“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.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, October 16, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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.
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.
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