Behind the News

ABC Mourns Loss of Newsmen

2011-08-22T13:06:00.003+10:00

Tributes are coming in for three veteran ABC newsmen who are believed to have been killed in a helicopter crash in remote South Australia.

Journalist Paul Lockyer, pilot Gary Ticehurst, and cameraman John Bean are feared dead after their chopper apparently crashed near Lake Eyre yesterday evening.

The experienced news crew had been working on news and feature projects in the Lake Eyre region and it is believed their Sydney-based helicopter went down in a remote area about 150 kilometres north-west of Marree about 7:30pm.

This morning police said they had found two bodies at the scene of the crash but said did they did not expect to find any survivors. They said the names of those who had died may not be officially released until later in the day.

Police investigators reached the site overnight but the journey took many hours due to the remote location and bad weather.

It is not known what caused the crash, but there have been reports of bad weather in the area at the time.

This morning ABC managing director Mark Scott said the ABC feared the worst and paid tribute to the men, who he called "three news gatherers at the peak of their craft".

"This has been the longest of nights and we fear it will be the saddest of days," he said.

"I think this is going to be devastating for the ABC. We have been going for nearly 80 years. I don't think we have ever had a day like the day we might be facing, with news of the loss of three distinguished colleagues out reporting a story.

"Paul, Gary and John have each given decades of service to the ABC. They are passionate about their work and finding great stories from all over Australia to bring to the public.

"Our love, thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends of Paul, Gary and John at this terrible time.

As a Melbourne cameraman, I knew and worked with John when he was based in Melbourne and worked many times with his wife, a Journalist for the ABC.

I worked with Paul on assignments overseas and could never have worked with anyone better.

The most recent I flew with Gary was in our 2009 bushfires when he came to Victoria to assist.

All three were professionals who will be greatly missed.

You can read more of this ABC article by following this link.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-18/abc-helicopter-crashes-at-lake-eyre/2845962

Dignity in Death

2011-06-30T05:52:00.002+10:00

The morning sun starts to break the early mist; drops gently fall from frosted wire fences. Rays of golden light make their way across the fields, growing longer and reaching further towards the house as the sun gets higher.

Inside, gathered solemnly around a bed, a family are united and pay respects as the life of one slips further from their grasp. It’s been a long night of loving and tender farewells and a quiet respect from people beyond the family circle who come to visit. As the early morning draws closer, the last faint breaths of life are taken and expelled and one passes gracefully into another world.

But, it’s not 1879, its 0850 am in Melbourne in 2011 and a 37 year old young woman has just been struck by a tram in peak hour. She has fallen under the tram, suffering terrible abdominal and head injuries and the tram needs to be jacked up in order to free her.

Paramedics at the scene work on her in front of pedestrians and peak hour traffic. Police, tram workers and the media watch as she is freed and attempts to resuscitate her are made. Various IV drips are deployed, her clothes are cut from her exposing her breasts, and CPR is applied, all the while, Melbourne continues to go to work.

Her final dignity in death, as she lay bare chested on the cold roadway, is to have a sheet pulled up over her still body, where she lay for some time after as investigators went about their task of finding answers.

Dignity in Death? Not really. That will come later at her funeral when family and friends gather to mourn her loss and celebrate a life cut short. The tram stop will never be the same, and for some, they may never use it again, having been witness to a shocking and tragic death.

In reality, very few of us may enjoy a dignified death. As media, we don’t film dignified deaths. Only once did I think I had, but in retrospect, by my mere presence, I violated that dignity. A farmer, who suffered great trauma from a fall, was taken off life support. I was filming a documentary on an Emergency Ward and we were given permission by the family to document his accident and the family’s grief and plight at the decision to terminate.

I filmed with great consideration for the family, but being in the room alone was difficult. It was over very quickly and little more was said that night about it. I filmed two more after that, attesting to a long and challenging night. I saw great care and compassion from hospital staff who endure this suffering on many more occasions than I do.

But I saw no dignity.

Don't get out of bed.

2011-06-10T17:35:00.003+10:00

The alarm went off………snooze………

2nd Alarm ten minutes later woke me from a place far away from waking, far away from children and even further away from work.

Standing in the shower watching the water swirl around my toes and down the drain, a level of consciousness faded by the warmth, I soon realised the time and a need to hasten my son off to the train for school.

As per usual, our morning time was cut short by the usual banter between brother and sister which had ended the night before in……..”Get @&*#, get yourself to school, and don’t *&%#&@*# ask me for a lift again.”

Raining and cold and a need to feel like a responsible and compassionate parent, I abandoned my coffee ritual and drove him to school with the ever self-assured concept I could get back home in time to catch my train.

The glance across to him in the car, school blazer MIA should have alerted me to the fact; I should have stayed in bed. The day never got better.

• Was late for train and had to run to catch it. Hate sitting on the train looking like I need an oxygen bottle.
• Got to work to find office needed me out the door ASAP. Who ever said anything about having time to scratch yourself?
• Found someone had removed some audio gear and was now MIA. Both the gear and them!
• Went to plan B to cover the job as was told it was a quick press conference, and would not need audio gear. Really? Hmmmm……anyway, was it a Press Conference?
• No it was not……..was filming kids dying of cancer. Just a tad different one would think!
• Found someone had spent all my parking money change. That added to the point below.
• Had to bolt to the next job without refuelling with coffee! This is normally a big NO NO!
• Had numerous audio issues, overcame all, now feel like I could part the Red Sea but it’s not the point really.
• Went to Airport to film players of a sport I know nothing about……….Soccer. They all look the same to me, so I filmed them all.
• Was set upon by Airport Media attack dog………she told me I had no permissions to film………OMG we done this hunny, in fact we have this same conversation every time we go to the Airport.
• I tell you, someone has a better chance of shooting the Prime Minister than I do of shooting Soccer players!

Apart from my customary and insignificant grumblings about the rest of the day and how it all panned out………..I would have to say it ended rather better than it started, only now that it’s a few days and a few reds ago………..I’m sure it ended as it started……….asleep.

Farewell to Bill Hunter

2011-05-29T14:32:00.008+10:00

William John "Bill" Hunter, 27th February 1940 – 21 May 2011 was an Australian actor of film, stage and television. He appeared in more than 60 films and won two Australian Film Institute Awards.

Hunter made his film debut as an extra in 1957 film The Shiralee. An introduction to Ava Gardner saw him gain a job as an extra and swimming double in the Hollywood film On the Beach which was filming in Melbourne. Hunter claimed that he was inspired to take up acting after watching one of the leads (variously claimed to be either Gregory Peck or Fred Astaire) do 27 takes of a scene, and thinking he could do better.

In the 1960s, Hunter started out in Australian television, and became a prolific performer in television and feature films, in which he often played the strong, opinionated, archetypal gruff Australian whose exterior belies a softer heart.

Some of his most notable movie roles include Newsfront(1978), Gallipoli (1981), Scales of Justice (1983), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Muriel's Wedding (1994), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Australia (2008).

In 2007, he reprised the role of Bob in the Australian touring stage production of Priscilla. He also provided the voice of the dentist in Finding Nemo (2003) and the voice of Bubo in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010). He portrayed United Nations Secretary General Spencer Chartwell in the American science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond. His last film role was in The Cup.

But it’s the movie, Newsfront made in 1978, which is about photographers and cameramen who will do anything to get their footage, which makes this movie of note for this blog. Set in a time post war and pre the excitement of TV in Australian homes, people would go to the movies and view Cinetone reels of events nationally and internationally.

Bill Hunter plays the role of Len Maguire, the Senior Cameraman. Set between the years 1949 and 1956, the film tracks the destinies of two brothers, their adventures and misadventures placed in the context of sweeping social and political changes in their native Australia. Len Maguire is constitutionally resistant to change, while his younger brother Frank Maguire welcomes any alterations in his own life and in the world around him.

This film is considered to be one of Australia’s finest. I have included some links to clips for the movie. One here at Australian Screen and one below at Youtube.

Margaret Moth: Admirable, Heroic, Courageous Woman

2011-05-14T11:23:00.005+10:00

Article taken from womenofyesteryear.com

Margaret Moth, nee Wilson, (Aug. 21, 1951--March 21, 2010) was born in New Zealand but became a citizen of the world, traveling to remote and dangerous destinations as if compelled to see and document history as it happened.

Margaret was, first and foremost, her own person. Flaunting convention, she decided that she should have a last name of her own choosing; not one belonging to her father, or at some time perhaps, her husband. So she became Margaret Gipsy Moth, chosen for the Tiger Moth airplane she often sky dived from. It would also seem to allude to her lifestyle which might find her in any corner of the world on a moment’s notice.

Reported to be the first camerawoman in New Zealand, Margaret became a photojournalist for CNN in 1990.

Margaret stared down danger and went into life-threatening situations with a disregard for her own safety that often startled her traveling companions. It is reported that she never viewed herself as heroic. She was so totally focused on recording the story around her, as it was taking place, she often stepped directly into harm’s way. Even after being shot in the face by a sniper’s bullet and losing most of her teeth and part of her jaw and tongue in July of 1993, she returned to the Sarejevo war zone in 1994.

She did not consider herself especially courageous but her colleagues did and proved it by bestowing numerous awards on her for her work.

Margaret Moth never cared what the establishment thought was proper behavior or ‘women’s work’. She just went after what she wanted with intellect and wit. She pursued her passions and never whined.

Though she lost the battle with colon cancer, she faced it with her own style and flair and never wavered in her bravery. Margaret Gipsy Moth represents the strong, confident women of all ages who give us hope and inspire our future.

Britain's oldest working television.

2011-04-24T14:55:00.001+10:00

Britain's oldest working television has been dusted off for auction . The machine was bought for almost £100 three weeks after television transmissions began. But Mr GB Davis of Dulwich, south–east London would have only been able to able to watch it for a few hours.

The nearby Crystal Palace and its transmitter burned down three days after Mr Davis bought the Marconi type–702 set on November 26. The area could not receive pictures again until 1946.

The 75-year-old set comes with a 12-inch screen and is contained in a walnut and mahogany case with the picture being reflected onto a mirror that opens from the top.

There are more 18th century Stradivarius violins in existence that pre-war TVs and this set has only had two owners.

Television pioneer John Logie Baird and the Marconi company were responsible for the set which was created using Britain's secret radar research.

Only 30 per cent of the components in this set have been replaced – all with identical parts – and it works perfectly.

It has a pre-sale estimate of 5,000 pounds, but experts at Bonhams, which is selling it, expect it to sell for much more.

For 5,000 pounds today you could buy a top-of-the-range set with high definition, 3D, surround sound and more channels than you could ever watch.

The set cost Mr Davis 99 pounds. 15 shillings. 0d – over half the annual average wage of the day and equivalent to almost 4,000 pounds today.

Its number is H1007, and it is thought the numbers began at 1,000 meaning this is 007, the James Bond of TVs.

Bonhams specialist Laurence Fisher said: "This is being sold by the late owner's family and is the oldest working TV set in Britain.

"These sets were really a side effect of our secret radar research and they are very similar inside to the radar.

"Logie Baird and Marconi had separate companies but used the same people to make the sets, but Marconi became the most popular maker.

"Baird made the first mechanical television in 1926 and this was the first electronic version.

"I've handled 38 pre-war tells and this is the finest and even comes with the original invoice.

"It cost a huge amount and the owner must have had wealth and means.

