There has been some reaction to an ad agency video for Leica. The Chinese have apparently banned the word 'Leica' on social media because of a fleeting image of 'Tank man' from Tiananmen Square. OK so the Chinese government are despotic and sensor any criticism. So what's new? They have been doing it for years and will carry on doing it unless we stop buying their cheap products, which of course isn't going to happen. You can read the story elsewhere and Leica don't come out of it well either, apparently apologising profusely for any offence. Obviously to protect their lucrative Chinese luxury brand sales.
However my issue is not with any of this but with the video itself.
Personally I think it's the worst kind of Camera Porn. Remember this is an ad for Leica. There are scenes of violence and suffering and the 'stars' are craggy, middle aged white men, which for this purpose = photojournalist. The whole thing however is a complete fiction. And the 'bad guys' are, surprise, surprise Africans and Asians. There are some women being shot at and one of the women waves a camera about but doesn't use it. There is a non-white photographer, but he is seen as running off near the start. The white 'photojournalists' are obviously the heros. Obviously more heroic because they use Leicas. The camera used to shoot the Tiananmen Square image has it's logo covered up. Presumably because all the photographers who got that shot were using other cameras. The only time a camera is used that looks like a Leica is just before the African 'baddy' sticks a gun to the photographers head. That's going to make us all run out and buy one.
The fact that Leicas were hardly the cameras of choice for photographers in war zones is glossed over. M series cameras do not like adverse weather conditions and rugged they are not. Besides, photojournalism is hardly a well paid profession and the idea of these photographers carrying around gear costing ridiculous amounts of money is absurd. No I'm no snowflake, easily offended by what I see on the internet, but this video just made me angry. To me it's a gross misrepresentation of what photojournalism is all about and Leica's participation in some of the uglier events in human history. It also uses fictionalised brutal violence to advertise a camera brand, which is hardly something to be proud of.
I can't say whose idea this was, Leica or the Ad Agency. However I think everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves. Am I defending the Chinese authorities here? Certainly not. They are despicable, anti democratic and I would like to see all of the brutal dictatorial men who run the country pulled out of their compound and thrown to the Chinese people, who deserve a lot better. But obscene, misleading, violent and immoral ad's like this do nothing to challenge the status quo in the most populous country in the world. And they make some of us in a freer world angry and embarrassed at what the worthless advertising industry comes up with.
However, as ever I leave it to you to make up your own mind.
