This is a guest post from BBC Cameraman and Editor Luke Winsbury. He details his 2009 embed with French Troops in kapisa Province, Afghanistan. It’s an interesting and entertaining look at operating as an embedded journalist with a Foreign Army. To watch the film he made click on this link.
It’s 4am when I’m woken up in a large hangar-come-tent. I’ve barely slept because it’s freezing and there was heavy machine gun fire all night. That makes it 3 nights in a row with barely any sleep. We’re in Tagab, a French forward operating base (FOB) in Kapisa Province, North of Kabul. I have no idea what it looks like because we arrived in darkness and, because the base gets rocketed regularly, it is entirely unlit. You’re not even allowed head torches, except dim red light ones which I’m smugly pleased I have.
Nijrab Base, Northern Afghanistan.
We’re bundled into a VAB (armored vehicle). It’s so totally disorientating when you’re this tired and you have no idea where you are or really what you’re about to face. Not even the red light head torches are allowed at this point. I had taken the decision, much against the advice of the French, to take my full size DSR500 camera on patrol. They wanted to take something smaller but I explained that, like them with their guns, I use a DSR reflexively and quickly.
We travel for about an hour in the dark – and it really is pitch black in the back of the VAB. I use my small A1 camera to get some night vision shots of the soldiers in the back. Their eyes glow green and stare blankly into nowhere. They have no idea I’m pointing a camera at them. Ironically I am the only the one in the back of that thing that gets glimpses of anything.
We’re in a Pashtun area where the French had a three hour contact (Army terminology for a Gun-Fight) the previous week, on a joint patrol with the ANA (Afghan National Army) delivering clothes and medical supplies to the main village of Tagab.
French Troops on patrol near Tagab villiage, Northern Afghanistan.
Emma Jane Kirby, the BBC’s Paris Correspondent, and myself are here to see what the French are up to now in Afghanistan. They’ve had a lot of stick in the past for not doing their fair share in Afghanistan but in the recent years they’ve increased their troop numbers and taken control of the strategically important Kapisa Province, the Northern Gateway to Kabul. We’re with the Chasseurs Alpins (Mountain Hunters), the elite mountain infantry troops of the French Army.
The VAB stops, the back door swings open revealing the half-light of dawn. In my haste to get out and actually see something I make the mistake of not grabbing my spares bag. We know we’re going off on foot but don’t know for how long – could be hours. I start filming but immediately get told to start moving through the village. It has suddenly become very tense – something had changed – I don’t understand what or why. I don’t even have time to grab my spares bag from our VAB. I only have the battery on the camera and the tape inside it then. Idiot. Luckily Emma Jane is already wearing her Radio Microphone.
We’re at the back of the patrol, which is the worst place to be, both for filming and for our safety. The Taliban favour ambush tactics where they divide a patrol into smaller groups and pick them off. Moving through the village you can see how easy this is – all the houses with there walls and ditches could hide anyone.
I start running forward to get shots looking back at the soldiers. We stop a lot behind walls, in ditches, while the route forward is checked. We have to cross open ground quickly and with a low profile. We see few villagers – it’s too early. Dogs are barking.
We end up in a deep ditch running through some fields on the edge of the village, facing the mountains on the edge of the valley. This is where the Taliban hide and this is exactly where the French had a 3 hour gun battle with them last week. There’s a white house about 300m away where the Taliban were hiding so French and ANA troops move cautiously up to it. I suddenly notice the guy in front of me is a US Marine – where did he come from?
Gradually the tension eases. Maybe it’s too early for the Taliban. With this perimeter secured, we make our way back into the village to film the ANA handing out blankets and medical supplies. It’s a chaotic scene, but friendly and full of humour. I roam around freely and feel no threat at all, albeit knowing there are many French keeping an eye on things. I have tea with some of the ANA soldiers, one of those moments of serenity you have to take and it gives me a chance to catch my breath.
Later that evening we return to our main home for the week, the French base at Nijrab, home to about 700 troops. Nijrab is a Tajik area and as such is relatively peaceful. The base is set up on a plateau surrounded by huge snow capped mountains – it is incredibly beautiful. When this country finds peace it will be a haven for climbing, walking and skiing.
French JTAC – Forward Air Controller – in Afghanistan
Our accommodation in Nijrab was a large overflow tent – very basic and very cold – and we had to share it with soldiers passing through. At night the temperatures dropped well below freezing. My Icebreaker thermals were magic – I wore them day and night for days and they still didn’t smell (or perhaps I got used to the smell?)
Over the next few days we go on more patrols with the Chasseurs Alpins but mostly in the safer Tajik areas. One day we go with the JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller – in other words the man who calls in Air-Strikes), climbing high up the side of the valley the French are operating in to secure the high ground and provide cover. Their guns face both ways, into the valley below and high up into the rocky peaks. The French have been discovering increasing numbers of large arms caches recently. The Taliban are relatively inactive during the winter (it is said they go for winter training across the border in Pakistan) – but everyone is predicting a counter-surge from them following the large increase in US troops numbers. The arms caches being found by the French seem to indicate a spring offensive.