"Its case is made from walnut and mahogany to give a two-tone effect and doesn't have wheels and is quite a big lump.

"The picture is reflected onto its lid and at the time it was bought there was only one hour of television a day. And only one channel.

"Unfortunately for the original owner he would have been able to only watch three hours of programmes on it.

"This was because three days after he bought it the Crystal Palace burned down and that was where the transmitter was.

"And his area did not receive pictures again until after the war. But at least people who visited him would know he had one, even if he couldn't use it.

"Programmes at the time would have all be live and there were plays which were grand productions like you would have at the theatre.

"It was the first time people could see the faces of those whose voices they knew so well from the radio.

"It is a very rare thing and there are collectors who would love to have it."

Aussie wins in USA

2011-03-05T14:17:00.002+11:00

ABC Cameraman Louie Eroglu has won the top prize in the prestigious White House News Photographers’ Association video awards, being named the 2011 Video Photographer of the Year.

Based in the ABC’s Washington bureau, Eroglu was awarded for his camerawork on two Foreign Correspondent programs filmed last year. One for the feature on the Go Go music scene in Washington DC and the other a program examining the reintroduction of the wolf in Idaho, both with ABC journalist Michael Brissenden.

The judges said, “Louie’s work demonstrates a talent and commitment that is the hallmark of top photographers throughout the world, and the people of Australia should be thankful for his insightful storytelling as his skills serve to enlighten them.”

Eroglu said, “This is a huge honour for me to be recognised by the WHMPA. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences filming across the United States, especially the opportunity I’ve had to film longer form current affairs features. I am constantly inspired by the calibre of video photographers at work today in Washington D.C.”

Louie has been based in Washington since January 2008 – his third overseas posting with the ABC. He has travelled extensively throughout the United States covering the Presidential Election and Inauguration, the Louisiana oil spill, Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Katrina. He has also covered disasters including the Chilean Miners rescue and the Haiti earthquake. As well as shooting for news, Louie has enjoyed the opportunity to film across the US for Australia’s leading international current affairs program Foreign Correspondent.

Prior to the US posting Louie was based in Moscow for the ABC from August 2005. He filmed extensively in Russia, from Siberia to St Petersburg, filming in temperatures as low as minus 37C. Louie covered the Winter Olympics in Italy and spent six weeks in Germany for the 2006 World Cup.

Louie’s first overseas posting was to the ABC’s Middle East bureau, based in Jerusalem. During his four years there, he covered the war in Afghanistan in 2001 and the Iraq War in 2003. In total he completed 10 trips to Iraq. Along with ABC journalist Mark Willacy, he broke the ABC record for the longest off-base assignment, spending 93 days straight, on the road in and around Iraq covering the war.

Louie has won multiple awards for his camerawork. Last year he won a Gold Award for Documentary and a Silver Award for News Feature from the White House News Photographer’s Association. In 2005, he won a Walkley Award for the filming of an ABC News story, ‘Baghdad Bomb’. Louie has won 7 Golden Tripods in the Australian Cinematographer’s Society (ACS) National Awards, as well as 13 Gold and 12 Silver Awards in the ACS State Awards.

In 2005, Louie was granted ACS accreditation.

(Taken from ABC News Publicity and Promotions)

Serene Branson

2011-02-18T11:32:00.001+11:00

Sometimes live TV just goes wrong.........

There is a suggestion via Youtube she suffered a stroke, but local Paramedics attended and deemed her ok. Who knows!

Out of the Ashes

2011-02-13T09:55:00.002+11:00

All life seemed to be obliterated – but in nooks and gullies, spider webs and wombat burrows, a documentary team found that Australian wildlife could survive the Victorian bushfires.

Award-winning cinematographer David Parer has documented much Australian wildlife but even he was amazed to witness the way nature’s capacity to regrow so closely resembled the resilience of the people there.

“It was wonderful to see normal Aussie people stacking the bricks, cleaning up, immediately thinking of rebuilding,” he said. “At the same time animals were doing the same thing – as the lyre birds scratched around looking for meagre pickings in that burnt ground, people were doing the same thing.”

In February 2009, bushfires tore through Victoria, killing 173 people and destroying over 2,000 homes as it incinerated swathes of bushland.

Out of the Ashes follows a year in the life of the natural landscape and people of the land as both recover from the tragedy. David said it was a positive tale at a time when people needed to hear some good about the harsh Australian landscape.

One of the biggest challenges filming in the early days after the fires was finding something to film – great swathes of bushland and forest stood silenced, seemingly empty of all life.

“There was this funereal feeling in the days after the fires and you could walk into them and it was total silence,” he said. “But then you would suddenly see something – a spiderweb, a bird, or a wombat foraging among the embers.”

David captured images of animals returning to the burnt out forest because they knew that fire meant there would be food.

“Just as humans have niche areas of expertise, so does the wildlife,” he said. “Soft crested cockatoos would search out the seed pods that had split open in the fire but are not incinerated – they came after the fires knowing these tidbits were there.

“And flame robin birds come because they know a lot of little insects that emerge after the fires will be around – that’s what they specialise in.”

One of the most thrilling parts of filming was using a cineflex stabilised gyro mount camera slung under a helicopter. For three hours David soared over the charred landscape, the technology allowing him to capture both the size and scale of the devastation, as well as intimate portraits of wildlife.

“I spied a wedge tailed eagle and we did an aerial ballet with this bird as it cruised over the burnt out forest, 400 metres above, it was magical.”

Award winning director Dione Gilmour remembers feeling the first stirring of a documentary idea as she followed following the fires.

“I was glued to the radio, which was giving regular reports on bushfires in Victoria and floods in Queensland. What a country we live in!” she thought at the time.

“My mind raced to the possibilities. Floods in the north or the ecological outcomes from the bushfires? A few days later and reason re‐asserted itself. One program at a time.”

For Dione, a year was almost too short a period to capture the full regeneration of the bush.

“We had given ourselves the limit of 1 year after the fires and in some ways it was very restrictive,” she said. “Most of the mammal recolonization happened later and you feel to give a whole picture you need to keep going into the future.

“Maybe(it will take) 10 years, maybe a 100. But that will be for the next generation of film‐makers.”

(taken from ABC website)

An Eagles View

2011-02-07T16:48:00.002+11:00

This story is from December 2009, but I only recently came across the picture. I have no idea who the cameraman is or where he is from. But it does show how sometimes, things can go wrong.

When it snows on the steppes of eastern Kazakhstan, hunters saddle up and gallop off with eagles on their arms in search of prey. Many in Kazakhstan see eagle hunting as a symbol of their nation’s nomadic past and a throwback to an oft-romanticized era before these steppes turned into a geopolitical battleground between competing regional powers Russia and China.
Clearly a Golden Eagle attacks a cameraman during an annual hunting competition in Chengelsy Gorge, Kazakhstan.

I hope the pictures were worth it! Click on the link to see the rest of the pictures from the

Kazakhstan Eagle Hunt on Stuff.co.nz.

Match Fit

2010-11-29T09:48:00.000+11:00

SX is a memory

2010-11-22T09:02:00.003+11:00

What’s unusual about this picture? Nothing really, except these are the last two Sony SX cameras in our system. They had been sitting in a cupboard for well on 18 months waiting to be dispatched.

To the non-camera readers, it will mean little, but it does represent a passing in technology that still exists in some networks, but predominately is being phased out.

Most networks seem to have moved into the digital age and with that move, came a transition of cameras. Many changed to the Sony XD. It’s a disk format camera; much like recording onto a DVD only the disk can be reused much like a tape was. But the camera still has moving parts; disks still need to be ejected or inserted but there is no lace up of tape mechanism, so it’s faster.

My network chose the P2 made by Panasonic. It’s a memory card system that works well and has many advantages over the Sony XD. But generally, both serve their respective networks well.

And so we return to the Sony SX, who faithfully gave this network many good years, over 10 years of service. It was these cameras that bought many stories from the field home, were there when many an event happened. We often forget the role the equipment played how close a relationship we garnered with these cameras.

Am I sad to see them go? I guess. Mine was old and weathered but I trusted it. I knew it well, it’s little quirks and how best to get good results from it. Technology changes and so do our work practices with that. I guess now I can understand how the old film cameramen felt when they gave up their film cameras for a tape camera.

It heralded the end of an era.

Hillary Clinton

2010-11-21T15:26:00.002+11:00

A few days on the road following Hillary Clinton, pretty cool really. Had some close contact work to do, so close, a gentle hand to remind me of my place. But was worth it and something else to add to my long list of dinner stories. Lots of security details to work through, a little frustrating when both the US and Aussies think they both need to check out the gear.

Seaworthiness

2010-09-15T13:50:00.000+10:00

Two of my colleagues in the industry retired these last couple of weeks. Whilst both farewells honoured their achievements and commitment to an organisation, and that between them, they gave over 60 years, both occasions failed to recognise the breach left behind.

And why would they. It was a farewell, a time to toast and celebrate at ones accomplishments. Not a time to reflect on the gloomy and sorry state the Newsroom now finds itself, quickly filling its ranks with younger crews and reporters.

At a time when editors are being made redundant and reporters are asked to do the work, sound recordists are almost gone, and senior experienced cameramen are being replaced by those with lesser experience, we now find ourselves exposed and weakened by the loss of senior staff.

No contempt to those who are now starting to fill the void, in fact, they have proven to be very high-quality staff. I myself was once a budding young cameraman, full of verve and spunk, but deficient in proficiency and serenity. The difference was that as a junior, I was assigned to a senior operator, who over time, nurtured and guided and mentored me till I was able to work unaccompanied and with some ability.

In time, the ranks will be filled, the gaps plugged up, the ship made seaworthy again but mostly by people with less significant experience and perhaps lesser of a willingness to give one organisation 30 years of commitment.

The weary traveller…..

2010-09-10T19:29:00.001+10:00

The train rattled out of the city, taking me and other travellers down the tracks, some intention in mind. For me it was home.

I fumbled with my headphones, picked Sarah McLachlan to accompany me, and settled back, watching the city roll away into the distance. I looked around the carriage, a collection of people, older couples returning from a day out, dads with kids and man-boy teens on an adventure. I studied them, checked out clothing, girlfriends and bags.

I wondered where they had been, what had they been doing. I tried to read lips and make conversations in my head. I wondered what they did at work or how they spent their days.

Why? Idk, there seemed a strange sense of the ‘returned soldier’ syndrome. Here I was exploring my fellow travellers, diagnosing their days and ails, yet all along, only a few hours earlier I had been up at the floods. Now, sitting on a train being rattled about seemed surreal.

Anyway, who would have guessed where I had been. Was not like I had water running out of my boots, no more than the returned soldier wears fatigues cover in the grime of war. It’s such an oddity. We all live interesting lives in one form or another, some of us have curious lives or professions. It’s the later I fit into.

There I was, for 18 hours straight, working at the floods. It’s nothing remarkable. No homes were inundated, property was flooded and farm land and some roads were closed. Did not alter the fact that towns were under threat and some parts were under water. Even some homes were evacuated.

But there was none of the fear and panic that took our breath away at the fires.

But no one knew this about me. I was just another passenger, slowly being lulled to sleep by the rhythmic motion of the carriage as it tootled towards the night and home.

They were oblivious to the hours I had been up, the miles I had driven. How I had waded through water to get the shots, worked till 2 am shooting and then feeding material out overnight so News had it first thing. How I had fought sleep to stay awake to drive home, whilst the reporter nodded off in the car. She had more hours’ ahead, writing and cutting, still to go.

