Music Director

I recently volunteered for the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children Telethon. I previously shot some footage of the old and new homes, as well as several personal greetings from community members. However, the opportunity to direct 3 solo performers and a mass choir for the telethon pre-tape proved to be the most challenging and rewarding.

I arrived at the NSCC studio bright and early on Saturday morning; television is not a 9 to 5 occupation. After some last minute set and lighting adjustments, fuelled by coffee and timbits, the first performer arrived. She was to perform two songs and I was a little nervous, but fairly confident. I had instructed my camera people on the shots I would need and I was ready to begin. Once it began I felt things were going smoothly. The key seemed to be the pace I switched from camera to camera and making sure each shot was different and framed correctly.

We then had a pizza break and got ready for the next performer. She was going to sing and play piano, which would be easier to get a variety of shots. She did two songs as well and I thought it went well. I was able to mix up shots of her and the piano keys for a nice product. As soon as she left we built the set for the mass choir.

When the choir arrived I felt surprisingly positive. I figured it would be easier to direct the choir than the solo performances because there would be a greater opportunity for a variety of shots. This proved to be the case. I felt very confident and thought things turned out well. They did two songs and now there was only one act left.

The last performer was Chelsea Nisbett, a talented and beautiful singer/songwriter. She had two songs to sing as well. Also, she was using a guitar, which offered something else for a variety of shots. She did very well and I thought I directed pretty well, too. It was a long day, but certainly rewarding. I can’t wait to see the performances in the live telethon.

This Harbour Stinks

Our student produced television news magazine, Waterfront Weekly, has a variety of features. Along with the usual news reports and sports updates we also produce original content, such as soundscapes and commentaries or “rants”. My classmate Steve had a great idea to rant about the Halifax harbour and its controversial history and I wanted to shoot it.

Once he came up with the script we were ready to scout locations along the waterfront. One thing we really needed was garbage or “floatables” in the water. This proved to be easy. As soon as I looked in the water, there was an old picnic table floating and a multitude of plastic of all sorts.

I got some b-roll and then we shot all the stand-ups. I tried to find relevant and visually interesting locations for when Steve was on camera. I think it worked out very well. There was one shot I especially fond of. Steve was at the edge of the boardwalk with Theodore Tugboat beside him and when he finished talking I tilted and canted down to a floating wharf with a skull and crossbones painted on it. It fit perfectly to the dialogue and looked awesome.

We got some more b-roll and then Steve had to go. I knew we had enough footage and I went home. When Steve edited it, I thought it was amazing. His script and on camera presence combined with my shooting and directing skills is a great combination. I look forward to working with Steve again. Unfortunately, Halifax offers ample opportunities for “rants”.

The Falling Man

“The Falling Man” is a documentary about the little publicized multitude suicides following the destruction of the World Trade Centres in New York on September 11th, 2001. In particular, one photojournalist captured a series of pictures of people jumping to certain death rather than be consumed by fire inside the burning buildings.

The controversy surrounding the publication of a photo of a jumper was the main theme of this film. In the photo, there is an unidentifiable man in an ironically peaceful posture. This photo was published in a newspaper, but due to public outcry it was never published again.
Personally, I feel that there was no problem in publishing the photo. The person was unidentifiable. Also, I feel that to not publish the photo and story of the numerous people who jumped to their death is censorship. It would be different if the man was clearly visible, but he was definitely not.

What I did disagree with is the fact that they tried to identify the man and tell his story. They proceeded to contact a family who they determined, incorrectly, was his family. I believe that this crossed the line. After putting the family through hell, new information came to light that proved it was not the right family. They soon found who the real family was and proceeded to contact them.

Without breaking any journalistic codes, I feel that censorship is one of the greatest transgressions a news person can make. The story must be told. If some do not like the story, that is their fault. To hide what is really happening is a crime. I highly recommend this documentary to all those who would like to learn about censorship in the media.

The second annual Nocturne: Art at Night festival recently took place in Halifax. I took this opportunity to shoot a story on it for my second school report. This event had art and music in numerous places around the city and offered ample opportunities for visual and audio footage.

I first contacted an organizer who was happy to give me an interview. After that I found two artists who were presenting an interesting audio/visual production about homesickness and heartache. They both agreed to be interviewed and I got great clips from them both.

I then proceeded to get shots around downtown Halifax. There were many interesting events and I got plenty of good footage and then decided to go to Gottingen St. for more footage and hopefully another clip. There were a few galleries and many people milling about. I got some shots of an interesting outdoor film screening which included live actors. I then found a group of people and asked a man for a clip. I was looking to include diversity in my report, so I asked a visible minority and he gave me a great clip.

