[Script Info] Title: [Events] Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.27,0:00:05.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Before March, 2011, I was a photographic retoucher Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.32,0:00:08.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,based in New York City. Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.27,0:00:10.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're pale, gray creatures. Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.32,0:00:12.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We hide in dark, windowless rooms, Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.38,0:00:14.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and generally avoid sunlight. Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.71,0:00:18.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We make skinny models skinnier, perfect skin more perfect, Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.98,0:00:20.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the impossible possible, Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.96,0:00:25.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we get criticized in the press all the time, Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.01,0:00:28.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but some of us are actually talented artists Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.51,0:00:30.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with years of experience Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.59,0:00:34.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a real appreciation for images and photography. Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.49,0:00:39.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On March 11, 2011, I watched from home, as the rest Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.66,0:00:43.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the world did, as the tragic events unfolded in Japan. Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.49,0:00:45.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Soon after, an organization I volunteer with, Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.66,0:00:49.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All Hands Volunteers, were on the ground, within days, Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.51,0:00:52.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,working as part of the response efforts. Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.34,0:00:54.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I, along with hundreds of other volunteers, Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.63,0:00:56.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,knew we couldn't just sit at home, Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.30,0:01:00.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I decided to join them for three weeks. Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.02,0:01:03.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On May the 13th, I made my way to the town of Ōfunato. Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.67,0:01:07.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a small fishing town in Iwate Prefecture, Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.35,0:01:09.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about 50,000 people, Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.75,0:01:12.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of the first that was hit by the wave. Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.56,0:01:15.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The waters here have been recorded at reaching Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.37,0:01:18.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over 24 meters in height, Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.07,0:01:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and traveled over two miles inland. Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.78,0:01:23.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As you can imagine, the town had been devastated. Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.32,0:01:25.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We pulled debris from canals and ditches. Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.85,0:01:29.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We cleaned schools. We de-mudded and gutted homes Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.28,0:01:31.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ready for renovation and rehabilitation. Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.78,0:01:36.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We cleared tons and tons of stinking, rotting fish carcasses Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.24,0:01:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the local fish processing plant. Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.45,0:01:41.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We got dirty, and we loved it. Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.86,0:01:44.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For weeks, all the volunteers and locals alike Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.98,0:01:47.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had been finding similar things. Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.22,0:01:50.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They'd been finding photos and photo albums Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.17,0:01:52.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and cameras and SD cards. Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.80,0:01:54.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And everyone was doing the same. Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.02,0:01:56.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were collecting them up, and handing them in to Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.68,0:01:59.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,various places around the different towns for safekeeping. Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.85,0:02:02.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, it wasn't until this point that I realized Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.97,0:02:05.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that these photos were such a huge part Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.40,0:02:08.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the personal loss these people had felt. Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.40,0:02:11.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As they had run from the wave, and for their lives, Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.19,0:02:13.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,absolutely everything they had, Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.71,0:02:16.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,everything had to be left behind. Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.54,0:02:18.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the end of my first week there, I found myself Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.82,0:02:22.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,helping out in an evacuation center in the town. Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.02,0:02:25.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was helping clean the onsen, the communal onsen, Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.35,0:02:27.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the huge giant bathtubs. Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.66,0:02:30.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This happened to also be a place in the town where Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.09,0:02:33.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the evacuation center was collecting the photos. Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.10,0:02:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is where people were handing them in, Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.02,0:02:37.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was honored that day that they actually trusted me Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.53,0:02:40.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to help them start hand-cleaning them. Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.18,0:02:43.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, it was emotional and it was inspiring, Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.22,0:02:46.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I've always heard about thinking outside the box, Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.98,0:02:50.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it wasn't until I had actually gotten outside of my box Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.39,0:02:52.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that something happened. Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.82,0:02:54.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As I looked through the photos, there were some Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.87,0:02:56.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were over a hundred years old, Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.64,0:03:00.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some still in the envelope from the processing lab, Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.22,0:03:02.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I couldn't help but think as a retoucher Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.11,0:03:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I could fix that tear and mend that scratch, Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.94,0:03:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I knew hundreds of people who could do the same. Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.98,0:03:11.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that evening, I just reached out on Facebook Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.36,0:03:13.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and asked a few of them, and by morning Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.56,0:03:17.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the response had been so overwhelming and so positive, Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.04,0:03:18.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I knew we had to give it a go. Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.90,0:03:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we started retouching photos. Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.75,0:03:24.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was the very first. Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.55,0:03:29.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not terribly damaged, but where the water had caused Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.15,0:03:31.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that discoloration on the girl's face Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.34,0:03:34.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had to be repaired with such accuracy and delicacy. Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.94,0:03:37.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Otherwise, that little girl isn't going to look Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.24,0:03:39.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like that little girl anymore, and surely that's as tragic Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.94,0:03:43.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as having the photo damaged. Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.48,0:03:49.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause) Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.81,0:03:53.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over time, more photos came in, thankfully, Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.02,0:03:56.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and more retouchers were needed, Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.50,0:03:59.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so I reached out again on Facebook and LinkedIn, Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.44,0:04:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and within five days, 80 people wanted to help Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.52,0:04:04.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from 12 different countries. Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.49,0:04:06.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Within two weeks, I had 150 people Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.86,0:04:08.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wanting to join in. Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.73,0:04:11.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Within Japan, by July, we'd branched out Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.10,0:04:13.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the neighboring town of Rikuzentakata, Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.72,0:04:16.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,further north to a town called Yamada. Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.11,0:04:19.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once a week, we would set up our scanning equipment Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.38,0:04:21.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the temporary photo libraries that had been set up, Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.88,0:04:24.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where people were reclaiming their photos. Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.26,0:04:28.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The older ladies sometimes hadn't seen a scanner before, Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.09,0:04:31.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but within 10 minutes of them finding their lost photo, Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.96,0:04:33.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they could give it to us, have it scanned, Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.87,0:04:35.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,uploaded to a cloud server, it would be downloaded Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.89,0:04:38.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by a gaijin, a stranger, Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.52,0:04:40.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,somewhere on the other side of the globe, Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.62,0:04:42.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it'd start being fixed. Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.99,0:04:46.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The time it took, however, to get it back Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.12,0:04:48.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a completely different story, Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.17,0:04:50.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it depended obviously on the damage involved. Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.76,0:04:52.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It could take an hour. It could take weeks. Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.49,0:04:54.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It could take months. Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.60,0:04:58.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The kimono in this shot pretty much had to be hand-drawn, Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.71,0:05:02.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or pieced together, picking out the remaining parts of color Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.42,0:05:04.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and detail that the water hadn't damaged. Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.85,0:05:07.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was very time-consuming. Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.59,0:05:10.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, all these photos had been damaged by water, Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.21,0:05:13.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,submerged in salt water, covered in bacteria, Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.54,0:05:16.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in sewage, sometimes even in oil, all of which over time Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.98,0:05:18.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is going to continue to damage them, Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.93,0:05:22.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so hand-cleaning them was a huge part of the project. Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.04,0:05:25.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We couldn't retouch the photo unless it was cleaned, Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.01,0:05:28.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dry and reclaimed. Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.03,0:05:30.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, we were lucky with our hand-cleaning. Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.48,0:05:33.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had an amazing local woman who guided us. Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.72,0:05:37.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's very easy to do more damage to those damaged photos. Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.91,0:05:39.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As my team leader Wynne once said, Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.70,0:05:41.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's like doing a tattoo on someone. Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.64,0:05:45.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You don't get a chance to mess it up. Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.17,0:05:48.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The lady who brought us these photos was lucky, Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.16,0:05:50.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as far as the photos go. Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.39,0:05:52.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She had started hand-cleaning them herself and stopped Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.77,0:05:55.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when she realized she was doing more damage. Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.19,0:05:57.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She also had duplicates. Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.44,0:06:00.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Areas like her husband and her face, which otherwise Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.53,0:06:02.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would have been completely impossible to fix, Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.64,0:06:05.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we could just put them together in one good photo, Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.49,0:06:07.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and remake the whole photo. Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.95,0:06:10.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When she collected the photos from us, Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.62,0:06:12.