From time to time I speculate how many people are sitting there on the train, maybe stopped at traffic lights in the car or walking amongst us, all of us oblivious of what the person next to us has done that day or are about to embark on.

ABC News 24: Pre-launch Promo 2010

2010-07-22T14:04:00.001+10:00

Welcome to ABC News 24 in Australia............

Anger Management

2010-05-29T11:33:00.000+10:00

This is from a joke sent to me by a friend and clearly from the USA but in my business, this has a funny ending.

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out
on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you
don't know, but you know deserves it.

I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make.

I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying 'Hello.'

I politely said, 'This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?'

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear 'Get the right f***ing number!'
and the phone was slammed down on me.

I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude.

When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had
accidentally transposed the last two digits.

After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again.

When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled 'You're an asshole!' and hung up.

I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer.

Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell,
'You're an asshole!'

It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my theraputic 'asshole' calling would have to stop.

So, I called his number and said, 'Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company.
I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?'

He yelled 'NO!' and slammed down the phone.

I quickly called him back and said, 'That's because you're an asshole!' and hung up.

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking Spot.

Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for.

I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me.

I noticed a 'For Sale ' sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number.

A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole (I had his number on speed dial,)
I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too.

I said, 'Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?'

He said, 'Yes, it is.'

I then asked, 'Can you tell me where I can see it?'

He said, 'Yes, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax ..
It's a yellow ranch style house and the car's parked right out in front.'

I asked, 'What's your name?'

He said, 'My name is Don Hansen,'

I asked, 'When's a good time to catch you, Don?'

He said, 'I'm home every evening after five.'

I said, 'Listen, Don, can I tell you something?'

He said, 'Yes?'

I said, 'Don, you're an asshole!'

Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too.

Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call.

Then I came up with an idea...

I called asshole #1.

He said, 'Hello.'

I said, 'You're an asshole!' (But I didn't hang up.)

He asked, 'Are you still there?'

I said, 'Yeah!'

He screamed, 'Stop calling me,'

I said, 'Make me,'

He asked, 'Who are you?'

I said, 'My name is Don Hansen.'

He said, 'Yeah? Where do you live?'

I said, 'Asshole, I live at 34 Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax , a yellow ranch style
home and I have a black Beamer parked in front.'

He said, 'I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers.'

I said, 'Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole,' and hung up.

Then I called Asshole #2.

He said, 'Hello?'

I said, 'Hello, asshole,'

He yelled, 'If I ever find out who you are...'

I said, 'You'll what?'

He exclaimed, 'I'll kick your ass,'

I answered, 'Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now.'

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34
Oaktree Blvd , in Fairfax , and that I was on my way over there to kill my
gay lover.

Then I called Channel 7 News about the gang war going down in Oaktree Blvd in Fairfax ..

I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax ..

I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew.

NOW I feel much better.

Anger management really does work.

Media Watch. Channel Nine Cameraman Incident

2010-04-16T13:53:00.001+10:00

Small cost, big surprise.

2010-03-23T13:37:00.003+11:00

It’s quite astounding just how much some of the equipment we use in this industry costs. Even though there are TV Crews and Production Crews all over the world as well as a plethora of Sound Recordists, equipment is often specialized and costly.

The general everyday things, camera, tripod, basic lights and sound, are a given, and as such, some people can bargain or eBay and ether shop to source an item at a reasonable price.

But it’s the supplementary items, the ones you don’t need everyday. They make a distinction, not every time but when you need them………..

Camera Operators are like Bower birds in many ways. I am. If you find a clamp or a piece of tube or something that you know you can make use of, even if it fits in the ‘you never know when this might come in handy one day’ category, you take it.

Going to the Hardware store is no different. I can’t help but wander about and look at items and think, how can I make use of this?

A few weeks ago, I had been pestering my boss for some patterned frames or Gobos. They can be used to attach to lights to create an effect or a pattern on a wall. Many cameramen around the world would have used various items strapped or gaffered or clamped to lights to create an effect.

On this day, I was drawn to the gardening section and at the end of the aisle, hanging on one of those cheap little hooks for quick sale, was a tree guard. It’s a little plastic moulded mat that clips together to go around small trees so your whipper snipper does not eat chunks out of it. It cost me $3.95. Bargain! And it does the job just nicely, until I tire of that pattern.

Who would have thought?

ABC to launch 24-hour news channel

2010-01-21T11:07:00.003+11:00

See promotional video HERE

The Australian media landscape is set for a shake-up in 2010, with the ABC to launch Australia's first free-to-air 24-hour television news channel.

The channel aims to provide constant coverage of breaking local and international news stories by harnessing the ABC's existing network of regional and international newsrooms.

ABC managing director Mark Scott says the channel will usher in a new era for ABC news and current affairs.

"We can draw on the investment already made in the ABC, through its major newsrooms in every state and territory, 12 international bureaux and 60 regional newsrooms, to deliver to Australians a top-quality 24-hour news service that is comprehensive, independent and up to the minute."

A number of new programs, focusing on world news, national politics and business, are also set to be launched alongside the ABC's existing current affairs line-up.

It will also expand the ABC's international presence through the Australia Network, allowing audiences in 44 countries access to the channel.

The channel has been developed without extra funding from the Federal Government, with the ABC citing previous changes in production and advances in technology to allow investment in new programming.

News director Kate Torney says it will give Australians greater access to the range of ABC news content.

"ABC journalists around the country and around the world produce hours of original, quality content each day," she said.

"The news channel will give Australians more flexible access to our best reporting and analysis, along with an opportunity to watch breaking news as it happens.

"Australians can tap into news from the national broadcaster when they want it and where they want it through the new 24-hour news channel and also from services like ABC News Online, ABC News Radio and ABC Mobile."

Mr Scott said the channel, which has been in development for several years, was the latest step in ensuring ABC News upholds its responsibility to provide innovative and comprehensive broadcasting to the Australian public.

"ABC News Breakfast on ABC2 has shown how effectively the ABC can deliver live breaking news, tapping into the full resources of the national broadcaster," Mr Scott said.

"By putting TV cameras in radio studios, we have already been able to put on television some of the outstanding agenda-setting radio interviews from ABC programs such as AM, PM, Radio National Breakfast and a range of local radio programs.

"And over the past week we have witnessed the ABC's capacity to cover breaking news with the crisis in Haiti. Our correspondents have provided dozens of live crosses into radio, television and online bulletins and programs."

The news channel will be launched on the ABC's HD channel, and forms the latest arm in the ABC's widening TV presence, alongside the recently launched ABC 3.

The channel will be based out of a continuous news centre in Ultimo, enabling the content to be streamed across a number of different formats.

"No media organisation in the country is better equipped to deliver this channel than the national broadcaster," he said.

Dart Center

2010-01-15T22:49:00.004+11:00

As an element of a daily News team you are often exposed to some events or incidents that you may find challenge your emotions and feelings.

Its not atypical for even practiced operators to become fatigued by images they are exposed to, it’s just that we become fairly proficient at the art of concealment.

Veterans of the game, often talk of having to ‘tough it out’. The implication of an operator breaking down seems to show a faint line of weakness, a flaw, and a crack in a veneer that is meant to be impenetrable, much like the correspondent portrayed on the evening news, standing in front of a camera, delivering in a manner of capability and authority, an assessment of a scene behind them.

News crews and reporters are not meant to become the news or be affected by the events they cover, but the reality is, emergency workers, hospital staff, lifesavers and many others who’s occupation puts them amongst those, who most in the community would never experience or understand, are often deeply affected, and unless they find comfort in a kindred spirit, often learn to deal with those emotions alone.

Its organizations like the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and its Austalasian affiliate, that help and assist many reporters, camera crews, photographers and other members of the media during these difficult times.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, is dedicated to informed, innovative and ethical news reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy.

Whether the topic is street crime, family violence, natural disaster, war or human rights, effective news reporting on traumatic events demands knowledge, skill and support. The Dart Center provides journalists around the world with the resources necessary to meet this challenge, drawing on a global, interdisciplinary network of news professionals, mental health experts, educators and researchers.

(Extract from Dart Website)

The Dart Center Mission Statement

In addition, many organisations, including my own, have set up Peer Suppport programs that allow staff to become an ear or a shoulder for any who may need support. Those staff selected as Peers, are chosen for their experience and ability to communicate or listen, and in many cases, the Peer simply becomes a source to direct that individual to any further help should they require it.

Peers are not councillors. They are not meant to be. They are there because they have been there, experienced things which allow them to understand.
In my own role as a Peer, a staff member was required to film a deceased person, something he had not done before. He found it confronting but a simple conversation with me, made all the difference to him.

I blogged about it and an article was subsequently published on the Dart Center web site.

The Peer Support program at out network has offered some incredible insight to how people cope and has been of tremendous assistance to those who in most cases, only needed a comforting cup of coffee with someone who understood.

Thin Blue Line

2010-01-07T18:17:00.004+11:00

My blog may have been out of circuit for a while, perhaps loss of transmission a more appropriate term of phrase.

Be it all, is back now, prompted by a need to express and an ongoing plethora of questions as to my absence.

I am on leave, and this week my slumber was woken not by birds in the trees, dogs barking or even the rubbish truck slowly making its rounds like some rancid creature from Transformers scavenging on waste.

Nope, it was one of my own kindred spirits, a colleague of the media trade we call News. I was not woken by the gentle and delicate hover of a butterfly at my window, but the roar of engines and blades, as unknown quantities of aviation fuel were consumed by a fellow Network helicopter hovering over my house.

As I wandered outside, squinting up at the helicopter to decipher the Network logo, I wondered what had bought this intruder to my neighborhood at this early hour. I knew what he was doing, having sat in the camera operator’s seat many times before myself, it was obvious, but the intended target was a mystery.

A quick visit to the net, a peruse of overnight news soon revealed what bought this helicopter to scour my neck of the woods, soon to be joined by another helicopter, now the roar of blades thumping the air in stereo.

All too often, as News Crews and Reporters we are exposed to crime that is always someone else’s problem, or is someone else’s neighborhood, someone else’s story. Rarely it becomes our own or is in our neighborhood. We often think of home as being not just the boundaries of the house or the front fence, but an extension that reaches to our street, the next door neighbors, our shops and the wider community.

This week, that changed. TV News helicopters, camera crews and reporters slinging microphones at unsuspecting neighbors, not to mention a very obvious Police presence and that thin blue line that divides my neighborhood from what I do at work and endeavor to leave there.

AT 4.30am yesterday, Kenneth Rolfe woke his 15-year-old grandson and asked if he had heard a noise.

As the pair heard another noise, they walked towards the back of Mr. Rolfe's Bentleigh home where Mr. Rolfe went out to the backyard. His grandson, watched as Mr. Rolfe, 53, who also ran a local lawn-mowing business walked out to the backyard and was assaulted by another man. Within a few fleeting moments, Mr. Rolfe was dead, bludgeoned to death with a hammer.

By this time, Mr. Rolfe's partner, 60-year-old Carol Hellman, had woken. She and the grandson shut the back door and ran to the lounge room, where she tried to phone police.

The grandson heard the smashing of the glass at the back door and with Ms Hellman's help, he ran out the front door and down Field Street to raise the alarm.

When police arrived at the home, Ms Hellman was still conscious but had serious head injuries and had been partially paralyzed.