Subsequently, I drove to the Hydrostone area because I read in The Coast there were some events happening there. I interviewed a gallery owner and got some more b-roll. I was about to head home when I remembered that there was an experimental guitar player supposed to be on the Commons. I could see the lights and hear the “music” as I drove by. I parked and walked over with my camera and tripod and got some amazing shots of the artist.

I am getting much more comfortable editing and I think the story turned out very well. Writing the script is becoming easier and I think with more practice I could be an excellent videographer.

My First Report

As a television major, I am required to produce two reports this term. As chance would have it, my pair was for the second and third shows. This would require finding a story, shooting the footage, editing a completed report and uploading it to the computer server. Fortunately, for my first story at least, an idea presented itself that was easily obtainable and gave me the opportunity to show diversity in the media.

Sisters in Spirit is an annual event that honours missing and murdered aboriginal women. I was given a flyer at an early Thanksgiving dinner at the Micmac daycare. It turned out I knew one of the organizers and was able to shoot it without any objections. When I arrived, CTV, Global and ATPN were there and through my previous experience I knew them all.
The first thing I noticed was that Halifax MP Megan Leslie was there. I knew her from a few previous interviews and I figured she may not be able to stay for the entire event. I approached her and she was happy to oblige. Along with CTV, we asked her a few questions and I got some easy clips.

I then proceeded to get a variety of shots and a few more clips. In particular, a woman was there whose sister was a recent victim of violence. I had met her before and when it was over I thought I’d ask her if she would comment on the event. She turned out to be the key to the story and I knew I could “book-end” the story with her. It was the emotional connection I needed for a great story.

I was somewhat uneasy about editing the report because I had never written a script and done voice over before. However, once I got started it came together nicely. I was proud of my completed piece and I gained a great deal of confidence with regards to my future reports. I feel I can be a successful videographer now.

Just Another Day

To illustrate just how hectic the television industry can be for a shooter, let me describe a typical Saturday I worked this summer. I arrived to work on a mid July Saturday morning and packed up my gear, making sure I had everything I may require. Then I went to check out what I had to shoot that day. It turned out I had four separate stories to cover and I still had to allow enough time to edit before the news was broadcast.

I felt a little overwhelmed, but mostly exhilarated as I left the parking lot on my way to my first event. There were Special Olympics events being held throughout the city and I needed to get a VO. I went to the Tower at Saint Mary’s University, but I just missed the weightlifting competition. So I raced to Dalplex at Dalhousie University and got some nice footage of the swimming competition.

Subsequently, I needed to get to Lake Banook posthaste. There was a sponsored canoe celebration in preparation for the upcoming World Canoe Championships. For this story I needed to get clips, so I found a coordinator and a participant. In addition to the b-roll, this was a quick and easy story.

Then, I had to rush back to Halifax to shoot a story on a cat show at the Forum. Being a cat lover, this was an interesting and fun shoot. There were more than enough cats to get a visually stimulating story and I managed to find the organizer for a comment.
Finally, I had to make it to Point Pleasant Park in time to shoot a young man who had biked across Canada for charity. It began to rain as I left the Forum and I had no time to waste. Ideally, I would have beaten him there and shot him entering the park; I didn’t make it. Fortunately, he was cooperative and agreed to re-enter the park a few times so I could reproduce his grand arrival. Combined with some emotional shots of his family, who soon arrived to greet him, I was quite proud of that story.

Having shot all four stories, I then had to hustle back to the station and edit them all. I was especially relieved when they were all ready for air. Everyone was pleased with my work and I had just enough time to eat before I had to jump on studio camera for the 6 o’clock news. Just an average day for an ENG shooter.

Hurricane Bill

Ever since Hurricane Juan devastated Halifax and the Maritime provinces six years ago, people have been especially cautious whenever a tropical storm gathers strength in the warm south Atlantic waters and heads north. Such was the case this summer when Hurricane Bill rumbled up the Atlantic seaboard on a collision course with Nova Scotia.

The thing about hurricanes is their uncertainty; you never know what direction or what effect they’ll have from hour to hour. I had this in mind when I headed to work on that mid-August weekend when Bill was projected to pass through Nova Scotia. I was shooting with Kayla Hounsell, a talented young reporter who recently joined the team. When I arrived at work I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement. It had not begun to rain yet, but the sheer massiveness of the storm ensured that it would. I packed up my gear making sure to be extra prepared for extreme weather and we headed directly to Peggy’s Cove. As we left it began to rain; by the time we were on highway 333, it was torrential.

