, who will tell the truth. We are so sorry for the victims and those who are helping us. So take a break and then move on. And we continued together until the show aired.
+ Thank you for your sharing!
Le Tam (Perform)