A Neighbor said he heard a row just after 4am but thought it was ''just a domestic''.

''Sometimes you do not know what you are hearing until it is too late,'' he said.

''I just thought they were raised voices at the time. It makes you wonder who could do such a thing, he was a nice, quiet bloke who used to do odd jobs,'' he said.

Yep, and it was a nice quiet suburb to, but things change. My street is only two away. I know the street, travel down it from time to time, but pay little attention. Until yesterday, it was like any other ordinary suburban street. Not anymore. Now like many other addresses around my city, it will always be a place where lives were shattered, futures were altered and great sadness took its toll.

Mike Leyland

2009-09-16T20:02:00.004+10:00

Pioneering Australian documentary filmmaker and one half of the Leyland Brothers, Mike Leyland, has died aged 68 from Parkinson's disease-related complications.

The Leyland Brothers rose to fame as explorers and documentary filmmakers, best known for their popular Channel Nine television show Ask The Leyland Brothers.

Ask The Leyland Brothers ran from 1976 until 1984, becoming part of Australian television history.

At the show's peak, over 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the weekly program, where the brothers travelled to far away destinations around the country after viewers wrote in to ask them to visit.

Mike was eight and his brother Mal was five when they migrated with their parents from England to Newcastle in New South Wales in 1950. Mike remained in Newcastle for the duration of his days.

He is survived by his widow, Margie, daughters Kerry, Sandy and Dawn, step-daughters Sarah and Alison and seven grandchildren.

If life was in bubble wrap

2009-07-23T16:39:00.003+10:00

So many stories we cover, remain at arms length. A shroud of protection, usually in the form of a ‘could care less’ manner sweeps across them, allow us to go home at the end of our shifts and lead an ordinary life.

But sometimes those stories that we as camera operators, sound recordists, reporters and edit/production staff cover, can touch us closer than usual, affect us more than others and sometimes remind us of the fragility of life.

Recently I covered a road accident. Sadly a 21 year old girl drove her car into the path of an oncoming truck, the consequences devastating and fatal. 2 weeks earlier, four people had died at the same intersection, under different circumstances. They also were teenagers, and over the next few days, flowers, photo’s and items of comfort such as a teddy bear or a t shirt, was left by the roadside, a memorial to those who died.

Names were written on the curb and messages of loss and love and shock adorned street poles and sign posts.

Tragically, the Police believed that it was these tributes left for those killed, by the ones who loved them, that had been a factor in the young woman’s death. The Police were quite convinced that as she had approached the intersection, her thoughts had been distracted by those very tributes, which by this stage amounted to quite a large memorial. As much as a reminder as it was, the distraction had played a fundamental part in her heartbreaking loss. Ironically, the message that the intersection was dangerous was lost in a sea of flowers.

I was sad there that day. We stayed for hours, until the road reopened, and as I filmed cars travelling down the road, I could not help but think how rapidly life continues in its regularity, commuters passing by, completely oblivious that a young woman had died there only hours earlier.

I had filmed all the while, including after the young woman’s body had been freed, the wreck loaded onto a flattop tray. I was rather annoyed by the casual way the tow truck driver collected parts of the car and unsystematically threw them into the main body of the car, much like he was sweeping up someone’s rubbish and tossing it into the bin.

As he drove off, the white sheet that had covered her body, had given her privacy from inquisitive spectators and media with cameras, had protected her as her lifeless body was carefully and respectfully removed, now came to life, as it blew in the breeze like a flag dangling from the wreckage as it passed us down the road.

A few days later, my 19 year old daughter goes for her drivers licence. Part of me wanted her to fail, but in life we teach them about success, about doing your best and achieving your goals. I know I cannot wrap her or any other members of my family in bubble wrap simply because of what I see and experience as a media representative. It would be unfair and unrealistic to impose bans on her or my son simply because of a fathers love for them and a fear of what dangers lay ahead for them.

She got her licence, and each day as she ventures out, her confidence growing, her excitement with her new found independence, I can’t help but still be protective....

I make her text me on arrival.

When coffee costs a Tuppence

2009-06-19T16:45:00.004+10:00

ABC User Submitted Photo. Stephen Shaw

It’s not infrequent to return to a story. It happens often in both politics and court stories. Updates happen, circumstances change, and events unfold. It’s this last one, events unfolding, which triggered the media’s recent revisit of a crime scene.

In late march I blogged about Desmond Moran who had been shot at whilst returning home late at night. The offender had fired a single shot through the front windscreen. Desmond, as it turned out was in the passenger seat, and his driver escaped injury. When media arrived to cover the event, Desmond emerged from the security of his home and held court with the waiting reporters and camera crews.

This week, Desmond Moran was shot dead. Moran, 60, was shot several times in the head in an apparent execution-style killing. His body still lay in the doorway of the Ascot Pasta and Deli Cafe several hours after the shooting.

In a Bizarre twist, gangland matriarch Judy Moran, sister in law to Desmond, is one of three people who have been arrested over the shooting death of Desmond "Tuppence" Moran.

Desmond 'Tuppence' Moran was the last man of his family alive. Melbourne's bloody gang wars claimed his brother Lewis, nephew Jason and Jason's half-brother Mark Cole Moran.

And who thought that so soon we would all be revisiting this story, only with a much different outcome.

Will it blend?

2009-05-14T19:41:00.002+10:00

Oh dear! What will people do on YouTube. There is a 2nd part to this video. They actually try to return the camera to the shop.

TV Logie Awards

2009-05-05T07:46:00.004+10:00

The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star of the Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honors John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a practical medium. Awards are given in many categories, but the most widely-publicized and prestigious award is the Gold Logie, which is awarded to the 'most popular personality on Australian television'.

Sunday night saw the telecast of the 51st Logies and the ABC, amongst others, were winners.

The ABC won Logies for Most Outstanding News Coverage, The China Earthquake by Stephen McDonell and Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report by Foreign Correspondent, Afghanistan: A Survivor's Tale.

Stephen McDonell joined ABC as a reporter for Radio Current Affairs programmes AM, PM and The World Today.

Switching to television he worked at the 7.30 Report before going to Four Corners and Lateline.
In 2005 he took a year off to study Mandarin at Beijing's Language and Culture University. This followed an earlier sabbatical in 1997 studying Spanish at Madrid’s Universidad de Completense.
Along with the ABC’s Geoff Thompson, he won the Walkley Award for investigative journalism covering high-level bank fraud in Vanuatu and the New York Festivals prize for best documentary covering timber smuggling out of Indonesia.

In 2006 he returned to Beijing as the ABC’s China Correspondent.

Well done to all.

Roller Door Duty

2009-05-04T07:15:00.004+10:00

Trust me when I tell you, there is no pleasure in hanging around court buildings. Not for me anyway. The only profit to spending hours wearing down an area of pavement, is that I get to catch up with friends and colleagues who like me, enjoy the experience as much as having a filling repaired without an injection to inhibit any reasonable feeing to the entire experience.

The court round is a depressing one. There are never buoyant stories, few cheerful results and for the minority that there are, we rarely cover them. It’s not the modus operandi of the media to cover such accounts.

As the Flotsam & Jetsam of daily life tread in and out through an ever revolving door, news crews remain on a vigilant alert, waiting for the cast of many a sad and sorry story being played out in an upstairs court room.

Here in Australia, news media are not allowed in courts to film or take pictures. Instead reporters send text messages to crews waiting outside, alerting them of a prospective witness finishing up and ready to leave. In most cases, a street walk with witnesses and family takes place. Sometimes a chase is on, either way; it’s much to the amusement of pedestrians attempting to go about their business without being skittled like pins in a bowling alley.

When someone is placed on bail, there is the predictable wait by the roller door at the side of the courts for them to leave and usually be ushered into a waiting car, surrounded by family and secure within their protection.

There again we come back to the start of this blog, back out on the footpath waiting for the roller door to rattle, a sign of action on one side for the crews and temporary freedom for another on their side.

Until that moment comes, crews stand around, camera’s sitting idle on the footpath, sipping coffee, passing around cigarettes and purveying eye-catching girls as they stride by the gauntlet of jaded media.

When finally the roller door comes to life, crews jump to readiness, coiled springs unravel as fingers flick power buttons, cameras are slung up on shoulders and thumbs hit the record button. All the hours of waiting have been for this very moment.

In ten minutes, it’s over and even less of it goes to air. The joys of courts.

Walkley winner Sorell dies

2009-04-21T09:03:00.005+10:00

Taken from ABC TV Online

Veteran Melbourne journalist John Sorell has died of a heart attack aged 72.
Sorell worked for the now-defunct Melbourne Herald and was news director of Melbourne's Channel Nine for many years.

Sorell, a Walkley Award-winning journalist, died in the Alfred Hospital this afternoon.
Nine's chief newsreader, Peter Hitchener, said Sorell revolutionised television news.

"He really changed the face of Nine News and in fact had a big influence on how television news is still done today," he said.

"John Sorell was able to get people to perform at their best and he knew what it took to have them be their best."

'Tough but fair'

Sorell began work as a journalist on the Hobart Mercury in 1953 and later gained notoriety as the author of the On The Spot column in The Herald.

He won two Walkley awards for pieces written about US firefighting legend Red Adair in 1969 and on John Gorton after he resigned as prime minister in 1971.

Former Nine Network boss Kerry Packer lured Sorell to television in the mid-1970s.
Sorrel, in turn, brought Seven Network Melbourne newsreader Brian Naylor to Nine in 1978, establishing a combination that drove Nine's dominance of news in Melbourne for the next 20 years.

Only a few weeks ago Sorrel spoke lovingly of Naylor and his wife Moiree at a memorial service following their deaths in the Black Saturday bushfires at their home in Kinglake West.

Sorrel was known as a hard taskmaster and was nicknamed "The Bear" and "The Admiral" during his 28 years at the helm of Nine's Melbourne news service.

He retired in December 2003, handing the reins to long-time deputy Michael Venus.
At the time, Sorell said he was proud of his achievements.

"I've had a great innings but in your heart you know when it's time to hand over the reins and my heart told me that time is now," he said.

'Nose for news'

Friend and fellow journalist Ken Davis said Sorell would be missed.

"Very sad. I was with him on Thursday for dinner and to hear he had a massive heart attack on Friday and then passed away this afternoon leaves a hole in my life and leaves a hole in the news service of Channel Nine and in journalism," he told Channel Nine.

"He'll be remembered as a gruff old bugger but very fair, very tough, and he could write a great story and had a great nose for news."

Newsreader Jo Hall, who hosted Nine's news on Monday, paid a warm tribute to Sorell, her boss for more than two decades.

"He gave me my start in television news and taught me about journalism and life," she said.
"John was many things to many people but simply he was a larger-than-life character who will not be forgotten. So, for you John, on with the rest of the day's news."

Sorell, 72, leaves behind wife Bronnie, three children, including David who works as a Freelance Soundrecordist and eight grandchildren.

Low flying Spitfire & ducking reporter!

2009-03-31T15:07:00.003+11:00

One of the things that TV reporters do frequently is the ‘Stand Up’ or ‘Piece to Camera’ also known as a PTC.

You see them most nights on the TV News and a reporter will be standing at the scene, on location or just out in front of a generic location.

The idea is to show the viewer you were there, pass on information you have no pictures for or simply to get your profile on TV.

Here is one that is a few years old but is a classic example of where the reporter and cameraman know they only have one shot at getting it right. The reporter is talking about the Spitfire fighter and in the background it is taxing towards them for takeoff.