When we arrived at Peggy’s Cove the sight was incredible. The waves were the largest I had ever seen and the rain was like standing under a waterfall. The wind was strong enough to affect equilibrium and when it blew the cool water in your face, it left a memorable sting. However, the one factor that made things most difficult was the fog. I had never shot in such conditions, but I managed to get several clips and plenty of b-roll.

We then headed back to Halifax for more clips and b-roll. Once this was accomplished, we decided to try to go to Lawrencetown Beach. Unfortunately, this attempt was futile as the road was blocked by the authorities. After we interviewed an RCMP officer in Cole Harbour, we headed to Cow Bay for some more clips and footage. At this point I was beyond soaked and I was relieved the equipment was holding up well.

When we finally made it back to the station we were both relieved to be inside a warm, dry place. I had a break and then we had to go back to Peggy’s Cove so I could shoot Kayla’s live “tops and tails”. It had stopped raining, but the waves were still remarkable. The shots looked great with huge waves crashing against the rocks in the background, while the sun was giving her a beautiful light. Incredibly, while we were waiting for the live hit an RCMP officer informed us that some teenagers had been standing too close to the shoreline and were briefly swept into the ocean before being rescued.

Hurricane Bill was an amazing experience for me. Although the extreme weather of that day created exceptional challenges, I managed to get everything I needed for the story; I am fairly certain it ran nationally (or at least portions of it). I learned a great deal that day and I gained plenty of confidence as a shooter.

NDP National Convention

This summer, the National NDP Convention was held in Halifax. Being the shooter that weekend, I was fortunate enough to cover it. It was a two day extravaganza of everything NDP. It was certainly exciting and a valuable experience as a shooter.

I was working with Lane Farguson, one of the most knowledgeable and professional reporters I’ve met. He taught me how to shoot efficiently, handle scrums and, since he was always impeccably well dressed, that you should be appropriately dressed for every situation. One of the main stories we were looking for was the potential name change of the Party; they proposed dropping the New from the NDP. Unfortunately, the vote did not occur. Whether this is because time ran out or they simply decided not to vote, i am uncertain. Nevertheless, Lane knew exactly what he wanted and we strove on.

At an event of this magnitude, a multitude of clips and scrums are standard fare. There were no particular issues regarding the clips except there were several different types of light throughout the complex. However, with the use of the sun gun and frequent white balances, this inconvenience was overcome without difficulty. The scrums were held in a specially designed area, which was lit with a backdrop and audio mixer.

The highlight for me was the scrum with NDP leader Jack Layton. The room was full of other media outlets and I felt I was a part of a special and select group; I definitely gained confidence. I believe some of my shots ran nationally and Lane was pleased with the results. And although Lane has now moved on to another job and city, the lessons I learned that weekend will remain with me evermore.

Behind the Lens

For my initial blog, I feel I should briefly introduce myself; being a newcomer to the “blogosphere”, I am unsure of the customs and etiquette. I am an urban aboriginal television production student from Halifax, NS working part-time for a local TV station. Although it took me many years to realize it, I discovered that the television industry, specifically videography, is a great passion of mine. I’ve always been a storyteller, of sorts, but to create a story for TV; to shape it from beginning to end; striving for perfection in a dynamic and fast-paced environment is exciting and fulfilling.

After high school, some university and travelling, I still had no idea what I wanted to do for a living. When I found myself at an employment program faced with that very question to determine my summer placement, I said television. I don’t know what made me say it, but upon reflection, was one of those watershed moments that altered the course of my life from that moment on.

They were able to accommodate me in the form of a job placement at the local community TV station. Evidently impressing them with my work ethic and skills, they hired me for a 1 year paid intern. I gained valuable expertise and experience during my tenure. As the end of my internship neared, my boss strongly encouraged me to apply to the Radio & Television Arts program at the recently completed NSCC Waterfront campus.

Following a successful first year, I was placed at a local TV station for a required internship. I was again hired as a part-time employee and worked full-time hours all summer. Now that I’ve begun my second, and final, year at NSCC, I will work weekends, holidays, etc.

After reading several blogs about various subjects, such as politics, sports and entertainment, I realized there are experts and amateurs alike in the “blogosphere”. Yet, the one thing they all have in common was a passion for what they are talking about. So, I’ve decided, over the next several weeks and months, to chronicle my own passion – namely, videography. I will write about my experiences and adventures shooting stories for my local TV station, and maybe for my school assignments. There will be insight and humor; realism and idealism. And if anyone can gain any benefit from these tales, I will feel like I’ve done my job.
Sincerely,

James Robinson.