How We Film a Solution: Inside the Web Series

Every episode of the web series starts the same way: someone, somewhere, is quietly solving a problem that the rest of us have decided is unsolvable. Our job on the Solutions desk is to find them, understand them, and film them honestly. People sometimes assume the hard part is the camera. It is not. The hard part is the listening.

Choosing the story

We receive dozens of suggestions a month. Most are interesting, but we look for three things: a real problem, a working prototype rather than a slideshow, and a person willing to show us what does not work yet. That last filter matters. A project like Hans-Olof Nilsson's hydrogen-powered house is compelling precisely because its owner is frank about the trade-offs of living off grid.

On location

Then we travel light. A small crew, a few days on site, and a simple rule: film the gesture, not the brochure. When we visited BIGH's rooftop farm we spent more time with the growers than with the founders, because the growers are the ones who know whether the system holds up in winter. The result is a film that a viewer can trust and, ideally, copy.

The people behind the camera

None of this works without a team that cares about accuracy as much as about beauty. You can read the full list of reporters, editors and composers on the credits page, and learn more about why this series exists on the about us page. We are a small group, and we like it that way: it keeps us close to the stories.

If you work on a solution that deserves a film, or you want to support the ones we have already made, there is a place for you. Start on the join us page.