Seeing in the dark!

2009-03-29T17:09:00.000+11:00

Ever wondered what to do with your old VHS Camcorder?

Who gives a Tuppence?

2009-03-29T13:31:00.006+11:00

The Moran family are well known around Melbourne, for their flamboyance and entrepreneurial skills, but unlike the Richard Pratt’s of this world, they are colourful characters more known to Police and Media than the philanthropists of the Arts community.

Desmond 'Tuppence' Moran is the last man of his family alive. Melbourne's bloody gang wars have claimed his brother Lewis, nephew Jason and Jason's half-brother Mark Cole Moran.

In early March, while sitting in his car with a friend in the driveway of the family home, a balaclava clad gunman fired a single shot at the car, narrowly missing the friend of Desmond.

As media, we congregated like seagulls over hot chips on site waiting for life to emerge from the home. We had been there since 05.15am and at 06.30 reporters decided to converge on the front door in the hope of enticing a weary Desmond from his slumber to tell his story.

At first he refused to come out and would only talk from the front door, as reporters and camera crews faced a door screen that clearly was intended to hide those within.

True to his name, he soon emerged to ‘hold court’ with those willing to hear. Des Moran was full of one liners and certainly had everyone ‘entertained’.

Affectionately known as the 'Pig'

2009-03-28T22:06:00.003+11:00

Nothing better than getting out and about on the job. This one just happened to be the Australian Airshow recently held in Melbourne. One of the things that attracts me to this job is the access we have to events, places, people and history.

The other week was no different when we visited the Airshow for our 'Breakfast' show. We asked for a plane, something special and although the F111 is not new, it is a favorite with the crowds, hence like any celebrity on show, have your photo taken with it!

Below is some information from the RAAF website.

The F-111 is a twin-engine swing-wing aircraft. It can take off and land at relatively low speeds with the wings swept forward, then fly at more than twice the speed of sound with its wings tucked back. It can fly close to the ground at supersonic speeds, following the terrain to avoid detection.

It can strike day or night in any weather. Its Pave Tack targeting system can locate targets at night and in bad weather and provides laser designation for laser-guided weapons. The radar warning system detects incoming radar emissions and alerts the crew to potential surface or air attacks.

It is affectionately known as the 'Pig' for its ability to hunt at night with its nose in the weeds, thanks to its terrain-following radar.

Highly controversial during its development, the F-111 is even better today than when it was introduced to our Air Force in June 1973. With numerous airframe, engine, weapons and avionics upgrades, the F-111 remains the fastest and longest ranging combat aircraft in the Asia-Pacific.
Air Force will obtain 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets by 2010 to ensure Australia's air combat capability edge is maintained until the full introduction into service of the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter. The Super Hornets will replace the F-111s at Nos 1 and 6 Squadrons.

Have gun will shoot or will shoot if have gun!

2009-03-10T06:11:00.005+11:00

Whilst searching the net and occupying time on standby in the office, my desktop happened to graze across this piece of technology. Might have made Al Capone happy.

I have no idea to its authenticity, but who cares! I hardly think it will hit the shelves at Christmas time.

Nor will the ‘Camera Gun’ by Leica.

Turns out, Bolex was in the market as well!

And the French had the Marey gun camera.

Gives a whole new meaning to, “Have camera, will shoot’ or is that gun?

I love the smell of bushfires in the morning..Not!

2009-03-02T17:47:00.005+11:00

“The helicopter approaches closer than any other [vehicle] to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of the flying horse and the magic carpet.”

Igor Sikorsky.

Without a doubt there is something about helicopters and that sensation of liberty that an aeroplane does not give. To be able to fly at height or hover above tree tops is a very extraordinary free feeling and it does give some insight into what it feels like to be a bird.

With our recent fires, I have spent a great many hours in the air, putting my behind on the deck to shoot fire pictures for the News.

I have been on the ground as well, but it’s only when in the air do you really get an idea of how great and overwhelming these fires have been. You also get a better understanding of how some of these fires raced down mountains, through valleys and devoured Forrest, farms, homes and towns.

It’s also quite surreal to be in the office in the morning, checking gear and emails, chewing the fat with the boys around the table, and then by lunchtime, you’re racing across tree tops in search of flames, only to be back in the office by the afternoon.

Sitting above a bunch of trees on fire is exciting. You can smell the fire, see it close up and that stench of smoke just infuses through everything for days.

"May your news be good news. Goodnight."

2009-02-20T12:31:00.005+11:00

The bushfires in Melbourne have been the worst in the States history. There have been terrible losses of life and many around the country have been saddened by the disaster.

Tragedy always seems to have that special significance when you feel connected to it at a personal level and for media in Australia, and Melbourne in particular, the loss of retired Melbourne newsreader Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree has dealt a terrible blow to the family, who had already lost a son last year in a plane crash near their Kinglake property.

Oddly, my mother spent time with him in their teens, and as a young 16 year old on work experience, I spent it at Channel Nine News and was given a tour by Brian, who still sent Christmas cards to my mother.

Brian was retired from news reading but his loss in the Kinglake fires has left a void in an industry that considered him one of the best and he was widely respected by all. In addition, some media staff have also been effected with friends and family touched by the disaster. Thoughts go out to cameraman Chris Martin from HSV 7 and his family at this difficult time.

Below is a collection of excerpts about Brian Naylor from

http://www.chessmoves.com/briannaylor.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Naylor_(broadcaster)

Brian Naylor was an Australian television presenter, best known for his longstanding stint as chief newsreader at Channel Nine Melbourne from 1978 to 1998 and his sign-off line, "May your news be good news. Goodnight."

His son Matthew was killed in a plane crash at Kinglake, Victoria on 29 May 2008, aged 41. Less than a year later, on the evening of 8 February 2009, Australian media outlets reported that Naylor and his wife, Moiree, were confirmed dead after one of the 2009 Victorian bushfires destroyed their property in Kinglake West the previous day.

A young Brian Naylor was promoting wood-weave blinds when a twist of fate saw him begin his career as a radio announcer with a local radio station in Melbourne. Brian believes that luck plays an enormous part in his life.

Considered the doyen of Melbourne newsreaders, Naylor's catch phrase "May your news be good news" has been part of National Nine News viewers' lives, week nights for 20 years. His outstanding broadcasting career has spanned 42 years, beginning in 1956 at radio station 3DB as an announcer and host of a children's talent program, "Swallows Juniors".

In 1958, he moved to HSV Channel 7, transferring "Swallows Juniors" to television, which became "Brian and the Juniors". The program, which was nationally telecast on more than 20 stations, lasted 12 years. In 1970, Naylor became HSV 7's chief newsreader and in a move that made headlines, switched to GTV Channel 9 in 1978 at the instigation of Nine's news director, John Sorell.

On 10 occasions, Brian hosted the annual Carols by Candlelight spectacular from the Myer Music Bowl and in 1988, the father of five was voted Father of the Year by the Victorian Father's Day Council.

Brian loved the great outdoors and took viewers into his world with his series of documentaries, Brian Naylor's Australia, produced and filmed by his son, Greg.

Brian retired from his role as chief newsreader of National Nine News on November 27, 1998.

Brian Naylor 21 January 1931– 7 February 2009

Fire

2009-02-16T11:52:00.002+11:00

Churchill Fire, Gippsland. Photo submitted by ABC Viewer

I stood in the shower, hot water cascaded over my body, washing away the grime and dust from days at the fires.

Images rushed through my mind. The homeless, the suffering the hurt and the death and devastation, played over and over. As water swirled around my feet and vanished from my sight, I could still smell the fires and with that came a sense that what I was feeling would be with me for a long time and that a straightforward hot shower would do little to wash away my thoughts and emotions.

As media, we are often at the front line of events that are well beyond our control. We do our best to congregate and tell our stories. Via our media portals, we get messages of hope to those who struggle and aid to those in need. The media becomes not just a platform for story telling, but an electronic voice in a barren and desolate void. It reaches out to those in peril and lets them know that help and comfort is on its way.

That Aussie Spirit has been evident in the vast amounts of donations that have come pouring in over the days to those in need. The kindness of so many has been extremely generous and touching.

It’s been a very difficult story to tell and many in the media have been troubled by what they have experienced. No one could have imagined the terrible nature and magnitude of what took place. Even now, fires continue to burn and threats to townships remain, placing residents on alerts, as even this week, temperatures are expected to rise.

It’s complex in a blog like this to elucidate what has been observed by media, and there is a facet of shame in expressing self sorrow or pity for our experiences, when so many have lost lives, loved ones and homes. It’s difficult to visit areas that bear a silent and an eerily ‘frozen in time’ witness to the firestorms that swept entire towns from the pioneering foundations on which they had been forged.

In the days, weeks and months to come, stories will surface amongst the media as we continue to report on what will most certainly be regarded as Victoria’s and one of Australia’s worst peacetime natural disasters. For the families affected, the fires will never be far from their hearts and minds. As media, we will continue to talk or recollect thoughts and as funerals and memorial services and anniversaries start to take place, we will all take a moment to ourselves to reflect.

Whilst we will all have an account to tell of what happened, I have no doubt it is a story that we all wish had just been a bad dream.

Nothing like a new dress!

2009-02-03T14:50:00.003+11:00

What do you do when you’re feeling a bit tired and jaded?

Give yourself a boost or a makeover, in this case, a new coat of paint. Late last year, our helicopter underwent some ‘cosmetic surgery’ and now looks and feels like a new model.

Having been with us for sometime, and having had a new paint job every few years as our logo constantly evolves, it was also time to put some love on the inside as well.

Three months later, ‘Hotel Victor Tango’ has been airlifted, jettisoned, propelled or hovered into the digital age. New hardware, relays units, viewing decks and relay/link transmitters as well as numerous ‘pilot’ stuff/toys have been either replaced or added.

We are still waiting on the new FLIR camera, which sits in a case out back. Money managers err on its use. In fact it’s hardly the FLIR; it’s more about using the helicopter more often and the associated costs, because of the better shooting platform and the pictures it provides.

Still, now at least we have a nice new looking helicopter with new seats and carpet, windows, even a DVD player and new tools for the trade.

Still waiting on my noise cancelling headphones though, Mr. Pilot!

It's a Christmas thing.....

2009-01-13T00:39:00.002+11:00

Ever thought to ask yourself how news crews spend their day at work on Christmas Day? In all probability not, but I’m going to tell you anyway.

I worked, as did 3 of my colleagues. There was little to do as we were feeding material to Sydney as they were putting together a national bulletin.

One task was to cover the usual church services, which one operator did, the other was to cover the Boxing Day Test preparations, which I did, and the last crew were on standby, but spent it travelling to a rural coastal town to cover the crash of a light plane into a paddock, killing the pilot.

By days end, all was quiet, crews had gone home, editors left and reporters packed up for the evening. All that was left was me!

I was on standby for another 2 hours, sitting around. I cleaned my car, did some maintenance and played on the computer. The office was dead and it’s quite a site from a newsroom that virtually runs 24/7.

Timeline of major world events in 2008

2009-01-02T22:12:00.002+11:00

January- Post-election violence erupts after supporters of Orange Democratic Movement presidential candidate Raila Odinga accuse incumbent President Mwai Kibaki of electoral manipulation. Hundreds die in the skirmishes, which lasts into February. - Primaries in the US Presidential election begin. President-elect Barack Obama races to an early lead in Iowa. Later in the month, Democrat candidate John Edwards, and Republican candidate Rudolph Giuliani drop out of the race, after failing to win a selection in any state so far.

