In my never ending quest to find cool new bits of kit and achieve different angles and styles for my news reports I have just ordered the GoPro HD Camera. Unfortunately I had to order it from B and H in New York so I’m not going to be able to test it for a little while. In the meantime I have been searching the net to find out as much about the camera as I can. It seems to be an awesome camera perfectly suited to action sports.
An example of what the GoPro camera can achieve, it comes with a waterproof case as standard:
It shoots either 1080p at 30 fps or 720p at 60 fps. This is a bit of a hassle for those of us who shoot PAL but I’m assured that Apples Compressor software does a good job changing the frame rate to edit with.
GoPro also have an excellent array of accessories, check out the film below for a good idea of what is available:
“You’re hooked. . .You need the action and you’re not going to get it wasting your life away shagging underfed anarchists, doing second rate coke and whining about evil corporations at Im-a-jackass.com. . .Global News needs men like you, men with the balls to step up and bare witness to history.”
Shooting War is a Graphic novel, a dark, dystopian vision of the near future as seen by a Correspondent in Baghdad. It’s the story of how a young Blogger, Jimmy Burns, is in the right place at the right time to film a suicide bombing at his local Starbucks in New York. His pictures are taken live by Global News Network who then hire him and send him to Iraq. The year is 2011 and President McCain is leading America deeper and deeper into a recession. Most of the Islamic countries have shut off oil supplies to the West, Europe and the US are being hit by regular terrorist attacks and fighting wars across the globe and Iraq has descended into a brutal civil war between rival extremist factions.
It’s a shame I didn’t get around to reviewing this book sooner as it was called “Book of the year” in 2008 by Forbidden Planet and British GQ put it in their list of One Hundred best things in the world. The two men responsible for the book are Anthony Lappe a feature writer, Blogger and Radio personality who also produced the Iraq documentary, Battleground: 21 days on the Empires Edge and Dan Goldman a writer, illustrator and designer.
I found the book by accident while browsing a comic book store in Leicester. As soon as I saw the cover design I was hooked: it’s a reflection of a Gun-battle in a Cameraman’s lens with his eyes showing over the top. The artwork throughout the book is outstanding, mixing photography and illustration in a way that really manages to capture the brutality, fear and passion of war.
The dialogue is sharp, highly political and at times extremely witty. At one point Jimmy manages to upset the Commander of a US patrol by filming something he shouldn’t, the Officer goes ballistic: “If I hear a peep from you I’ll drop you off in the middle of Baquba, naked with ‘Mohammed is fag’ written in Arabic across your chest.” Genius. . .
Journalist Jimmy Burns hides during a fire-fight in Baghdad
I love the fact that Jimmy is such a morally ambiguous character, he’s a self confessed liar, fake and fraud. You can’t love him but neither can you hate him. There’s a piece of all of his in him. The most interesting and charismatic character of all is the leader of “The Sword Of Mohammed” – a dangerous new insurgent group using the power of the internet and call centers to further the cause of jihad. He’s a realist and sees that the old fundamentalist ways will never be truly embraced by young Muslims: “The promise of 70 Virgins in the next life cannot compete with the pleasures of the modern world.” He says, “that is why the Wahabis, the Mullahs and the Salafis will never wield true power. Sixty percent of the Arab world is under the age of thirty and ninety percent of them want freedom, more technology and more learning. . .They are waiting for a leader to bring them out of the dark ages. And who do they get? Illiterate fairy boys who shriek at the sight of a woman’s ankle? Mullahs who whip the educated and talented in the streets for minor trespasses.”
If you are interested in World Affairs and journalism then I do really recommend this book. Even if you are not a fan of the graphic novel I’m sure you will find it a cracking and thought provoking read.
Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a huge fan of a Regional news Cameraman in the US called Darren Durlach. Well he has recently collected another important award, this time the highly regarded NPPA TV News Photographer of the year. His work is truly outstanding and leaves me in awe. He can make something out of nothing both in the composition of his shots and in his all around story-telling. Below are a number of his films that helped scoop the award followed by comments from the judges on the panel.
Darren Durlach had a solid composite entry that showed great storytelling skills from the start to the finish. The photojournalist displayed a great eye with consistent composition that was excellent. What can’t be lost in this entry is how hard this photojournalist obviously works. He seems to always have a wireless on everyone in the story and he seems to be everywhere at all the right times. This entry also showed an ability to create stories that carried with them a range of emotions. In one story you were laughing at a McDonalds while people were singing Sinatra music and on another you were feeling the loss of a U.S. Marine as he is laid to rest. From my perspective this was clearly the winner as the entry displayed all of the characteristics you look for in a National Photographer of the Year.
Crystal Lauderdale:
Our choice for POY was simply impeccable with every clip submitted. Their technical skills were supreme, their imagery was beautiful and diverse, and each story was compelling.
“C’mon Son” was already an early standout in the week, taking first place for the spot news category, as was “A Special Piece of History”, which took first in general news. Both pieces stood out for their memorable moments, candid soundbites and crisp, clean footage. Until reviewing the entries for POY, we didn’t know those pieces were produced by the same photographer. The rest of the entries followed suit with the same level of quality and made this decision a fast and unanimous one for our panel.
For more of an insight into Darrens thought process while shooting then check out the interviews with him below:
TV Cameramen can be set in our ways. It took a long time for the concept of Shoot/Edit (i.e one person filming and editing a News story) to take hold. We are now also expected to be computer savvy and able to send our finished films across the internet. It is no longer enough for a Cameraman to be “a good shooter”, we must also have a strong editorial input into our pieces and to know our subjects intimately. There are many downsides to these developments, the hours we have to put in and the amount of kit we have to carry can be pretty grueling.
But where do things go from here? Are we a dying breed? Soon to be priced out of the market by Assistant Producers willing to do twice as much work for half the price? I think not, I think that generally most News Cameramen are savvy enough to stay one step ahead of the game, to keep on top of developments within our industry and prove that we can do most peoples jobs better than they can do ours.
Multimedia journalism strikes me as an area where an experienced TV News Cameraman can shine. I have been following a number of websites recently including www.mediastorm.com and www.bombayfc.com both of which showcase journalism that I believe is far more original and entertaining than anything we get on rolling 24-hour News Channels. The stories combine lots of natural sound with still photos and video clips to stunning effect (see the example below). They are generally picture rich stories told by the subject themselves. To me it represents the perfect fusion of media and is an area of journalism where we, as cameramen, can prove that we are taking the lead and staying one step ahead of the business.
www.caparkinson.com is the Website of Christian Parkinson. I'm a Film-maker, Journalist and Writer currently working in International News and TV Production.
I love to travel, to take pictures and write about the places that I go and the people that I meet. I'm also an avid reader with a passion for History. This site is both my scrapbook and my calling card to the world. If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email: chris@caparkinson.com
Please note that this website is in no way affiliated, connected, endorsed or otherwise supported by the BBC. Any views expressed in this website are my own and not those of my employer.
How to keep entertained while travelling – the new Kindle. I never go away without mine. Order it from Amazon here. . .
If you enjoy this website then please feel free to visit my TV and Film training site: www.imagejunkies.com. It is full of interesting and informative content about the skills needed to survive in a tough industry.