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she shared a bit of her story with us. Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.99,0:06:15.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her photos were found by her husband's colleagues Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.95,0:06:17.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at a local fire department in the debris Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.94,0:06:21.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a long way from where the home had once stood, Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.05,0:06:23.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they'd recognized him. Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.23,0:06:25.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The day of the tsunami, he'd actually been in charge Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.51,0:06:28.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of making sure the tsunami gates were closed. Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.04,0:06:31.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He had to go towards the water as the sirens sounded. Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.16,0:06:34.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her two little boys, not so little anymore, but her two boys Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.61,0:06:36.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were both at school, separate schools. Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.80,0:06:39.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of them got caught up in the water. Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.36,0:06:41.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It took her a week to find them all again Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.31,0:06:43.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and find out that they had all survived. Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.71,0:06:46.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The day I gave her the photos also happened to be Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.64,0:06:50.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,her youngest son's 14th birthday. Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.58,0:06:54.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For her, despite all of this, those photos Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.25,0:06:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were the perfect gift back to him, Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.96,0:07:00.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something he could look at again, something he remembered from before Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.07,0:07:04.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that wasn't still scarred from that day in March Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.33,0:07:07.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when absolutely everything else in his life had changed Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.14,0:07:11.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or been destroyed. Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.29,0:07:13.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After six months in Japan, Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.15,0:07:16.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,1,100 volunteers had passed through All Hands, Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.30,0:07:18.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hundreds of whom had helped us hand-clean Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.55,0:07:21.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over 135,000 photographs, Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.79,0:07:27.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the large majority — (Applause) — Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.49,0:07:30.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a large majority of which did actually find their home again, Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.72,0:07:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,importantly. Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.48,0:07:36.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over five hundred volunteers around the globe Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.65,0:07:41.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,helped us get 90 families hundreds of photographs back, Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.31,0:07:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fully restored and retouched. Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.56,0:07:46.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,During this time, we hadn't really spent more than Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.01,0:07:48.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about a thousand dollars in equipment and materials, Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.86,0:07:52.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most of which was printer inks. Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.19,0:07:55.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We take photos constantly. Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.08,0:07:57.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A photo is a reminder of someone or something, Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.64,0:08:00.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a place, a relationship, a loved one. Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.50,0:08:03.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're our memory-keepers and our histories, Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.01,0:08:05.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the last thing we would grab Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.72,0:08:08.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the first thing you'd go back to look for. Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.23,0:08:10.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's all this project was about, Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.34,0:08:13.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about restoring those little bits of humanity, Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.77,0:08:15.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,giving someone that connection back. Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.88,0:08:21.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When a photo like this can be returned to someone like this, Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.57,0:08:23.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it makes a huge difference Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.66,0:08:26.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the lives of the person receiving it. Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.44,0:08:30.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The project's also made a big difference in the lives of the retouchers. Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.24,0:08:33.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For some of them, it's given them a connection Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.31,0:08:35.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to something bigger, giving something back, Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.85,0:08:37.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,using their talents on something Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.72,0:08:41.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other than skinny models and perfect skin. Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.14,0:08:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would like to conclude by reading an email Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.76,0:08:46.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I got from one of them, Cindy, Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.19,0:08:50.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the day I finally got back from Japan after six months. Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.79,0:08:54.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"As I worked, I couldn't help but think about the individuals Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.54,0:08:57.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the stories represented in the images. Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.69,0:09:01.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One in particular, a photo of women of all ages, Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.18,0:09:05.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from grandmother to little girl, gathered around a baby, Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.56,0:09:09.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,struck a chord, because a similar photo from my family, Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.08,0:09:11.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my grandmother and mother, myself, Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.53,0:09:14.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and newborn daughter, hangs on our wall. Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.94,0:09:18.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Across the globe, throughout the ages, Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.09,0:09:21.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our basic needs are just the same, aren't they?" Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.98,0:09:24.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. (Applause) Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.30,0:09:27.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)