February- John McCain emerges as the big Republican winner from Super Tuesday primaries, while the battle for the Democratic nomination remains too close to call. Republican Mitt Romney officially drops out of the race.- Members of Kosovo's assembly unanimously vote for the region to declare independence from Serbia. Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci makes the declaration, which Serbia calls "illegal". Albanian Kosovars rejoiced at the event, while Serbs both inside and outside the territory protested. - Castro resigns as President of Cuba, ending a five-decade reign. The former dictator's health had been in question since 2006, when he underwent surgery on his intestine. Castro was succeeded by his brother, Raul.

March- John McCain secures the Republican nomination, after winning enough primaries to knock out opponent Mike Huckabee.- Tibetan monks engage in a protest against Chinese rule of the country to commemorate the failed uprising of 1959. China acts swiftly to suppress the demonstrations, with Tibetans saying Chinese authorities have acted heavy-handedly. International attention turns to Tibet, just months before the Beijing Olympics.- Zimbabweans go to the polls, with incumbent Robert Mugabe facing stiff opposition from rival Morgan Tsvangirai. Neither candidate wins an outright majority in the first round of voting, and Tsvangirai boycotts the second round, effectively leaving Mugabe as the only main candidate on the ballot.

April- Nepal abandons its monarchy to hold its first ever democratic elections. Maoists win easily, ousting the unpopular reigning King.- Austrian man Josef Fritzl admits to imprisoning and raping his daughter Elisabeth in an underground cellar for 24-years. The 73-year old had fathered 7 children by Elisabeth, one of whom died. Fritzl faces charges of rape, incest, kidnap, slavery and false imprisonment, as well as one count of murder over the death of his infant son.

May- Cyclone Nargis rips through the Irrawaddy Delta and Rangoon in Burma, killing upto146,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands more homeless. Burma's military junta is heavily criticised for its handling of the disaster, after restricting the access of international aid organisations.- An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hits China's Sichuan province, killing nearly 72,000 people. Many of those killed were students, housed in shoddily-build school structures. The quake was the 19th most deadly of all time, with major aftershocks continuing for days.

June- Barack Obama secures the Democratic Party's nomination, after a long and bitter battle with former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Clinton initially refuses to concede defeat, but eventually endorses Obama for President.

July- Fifteen hostages, including French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, are released after a massive operation against rebel group FARC. Betancourt and three US military contractors had been held by the group for nearly six years.- Former Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is captured outside of Belgrade after several years on the run. He's transported to The Hague and awaits trial on genocide charges for his role in Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war of the early 1990s.

August- Violence flares in the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia. Georgia's foe Russia sends troops to support South Ossetia, and moves to support another breakaway region, Abkhazia. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev further adds to the tension by officially recognising the independence of both states. Russian troops eventually withdraw from the region, after a French-brokered peace-deal.- After much anticipation, the Beijing Olympics open to great fanfare. China easily dominates the Games, though American swimmer Michael Phelps beats his countrymen Mark Spitz's 36-year record by winning eight gold medals at one Olympics. Despite its best efforts, questions surrounding China's handling of the Games refuse to dissipate, and international journalists and broadcasters become critical of authorities' handling of the media.- Barack Obama selects Joe Biden as his Vice-Presidential running mate, just days before the Democratic National Convention opens in Denver, Colorado. Republican candidate John McCain chooses little-known Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, stealing some of the limelight away from the Democratic Convention. Obama and Biden both officially accept their party's nomination.- Hurricanes Fay and Gustav cause massive devastation in the Caribbean and southern parts of the United States through August and September. In

September, Hurricane Ike makes landfall in Haiti, killing at least 75 people.

September- Anti-government protests in Thailand turn violent, with the Thai government declaring a state of emergency to try and deal with the crisis. Unrest continues for the next few months, with several foreigners trapped in the country when protesters take over Bangkok's international airports in November.- Hurricane Gustav mars the opening of the Republican National Convention, held in Minneapolis. Governor Palin, who is widely praised for her opening speech, announces her unwed teenage daughter is pregnant. McCain and Palin both officially accept their party's nomination.- Mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae collapse, just days before investment bank Lehman Brothers follows suit. Global markets plunge as a result of the news.- Thousands of children in China are affected by milk products tainted by melamine. The scandal spreads beyond mainland China, and several products are pulled from shelves across the globe. By the end of November, authorities revise the number to nearly 300,000 affected by the scandal, 52,000 of whom were hospitalised.

October- The US senate approves a $700 billion bailout package to help curb the affects of the global financial crisis. The package allows Treasury to buy a number of troubled assets, as well as invest in some of the US's largest banks.- John McCain and Barack Obama embark on a series of presidential debates, but are overshadowed by their two deputies, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, whose one and only debate in November receives extraordinarily high ratings.- Troops loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda advance on the eastern city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sparking violence. Thousands are forced to flee their homes, and the displaced soon turn their anger towards the UN troops in the region for failing to protect them.

November- Barack Obama wins a landslide victory against rival John McCain in the US Presidential election, becoming the first African-American elected to the position. Over the next few weeks Obama announces who will be part of his administration, including one-time rival Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.- Indonesia ends weeks of speculation by executing Amrozi, Imam Sumudra and Ali Ghufron for their role in the 2002 Bali bombings. Officials in the country warn tourists to be extra vigilant, as the chance of reprisal attacks by extremists remains high.- Militants embark on an audacious coordinated attack on multiple sites in India's financial capital Mumbai. A siege at the Taj Hotel lasts for nearly three days. By the end of the attack 174 people, including all but one of the militants, were killed.

View From The Air

2008-12-15T22:48:00.005+11:00

The most famed car chase on TV news would most likely have to be OJ Simpson. Well it was perhaps more of a meandering follow and TV spectacle as OJ waved blissfully to gathering pedestrian spectators and hovering media helicopters as he motored along.

In the US, spying from the sky could almost be classified as sport, given there is so much of it, in part due to the number of TV networks sporting eye in the sky helicopters. Certainly there is enough of it to warrant making TV shows full of road chases and good cop verses bad boy compiles, rolling along to a narrative full of vocabulary we never use here in Australia.

But apart from watching some bad boy get bought down by half of the LAPD, these cameras deliver us some stunning beauty and magnificence, as well as both extraordinary and remarkable news vision, all from the aerial comfort of a helicopter.

So how is it they get these pictures?

Traditionally, cameramen hung there asses out the side, sitting in an open door, and at the ABC and HSV 7 and our friends at ATV 10 this is how we still do it. Now on an excellent sunny and warm day, it’s fantastic and somewhat of a buzz. On cold and wet days, like this past week, it’s a pain.

Aside from the thrill of the ride and the flash of aviation fuel up your nostrils, giving you that “Apocalypse Now” rush, it’s primitive, and somewhat dangerous.

Enter stage left, FLIR. This is the new ‘rush’ the adrenalin junkie cameramen crave for. Introduced in the US and also to their Canadian friends some years ago, FLIR changed the way TV News was delivered from the air and how it was operated. Camera Operators could now sit inside in the relative comfort and sanctuary of the interior of the helicopter, resting FLIR’s answer to Xbox on their laps. The biggest and coolest remote control for ‘big boys with toys’

And now we have had a taste of it, well for a week at least.

Our pilot purchased his own, with the purpose of putting it on our helicopter. Alas management could not be in agreement, but we did have the chance to put it through its paces and the results were quite significant.

Sadly, our dear FLIR has been resigned to a life inside road cases again. Guess my ass is going to be miles high again.

The Long Tunnel

2008-12-05T23:19:00.005+11:00

Forlornly life can be pretty bleak for some and those who are part of the flotsam and jetsam that passes the front doors of the Melbourne Magistrates Court doors are an example of that depression and misfortune that lies often in another part of our world.

On a daily basis, drug addicts & criminals sometimes with their families and supporters, draw together to hear of friends and loved ones who have fronted to a magistrate to hear of their fate. For some, it is a cyclical process that falls short of seeing a light at the end of a very long tunnel.

Courts can be a depressing place. It’s rare it has a happy ending. Crews and reporters will spend hours, sometimes days working on cases and reporting the events, often devoid of graphic details made known to those only within the courtroom.

As TV crews await a mobile text from reporters within, detailing our next individual to film, it’s difficult to ignore that flow of pedestrian traffic that ebbs like a tide, in and out as you wait the hours away.

Today a man who was clearly influenced by alcohol or drugs, waited quietly outside the courts. He was aided by friends, one of whom himself succumbed to the long wait for a case to be heard.

Security kept an eye on him as he was barely able to sit and slowly sank to the ground, only to recover moments before he fell off his seat. This process was repeated several times until eventually the court security ventured over to him.

They were very gentle and patient; in fact he had done nothing wrong and was annoying no one. They moved him on, and later he appeared at another court across the road.

It’s sad to see and I often wonder how they end up in this state. What kind of children were they and what families did they come from? This poor chap could barely open his eyes, let alone see any light at the end of his tunnel.

Australian Walkley Awards

2008-11-28T15:43:00.002+11:00

"Australia's journalists know that winning a Walkley is a reason to celebrate. It is the recognition by one's peers that special initiative deserves a special reward. To the winner it means all those years of training and being barked at by demanding editors were not entirely in vain".- John Hurst, author of The Walkley Awards

The annual Walkley Awards recognize excellence in Australian journalism across all mediums including print, television, radio, photographic and online media. The prestigious Gold Walkley is considered the pinnacle of journalistic achievement and the awards are akin only to the esteemed Pulitzer Prizes.

The Walkleys were established in 1956, with five categories, by Ampol Petroleum founder Sir William Gaston Walkley. William Walkley appreciated the media's support for his oil exploration efforts. He envisaged awards that recognised emerging talent in the Australian media. Since then, winning stories have chronicled Australia's history, people and events.

Here in Melbourne, our own Rachael Brown won the award for RADIO CURRENT AFFAIRS “Medical Board Ignores Dr Rape Claims”

More here: http://www.walkleys.com/winners/2008/winners/brown.html

And....

Andrew Taylor from ABC Sydney, won TELEVISION NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS CAMERA for Australian Story, “Show of Force Part 2”

More here: http://www.walkleys.com/winners/2008/winners/taylor.html

Well done!

Midnight Oil

2008-11-17T11:10:00.009+11:00

What do you do when someone you used to idol as a teenager is now a Federal Minister? Enter stage left Peter Garrett former front man for Australian band ‘Midnight Oil’.

For years I followed them, rocking on till my ears rang for hours on end. With my friends we would endure smoke filled pubs with carpet that squished under your feet, rocking on till the late hours.

I had followed them at University gigs when they were little known; and I had seen them when they were international stars. Sadly they folded as Peter ventured into a career in politics and the environment, for which he is now Federal Minister.

Recently at a launch of a new Tsunami warning system, he gave the opening address and unveiled a plaque. All through the speech, all I could hear was him singing all his great hits and dancing about as only Peter could.

Ah, they were great years.

"Any mark any of us tries to leave - hell, it's only graffiti"

2008-11-12T16:05:00.005+11:00

“We're not here to leave a mark, bro. Monuments, legacies, marks - that's where we always go wrong. We're here to revel in the world, to soak in the awesomeness of it, to enjoy the ride. The world's maximum perfect as it is, beauty from horizon to horizon. Any mark any of us tries to leave - hell, it's only graffiti. Any mark anyone leaves is no better than vandalism.”