Although the French do not see as much ‘action’ as the Americans and British in Afghanistan, it is worth keeping in mind the enormous public opposition in France (about 80% of the population) to their presence there – which must constrain their activities there. It is a democracy after all.
Luke has just returned from another trip to Afghanistan, this time with BBC Newsnight’s Mark Urban, click here to watch the film from kandahar.
Carrying a heavy camera over a long period of time can seriously damage the back
These days it is pretty rare that we, as Cameramen, have any spare time on our assignments to squeeze in a workout. If we get any down time at all we generally just need to catch up on our sleep. But once in a while we find ourselves with an afternoon or evening to kill, maybe you’re waiting for a flight back home or have a gap between working on two different stories. On these occasions I usually reflect on how bad my diet has been for the last few days and suddenly realize that my back is aching after twelve hours hunched over a laptop, curled up like a pretzel. When that happens it’s time for a workout. I find it’s important to keep the back strong and the muscles stretched. As a breed Cameraman suffer a disproportionately high amount of bad backs. Since the age of twenty-three I’ve been fighting with recurring back pains that often mean I have to pop anti-inflammatory drugs just to get through the day. I’ve got a slightly bulging disc in my lower back and often have problems sleeping as the muscles spasm and go rigid when I lay down. I’ve found the best way to fight the pain and lose the dependence on drugs has been exercise.
At present I’m training four times a week following a system known as P90x. It is a tough workout and I’m really seeing results. For it to work though you need either weights or rubber resistance bands and a pull-up bar – items that aren’t high on the Cameraman’s packing list when going away. It’s because of this that I’ve decided to put together a routine that can be done in a hotel room or an edit suite just using your own body weight or items that are to hand. There is no point putting together a complicated “split routine” as when you are working away your training is going to be infrequent and you need to be able to do it in a hurry. I’ve tried to include video clips of most of exercises to demonstrate exactly how they should be done.
The warm-up:
It is important to always warm up. Never stretch a cold body.
- Jog on the spot for one minute
- Twenty Jumping Jacks
- Ten front lunges on each leg – do these gently and at medium pace
- Arm circles – medium size – thirty seconds in each direction. This should be done slowly and with control. You should really feel the burn in the shoulders.
The Stretch:
Ok, now you’re warm it’s time to stretch. It’s important to feel these stretches without over reaching and pulling a muscle.
- Shoulders, pull them across your chest – ten seconds on each arm
- Triceps stretch, like you’re trying to scratch your back – ten seconds on each arm
- Quadriceps stretch – fifteen seconds on each leg – stand straight, keep your hips square
- “The cat to Dog pose” – This Yoga stretch is great for the back, aim to do five breaths in and five out switching between cat and dog
- “Upward Dog to Downward Dog” – three times holding for ten in each position. Another important Yoga stretch that really helps the back.
- Basic hamstring stretch – stand up straight with feet more than shoulder width apart. Gently bend over and reach down until you can touch your toes. Feel it in the hamstrings but don’t push too far. Let your lower back relax. Hold for ten to twenty. Come up and then repeat the stretch trying to go a little further.
The Workout:
Ok now we are ready get busy. You need to push yourself to get the best from this workout and keep your transitions between exercises short so that you are keeping your heart rate high.
Free Squats – Deep and slow. As many as possible. If you are beginning aim for twenty. If you are already working out then you should aim for between thirty and forty.
Press Up’s – Good old fashioned basic exercise. Do them slow and aim to touch your chest to the floor on each rep. Beginners should do ten, the rest of us should be looking to do twenty or thirty here.
Superman’s – This exercise strengthens your lower back. You need to lie on your front and reach out ahead of you like Superman. Your hips should also be off the ground so that you can feel your lower back. Hold this for ten seconds, relax for five and then repeat. Aim to do four ten count holds with five seconds between each one.
Front Lunges – alternate legs – This is similar to the exercise you did in the warm up but this time try and explode up from the lunge back to the start position making this more of a plyometric exercise. Aim for ten on each leg building up to twenty as you get stronger.
Side Tri Rise – Roll onto your left side and place one hand under your armpit and push up as many times as possible using that arm. This is an awesome triceps exercise. Aim for ten if you are just beginning otherwise you should be doing twenty here. Once you’ve maxed out then roll over and swap arms.
Crunches – classic abdominal exercise. Aim for twenty, rest for five seconds and repeat. Keep them slow and controlled.
Pike Shoulder Press – Assume the “Downward Dog” Yoga position and then use your shoulders to push up and down like a press-up. This is a good exercise for strengthening the shoulders. Aim for ten.
You’ve now finished Round One. At this stage you have a choice depending on how much time you have or how hard you want to push yourself. You can either repeat the pre workout stretch and go and call it a day or you can do Round Two which is just another cycle through of the Routine. You can do as many Rounds as you like, just be sure to finish off with the stretch and to drink plenty of water.
This routine is only a guide, I hope that after reading it and learning the exercises you will feel free to change them and incorporate other exercises that work for you. It is so important in our job that we keep fit and make sure that our backs and shoulders are capable of the dealing with the intense strain that we place on them every day.
