Untranslatable in English. Basically, meaning the moment in between doing one thing and starting another, a momentary break where one isn’t doing anything in particular. Reflecting. Perhaps chatting with a stranger.

This is the concept behind a new series for German TV I’m doing with Markus Koch (of “70 Days Around the World”) in which a wide range of people weigh in on the current state of the economy. It’s a short format - 4 minutes - and we have the first three currently airing on Germany’s N-TV. What sets this apart is that it’s a real conversation…major Wall St players mix it up with anticapitalist activists and working class urbanites over the course of the series.

It’s a joy to work on for me, because I have lots of creative freedom, and backing me up is a thoughtful and creative editor with a strong sense of rhythm (Yvonne Arnold). One of the challenges is that we’ve made a decision to have the show be dense in imagery that speaks emotionally or thematically to the issues under discussion, but we limit ourselves to locating these images in the immediate environment of our interview in order to create a sense of a rich moment in time.

I’ve posted a few frame grabs below that you can click on to watch the movie.

Nouriel Roubini, vindicated economist who foresaw the crash.

Having fun with a little visual metaphor as Roubini gets into the impact of greed…

Markus Koch, stalking the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in search of answers.

Ted Weisberg, a major player in the financial world, weighs in on the current troubles.

Anticapitalist and performer Reverend Billy, urging his audience into the streets for a raucous protest.

Posted by rooster / New & Updates