Dean Koontz

Today I was at Parliament, shooting a fairly unexciting debate in the lower house. Having not filmed there for a while, I decided to go a bit earlier to make sure I had the audio right. I resolved my issues early and relaxed but soon my attention was diverted by the abundant amounts of engraving in the desks of the media stalls.

Parliament House has been there a long time, as early as the 1900’s, and the media along with it. In all those years, various reporters and photographers and camera crews have etched their names and dates and organisations into the wood desks and panels.

Some are faint, some haphazard, whilst others are bold or elegant. Others are lost forever under newer and deeper engravings. I scanned for the oldest in the time I had, and was only able to find one for 1946 by R.Ingleby, Herald.

My name is there somewhere, probably butchered under someone else’s monogram.

Rememberance Day "11th of the 11th"

2008-11-11T20:36:00.003+11:00

Today is Rememberance Day. It commemorates the thousands of lost sons, brothers, fathers, friends and lovers who gave their lives in the Great War and the wars and conflicts that followed.

I began my day at 05.30 at the Shrine of Rememberance in Melbourne with three live crosses, followed by filming the service that began at 10.30.

My grandfather fought in the First World War, having followed his brother who had left some months earlier. Derrick as he was known was on holiday in England when hostilities broke out. He went, like many others, on an adventure they thought would last a few months.

My grandfather, John Drought, joined him; hence they both joined the British Army. Derrick wrote to my grandfather of the horror of the trenches and begged him not to come. He did of course but joined the Artillery. He returned from war a Major with a Military Cross.

He never talked of the war. He would shun New Years Eve, keeping to himself inside and as a boy I never understood why. Years later he told me how the fireworks reminded him of gunfire and the shelling of the trenches. Every New Year now, I close my eyes and try to imagine what it might have been like for him.

I can’t.

His brother Derrick never made it home. A brother and son lost in battle and buried beside his fallen comrades.

Charles Frederick Drought.

1891 - 1915Captain, 7th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment

Died Aged 24, 31 Dec, 1915

Wounded Le Touqet, France, buried Etaples Military Cemetery.

Not dead, not on the news.

2008-11-05T17:15:00.000+11:00

I’m not sure what it is that draws moths to a light. I’m no more the wiser as to what the attraction is for flashing emergency beacons at night. The beacons are a warning of danger lurking, a certain vulnerability in our midst, yet we venture on, a sense of inquisitiveness overtaking.

This week, in the early hours before dawn whilst on my way to a location, I came across a road accident, those flashing red and blue beacons forewarning me of what lay ahead. The traffic slowed as the lanes narrowed from four to one, allowing ample time for the voyeuristic nature in all of us.

Somehow two cars travelling in the same direction had collided, leaving a substantial mess of twisted cars and roadside rails torn from their anchor points. Police in reflective jackets ushered the slow moving traffic, willing it to keep in motion. Paramedics could be seen inside ambulances, clearly visible through ordinarily blacked out windows, blue gloved hands moving about.

I phoned our overnight cameraman, as I was unable to stop. I thought he would be interested and as his phone did not answer assumed he was perhaps already lurking amongst shards of broken glass and trashed plastic car parts.

A few minutes later he rang back to say he had called Police Media to enquire about the accident but had rejected the job on the basis there had been no fatalities. The newsrooms would not be engaged, so he had gone home, leaving the emergency beacons to all but distantly flash in his rear view mirror.

There would be no headlines with, “Father of two safely makes it home after unfortunate mishap” or “Teenage driver learns valuable lesson about speed”

No, the only inopportune ones in this scenario were the newsrooms. The winners of course were the occupants and the road statistics, with two less casualties to add to the list, two families would be a whole lot better off.

Breakfast News

2008-11-03T17:15:00.005+11:00

“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist in our helper”

So today began another new chapter in the ABC with the first day of our new breakfast news show, aptly titled “Breakfast News”.

With that, our itinerant field reporter, Sarah Farnsworth did her first ‘real’ live cross. Not bad I say for a girl unsullied by TV and out of radio. We’ve tweaked her here and there, but her natural ability and beauty combined with her sparkle and aptitude, she does more than her share of the work when it comes to making her look and sound good.

Having survived 3 weeks of pilots, raising the dead at 4am, eating cereal by random roadside locations and downing abundant cups of thermos coffee, Sarah Farnsworth and I, along with links operator Stuart Morris, fired off the first of many to come, live crosses.

Being Melbourne Cup, our designated location for today’s inaugural broadcast was nothing short of fancy, in fact, nor was it short of okay. It was a park on the banks of a river over looking Flemington Racecourse. The grassy knoll, as it has become known over the few times we have used it as a pilot location is growing an air of familiarization as we will yet again park our technological wizardry nearby on Cup Day.

But today was a significant one for the entire program. Getting that first show underway and for Sarah, that first cross, was a milestone, and hopefully one we will look back on with satisfaction.

Visiting Premier

2008-11-01T13:03:00.002+11:00

The media scrum……..or some might say scum. Either way, like them or loath them, they subsist, and they exist for one purpose. To sell the talents message. The ‘talent’ in this case being the Victorian Premier, John Brumby. Yesterday he was on one of his customary visits to one of our radio studios based in our building.

The ABC films him in the studio and feeds the vision to the other networks, but at the end, they usually congregate in the foyer to ensnare him in their media web with questions he more than likely already fielded in the radio interview.

As I returned from the café, I spied the flock of reporters gathering around the Premier, microphones and camera lenses trained on him. A veteran of the Government trail and media scrutiny, he weathered the pack like water off a ducks back.

Just another day for him.

Widescreen revealed.

2008-10-29T18:47:00.001+11:00

Widescreen revealed…………

After much deliberation and procrastination about my identity, I have determined, based on a unanimous vote, mine only, to be more open to who I am.

As a Senior Operator in Melbourne, Australia, with the ABC, I thought I needed to be more guarded in order to shield myself from management and industry analysis.

We aint exactly overflowing with cameramen bloggers here.

As I have seen a few blogs diminish into web oblivion, I erred on the side of vigilance. Well, now I’m throwing caution to the wind in the hope that my more unbridled and more common tripe be better received due to an interest in what I do.

Besides, this is my 100th post.

Regards,

Peter Drought.
Senior Field Operator
ABC TV, Melbourne
Australia.

Hawaii

2008-09-23T10:30:00.002+10:00

I’ve just come back from two weeks in Hawaii, some R&R with the family. Whilst I made a point of caring little about work, I did manage to run into a few fellow shooters from the nicest bunch of islands anchored in the pacific.

My second week back on Oahu, the first spent on the big island, I ran into a news crew staking out our hotel. Typically, like many of us, they had been doing an interview with a guest at the hotel.

A few days later whilst visiting the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl, another crew is setting up for a piece to camera with a young reporter. As we move through the exhibition, another crew arrives and starts filming.

Rather than be so audacious to introduce myself and enquire as to their purpose, I ducked for cover hoping to avoid being caught on the evening news as random wallpaper vision.

Having survived and enjoyed my holiday, I return home to find TV crews storming the airport spraying handlights across weary and fatigued passengers in search of sporting stars returning from interstate.

As I again avoided the glare of news camera’s and reporters, most of whom I knew, we collected our baggage and headed for the taxi rank. My son asked what they were doing, and as the words rolled out my mouth, my head was saying something else, “who cares?’

The ironic twist in this story, another camera operator from my home town, different network, was also on holiday in Hawaii at the same time. We had agreed to catch up for a beer but never did. Finally as we both stood in line to check in for return flights on different airlines, we spied each other. We talked for about 5 minutes as he told me he had an earlier flight and would be home well before me.

I got the last laugh. We flew on schedule; his flight was delayed 3 hours.

Road Trip

2008-08-29T09:32:00.001+10:00

There is always some enthusiasm, for me anyway, at the thought of putting some miles on the odometer of the crew car. The thought that you will be spared the hideous and mind-numbing duty of courts for a country drive is bliss to the ears. As the Chief of Staff summons you front and center to his desk with the intent of dispatching you somewhere remote, you can’t help but think, thank Christ, a road trip.

For some, the idea of spending hours on the road only to reach a destination, shoot, turn around again, head back from where you came, look at the same scenery, albeit from a different direction, and spend the same hours in the car, all for 2 minutes on air is a complete waste of time. All the more painful if you have to ride with someone you would rather roll out of a moving car!

Me however, I love those hours on the road. Getting out of town, escaping the daily sausage factory and taking in the country sites and air, is almost cathartic to me. I enjoy the road miles beating away beneath me, the large and old red gums standing silently in fields as sheep and cattle graze unaware and uncaring.

There is something about entering the home of a farming family, the greeting always seems more genuine and warm from city people. They seem to have an authentic interest in you and always tell their story with color and passion over a cuppa tea and biscuit. I’m never lost for pictures on a farm or in the country, and even though there seems to be miles and miles of the same, around each corner there is a new tree to film, another postcard picture shot.

It’s always a disappointment to return to the city, the ending of the 100 zone indicates a change. The first traffic lights always herald a return to the big smoke and soon enough your back in the office.

As I drive home amongst the rush of workers eager to return to their family lives, I can still hear the breeze in the leaves, the birds in the trees and that fresh smell of open country air still fills my lungs.

Is the baton to be passed on?

2008-08-21T17:50:00.003+10:00

It’s been a long time between drinks from when I started squeezing a frame off inside my Betacam. Over the years I’ve taken numerous young punks out on the road and attempted to turn them into purveyors of fine glass imagery.

Most have been agreeable and proficient enough to undertake the petite assignment of actually paying attention. The rest, have fallen by the wayside or simply been deployed to areas beyond their imagination and far enough away for me to care.

One or two struggled valiantly until it was decided that perhaps another career path was best taken, and in fairness, have confirmed that it was the healthier option for both themselves and the Newsroom.

I don’t think I am that bad of a tutor and my abilities to communicate a message have grown over the years, and many a young student would have been oblivious to the fact that there were two students in the room. Them and me!

But now, in my latter years, or so it feels sometimes, I find more of my students are less of the kind who are new to TV, quite the opposite in fact. Many are quite familiar with the measures and tactics of TV making. They are the reporters who for some, a few years and others, endless time on the road, now find themselves faced with new ways of approaching the job at hand, not from the end of a microphone, but through the finer elements of glass.

Aside from learning about how we make TV in the field, the appreciation for what we do, day after day, job after job, is rapidly growing, and with that comes a new found respect for the greater fundamentals of the craft and those behind it who make it seem all so simple!

Change

2008-08-10T17:30:00.001+10:00

The hardest thing about change is not the proposal of it, but executing it. Part of that progression is getting someone to see that change is good.

Last week I decided to challenge one of the ‘old guard’ on his camera techniques. In short, I believed his pictures to be over exposed, and that perhaps he could have tried an alternative to the situation he had been in.

Now whilst I have not been the senior for very long, I have been there for some years, but I strongly suspected he felt that his age and years ‘served’, put him in a position whereby he needed to clarify his actions to no one, least it be me.

The difficulty is always trying to explain to someone, why you deem their work to be in need of question, when all along they legitimately believe otherwise. Getting them to accept and then amend their methods is almost unachievable.

The day resulted in him being quite indignant to me and he went to some extent to justify his position. He clearly was on the defence, quite reasonably, but even when I was clarifying my opinions and motivations, I could sense a feeling of opposition.