I’m not a personal trainer and this routine has been put together purely from experience. I welcome any feedback. Please be aware that I cannot accept any liability for injuries caused after reading this article.
The Photographer of the Year- Darren Durlach, WBFF, Baltimore from Poynter Institute on Vimeo.
I’ve just seen the winning entry for the prestigious US National Press Photographers Award for 2009. Frankly I’m humbled. The winner was Darren Durlach, a Shoot/Edit from a local station in Baltimore (think “The Wire”). Although traditionalists might be tempted to criticize his fast editing style and use of obscure angles I was blown away by it and am just looking forward to an opportunity to try and use some of his ideas.
Making a VOIP call using a Bgan from the roof of the Bureau
It was Christmas night. I crouched close to the fire built by some of the Marines and tried to warm my hands against the cold. We were in Southern Afghanistan, at Forward Operating Base Gibraltar. It had been three days since I’d last showered and I was so cold in my tent at night that it was impossible to sleep. We’d already been ambushed by the Taliban earlier in the day and our report on the incident had lead the News back home in England. Caroline, the Correspondent I was with, wandered over to me. “London just called on the Sat Phone, News Channel would like a live in twenty minutes if we can.” I sighed and picked up my Camera. There were no Broadcast Engineers with us and we’d had to travel light to the base because of limits with how much weight the Helicopters could carry. I’d had just enough space for my Editing laptop and a Bgan. As the fire crackled away behind me I quickly connected my camera, the laptop and the Bgan and within minutes we were live on National TV. It was an atmospheric shot and allowed the public a small insight into life on Christmas day for the soldiers in Afghanistan. Five years ago this wouldn’t have been possible but TV Technology is moving fast and Bgan’s have been one of the biggest catalysts for change the industry has seen in a long time.
Bgan stands for Broadband Global Area Network and, for good or for bad depending on your standpoint, it has revolutionized the way that Newsgatherers operate. The network was set up by Inmarsat and uses three Geo-stationary satellites (in other words they don’t move anywhere). There is one that covers Africa and Europe, one for Australia and the Far-East and another with a footprint over the Americas. Between them they allow users to combine high bandwidth with wide coverage. Essentially it means that you can log onto a broadband internet connection from virtually anywhere in the world, no matter what the local infrastructure is like. The only extra kit you need to achieve this is a laptop computer loaded with the relevant software and a Broadband satellite IP terminal. These come in a number of shapes and designs but are generally about the size of a laptop. At the BBC, and many other international Broadcasters, they use a Hughes 9201 terminal often in conjunction with a Panasonic Toughbook.
Hughes 9201 Bgan Terminal
The Hughes 9201 is a pretty robust piece of kit that can deal with a variety of climates and plenty of rough treatment. You don’t need to be a skilled Technician to use one, common sense and a compass is generally enough. The way it works is fairly straightforward. You take the Bgan and lay it flat with a view of the sky to get a GPS fix –it has to work out where it is in the world before you can do anything else. That should take a couple of minutes but I’ve known it take up to twenty. Next you work out which Satellite you plan on using and manually point the dish in the right direction using a beep tone that gets quicker as the signal gets stronger and a corresponding signal power bar on the side. I am usually happy if four of the green LED lights on the power bar are illuminated – that’s enough to get a pretty good connection. It’s then simply a case of firing up your laptop and working through the Bgan Launchpad software which registers you with the network and allows you to choose your connection speed. The best speeds can often be found while using the basic, and cheapest, standard connection. It depends on how many people are using the network at the same time. I generally use the Standard connection for FTP’ing cut pieces back to London and 256 kb/ps streaming for lives.
BBC Team in Mozambique set up for a live with a Bgan. 2008
For live broadcasting over a Bgan the BBC use a type of conferencing software known as V-point. It allows you to choose how much information to send, set audio levels and receive return sound from the Studio. One issue to be aware of is trying to send video at too high quality – if you are using a 256kb/ps connection via the Bgan then make sure you’re sending less then that from V-point i.e 192kb/ps otherwise you clog the pipe so to speak and the video will freeze.
Once you’ve connected your camera and microphones then it is simply a case of calling your studios I.P address and praying that the call goes through. I’ve experienced many problems at this phase and missed a number of live “hits” due to the equipment deciding not to work. It doesn’t matter how many times you have used the kit or how sure you are that you have done everything correctly, at this stage it is in the hands of the TV Gods as to whether the call goes through or not.
So what are the drawbacks and complications with this technology? As an Operator the biggest drawback is that it is more kit that you are expected to carry – often in dangerous conditions. On a technical level it can have its eccentricities, sometimes the units might not function in extreme heat, fail to get a GPS fix or simply run out of juice while you’re still miles away from a power source. The quality of the transmission is also a big problem, it is very common to see a live broadcast freeze on air if there is too much movement in the background or if the line inexplicably drops.
Despite the problems that have accompanied the use of Bgan for International Newsgathering it’s use will rapidly rise over the next few years as its capabilities increase. Connection speeds are already improving and it is only a matter of time before they are good enough for “Quality” live broadcasts on par with those from the Traditional Satellite Trucks.
