Media Tips: Drew Scanlon, Clothmapping the World Through Games
Bailey MeCey interviews the creator of Cloth Map who is exploring the world with a travel video series through the “common language” of games.
Q: For those that do not know what is Cloth Map?
A: Cloth Map is a video project dedicated to exploring the world through the lens of games. Though they can take many unique and interesting forms, games are a constant across culture. By exploring something so universal, we hope to inspire a little more kinship around the world. We are supported by our audience through a service called Patreon.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to take your career in this direction?
A: Prior to Cloth Map, I worked as a video producer at Giant Bomb, a website that covers the video game industry. I loved working at Giant Bomb, but when I saw an opportunity to try something risky and weird, I took it. Striking out on my own was by no means guaranteed to work, but I knew it was something I had to try. I would regret it forever if I never took the chance!
Q: How do you select which countries you are going to travel and film videos on?
A: It helps to pick somewhere that is subject-rich, so some research is required to make sure there will be enough opportunities for stories. Plans often fall through, so we try to make sure that, if that happens, we’ll at least come away with something. But another large part of the decision comes down to a secondary goal of Cloth Map which is to surprise people, to subvert their expectations of a place. From the outside, it’s easy to get an impression of a place like Brazil, Cuba, or Ukraine. But what is it really like? We find that the contrast between what we’ve been taught to expect and reality, especially coupled with the familiarity our audience has with games, creates some really surprising moments. For example, the stereotype of Cuba is that it’s cut off from the world and stuck in the 1950s, but we found a thriving online-gaming community that has built their own city-wide network.
Q: How do you prepare and decide what to bring on your trips?
A: In regards to travel gear, I have a list that I’m constantly tweaking. It’s not too big, though; I try to take as little as I can to increase mobility and decrease the chance of, say, losing a bag of video gear. Because the load is so minimal, our equipment has to be useful in lots of situations. For example, instead of a vast array of lenses, we opt for only a couple zoom lenses that are useful at any range. As for logistics and scheduling, we generally start by asking local guides. We send them a list of topics we’re interested in, and they tell us whether they can help us. If not, they usually know somebody else who can.
Q: What are your personal ethics when covering a country?
A: I’ve found that, above all else, it pays to be kind and respectful. People are much more likely to help you if you treat them with kindness. I also make an effort to suspend my own expectations, which can sometimes cloud judgement at times when I really need to be observant. If I “already know” what I expect to find, I may overlook something unexpected, which is often where the most interesting stories lie. So I try to just let the place tell me what it wants to tell me, to listen as much as I can.
That’s not to say I blindly believe everything I hear and see, however. There’s a Russian saying, “trust, but verify,” that I try to follow. For example, our trip to the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro was extremely pleasant, but to deny that it still sees its fair share of violence would be false. For that piece, I did my best to emphasize what we, the producers of this video, saw and experienced. I find it helpful to remind the audience of this, that this was the experience of two people (me and my camera operator, Joey Fameli) over the course of one day, in a relatively controlled environment (we had a local guide and driver). The more the audience knows about the circumstances, the more they can make up their own minds. I just try to present what we found in as clear a way as possible, even if it’s something they didn’t expect.
Q: How has your use of Patreon as a funding model reflected the work you do?
A: Being audience-supported directly affects the finished product because we aren’t just trying to create videos that get clicks. The pieces get to be whatever they are; there is no agenda beyond producing something in line with Cloth Map’s stated purpose. This is incredibly liberating as a creator!
Q: Of your work, what are you most proud of?
A: I love whenever I see a positive comment on a video from a person who lives in the country the video is about. That, to me, is the best indication that I have done a good job of portraying a place as it really is, which is really my goal. I want to show the world to the world in a way that is true, because if it’s not, those feelings of connection won’t happen.
Q: What is the future of Cloth Map?
A: I think there’s room for Cloth Map to expand in every aspect. With more people we could produce more and better content, and the topic is broad enough that we could certainly branch out into other, adjacent areas. I think that would be really fun!
Q: For someone looking to get into traveling abroad for journalism what are some tips you would give them?
A: I think the trickiest, most nebulous thing is that you need to get good at following your nose, finding something interesting, and presenting it to an audience. In some ways, this is harder internationally because you have fewer resources. But in other ways it’s easier because everything is interesting! If you find it interesting, chances are good that an audience would too. Also, always have cash on you. Cash solves problems!