It was at this point I retreated, not backed down. I can afford a loss every now and then and learn from the experience, in order to fight another day. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, so why get a headache attempting to. I do want to see change, and maybe that can be achieved better by putting energy into those who want to see change and learn.

More likely it will be those in our younger ranks who will be part of that movement. You can’t always teach an old dog new tricks, but you can encourage growth in the new puppies.

Malayali

2008-07-13T21:42:00.002+10:00

How I despise being in a position where I have no idea what someone is saying. This week has been no exception, and the reporter I have been working with, was with me all the way. However soon enough, he got a head of me, with his aptitude to translate what can only be described as convoluted gibberish.

We have been shooting a story on the Malayali community in our city. They come from the Indian state of Kerala and many have settled in Australia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

On one occasion we were meant to film an interview with the husband of a couple who also produced a newspaper in Malayalam, their native language. As we began to set up, it soon became apparent that we were going to have great difficulty understanding him, as would our audience. We decided to be diplomatic and interview both husband and wife, but only use the wife as she spoke very clearly.

It’s all part of a program I am shooting now, for a while. It’s a South East Asian program based here in Australia but broadcast solely for that region. Consequently, much of our audience has English as a second language but a vast majority only has their native tongue.

All part of the joys of working on a foreign program and learning to decipher and decode is probably part of that.

Moving cars is like moving house!

2008-06-18T12:21:00.000+10:00

TV crews are like gypsies. They journey the streets of daily news flogging their wares, the brick n brack of their trade to the most enthusiastic of hungry hounds, those sniffing out a story or following the directive of an eager news desk.

The car is the crews’ vardo, the gypsies’ ‘wagon’. It’s their home on wheels. To have someone mess with it, is an offense, to have someone disrespect it, is a peccadillo and to have to move out of it, well that’s just a catastrophe, not to mention a headache.

Every crew carries all their possessions in the car, some more than others. Camera gear, sound gear, lighting, tripods, wet weather clothing, change of clothes, jackets, boots, maps, first aid gear, battery packs, umbrellas, folding chairs, safety clothing, bushfire gear and not to mention the various amounts of ‘brick a brack’ and all those ‘just in case’ bits of hardware that you just gotta carry because they might just ‘come in handy one day’

I recently moved from my current assigned duties to another program, and as we don’t take cars, which would make things so much easier, I had to ‘move out’ of my current ‘vardo’ and into another.

I actually get a newer car, but I liked the old one. It had a certain ‘broken in’ feel about it and it had a sense of ‘belonging and ownership’ in it to me. It was also numbered 5, much better than my current 13! I know, it’s just a car, but when you spend everyday in it, going from one job to another, taking it from the metropolitan boundaries to far and interesting places in the remote ends of the state, you kind of grow to like it.

Like a home everything has a place, a spot, a nook and a cranny. Even those ‘just in case’ items have a special place. When you have to shift cars, it’s like moving house! Everything needs to come out but the basics and much like moving house, you always find something you either never knew you had, or knew you had it, but had no idea where it had vanished to!

There is a mix of emotion, farewells to the old, and a welcome to the new. Some gear fits nicely, and other items, well they just don’t seem quite right anymore. Perhaps it’s a good as any time to have a clean out, a purging of the nick knacks, quite the cathartic automobile experience the body needs periodically.

As I stand back looking at my wares arranged in the back of my new ‘vardo’ I can’t help but feel like the furniture doesn’t quite suit the new place. In time, it too will gain that, ‘lived in’ look and as I see my old car heading out the roller door, off on another adventure without me, I hope the new tenant will give it the care I did.

I look down at a collection of bits and pieces I intended to put away in a cupboard. In each little piece there is a story. I can’t help myself, as the roller door closes behind Car 5 ending one chapter; I open a drawer and place those bits and pieces in it and close the boot.

You never know, in Car 13, they might just come in handy one day!

First Dead Body

2008-05-30T23:30:00.001+10:00

Another camera operator at work came to me the other day and told me he had just seen and filmed his first dead body.

He seemed accepting about it, almost dismissive at first, as if it were better to be composed and without emotion. It had been a car fatality that he had covered on a reasonably quiet news day. He told me how it all seemed inquisitively voyeuristic but sensed some melancholy at the same time. He later felt mystified by the reality of it all and how death can appear to be so random.

So often as crews and reporters, we are faced with tragedy and death and the unwelcome grief that can visit so unpredictably. I remember covering a car accident that involved two cars. I had not been in News for that long, having come from Outside Broadcast where my only exposure to heartbreak had been to film a pro golfer miss a putt on the final hole of a major tournament.

Our reporter was new, not far out from having cut her teeth at a country paper. It was drizzling when we arrived, the clouds and rain soon to be the prime suspect together with speed. Twisted metal, broken glass and flashing beacons greeted us as we arrived. Our eager reporter, not wanting to weaken in front of the crew, pushed on in the wet and heels better suited for a dance floor than a accident scene.

In all, 3 were dead at the scene, and a 4th, soon to be transported to the nearest hospital, left us with a considerably gruesome landscape. Bodies needed to be cut from the clutches of metal, as if taking lives was not enough; it seemed like the cars wanted more, refusing to release the dead from their ghastly grip.

As we filmed the scene, I monitored our reporter and noticed how she seemed unsteady and unsure of this environment we were in. She seemed confused and unable to focus on the job at hand. I asked her if she was all right and suggested she leave for a while to compose and gather her thoughts. She refused and politely thanked me, but continued to haphazardly scribe to her notebook as if perhaps the distraction would aide her to get through the calamity unfolding before her.

As a woman’s lifeless body was freed, it had one more grotesque performance for the gathering media. There was one more indignity she must bear. As the door of the car was jimmied open, she escaped both the clutches of the car and those sent to claim her. She fell from the car, her head cracking like an egg as it smacked the roadway.

It’s nearly 20 years since that happened, and I remember it as vividly as if it happened today. I travel the same road at least twice a year on the way to shoot jobs and everytime I pass that spot, I see her fall from the car and I can still hear her head hit the road.

I turned to look the other way, repulsed perhaps, but my eyes caught our reporter, clearly ashen and falling, almost in slow motion like a felled tree, as she too became a victim, surrendering to emotion and revulsion.

Having emptied the contents of her stomach, she sat clutching her notepad by the side of the road. We never bothered doing interviews, she barely managed to function let alone play gun reporter.

It was quiet on the way back to the office; we barely spoke, silently reflecting over the last few hours, hoping to find escape in our thoughts. It too had been her first dead body, her first road accident, her first taste of unfathomable grief and inexplicable heartbreak.

I pass her in a corridor from time to time. We exchange courteous greetings, a few words about work, but that day, whether forgotten or not, is never mentioned, yet for me, as perhaps it does for her it remains a very poignant moment in my career and clearly a significant one for her.

The day she saw her first dead body.

Good luck Ineke

2008-05-12T19:33:00.003+10:00

Is this the face of future journalism, a reporter with camera in hand? Perhaps, but not this young lady. It is the face of Ineke, a young fresh faced journalism student from a community/university network.

Whilst out mixing it with her larger and more practiced colleagues from the mainstream networks at a rather hurriedly put together press conference, she posed for me as she wielded a larger cousin of her own cameraman’s small but effective video camera.

This was not my camera, I was not the camera operator under the spell of a pretty woman, but the concept was the same. Reporters brandishing video cameras at press conferences are an all too familiar sight these days.

The awkwardness and physical weight was evident on her face when she stopped modeling for me. The message however was not lost. “These things weigh a lot!”

Whilst I would dearly love to have an ‘Ineke’ on my crew list in our newsroom, the likelihood is slim as camera operators become less and less in need as reporters take on the role themselves. Camera Operators will always be a part of most mainstream newsrooms but the ‘Ineke’s’ pouring out of our universities are setting new trends and changing the way news is gathered and delivered.

Good luck Ineke.

More than a car is shattered

2008-04-23T16:09:00.001+10:00

Covering car accidents is never the easiest even at the best of times, if ever there is such a thing.

Working weekends has some advantages but there is always the risk you may get sent to a car accident, and my issue has always been that I can never see the news value in a car fatality. I’ve never understood the need to display twisted metal where some random person has died.

Aside from the lack of news value I believe it holds, I think the ongoing trauma to family and friends by having those images so publicly displayed borders on objectionable voyeurism. And who are we as media to put the last moments of a families private grief to air on the 6 o’clock news.

Last weekend we were sent to a car fatality, which sadly turned out to be a young mother and child. Inadvertently it would seem she was well from home in a foreign neighborhood, and whilst checking her road map for directions, failed to see a truck which t-boned her on the drivers side.

Sadly she died, her child luckily suffering some minor abrasions from glass. If only we all were able to drive in child proof seats!

As a news crew, along with the other gaggle of media sent out on this quiet Saturday to cover this tragedy, we quietly moved about the scene of twisted metal and broken glass, looking for the one frame that might tell a sad story.

Generally there is not the usual banter or rush. The scene and those within its grasp work silently and purposefully. Its usually quiet, traffic having been diverted whilst police and crash investigators take photos and measure distances of impact points.

On the footpath, the usual collection of onlookers. Kids leaning on bikes mingle with locals, cars full of young hoods slink on past roadblocks, all hoping to catch a glimpse of death.

The police wave on the rubber neckers, the kids are told to go home. The whole scene tells a story. The skid marks on the road, broken glass and plastic scattered randomly, blue rubber gloves discarded by emergency workers and plastic wrappers from medical supplies lie silently on bitumen next to a pair of sneakers.

As police lights flash silently my gaze is repeatedly caught by blue tarpaulins covering the wreckage of the victim’s car. Inside lies a young woman, her life cut short by a simple act, a short moment in which her fate was decided in the blink of an eye.

She has been dead for nearly two hours now, slumped across the front seat, alone and wrecked. Her blood stains the front seat as her lifeless body is photographed by crash investigators.

Amidst the sway of vehicles and people quietly working the scene, a lone vehicle slowly makes its way through the police barricade, past emergency vehicles and media and pulls up near the wreck. The occupants make themselves known to police and from a discrete distance, as media we can see that this tragedy is about to pass into the next phase.

These guys are the clean up crew. These are the guys who come to accidents, murders and tragic deaths by accident, to claim the dead. They take some time to determine the best way to extract her, taking great care and showing great respect. It’s not a pretty job. Sometimes the dead look like they are sleeping and others cannot be described.

With the police, they remove the covers from the car and behind a veil of blue they take her body from the car and gently lay it on the gurney. She is then loaded into their wagon before being transported to the Coroners.

A short while later, after they had gathered some of her belongings, they drove off as quietly as they had arrived. I felt sad as the car passed by me and I wondered what would happen now to her shattered family and child.

Ironically the road, in which she travelled, had been the road she intended to travel in the first place. Our lives are full of intersecting paths, now hers and that of those around her, including the police and all who were there that day, will forever be touched by her and her tragic loss.

And still, I don’t know her name.

Operating by Stealth

2008-04-16T14:12:00.002+10:00

Ever tried to spend the day at work flying under the radar? Letting people know your there but never in reality seeing you? Like Harry Potter with his cloak of invisibility.

I did, yesterday, and quite successfully. As our network is national, I spent the day doing pick-ups for other people in other cities and nothing for our own office. I have been rostered to work on a program for the week where actually the reporter is away on his honeymoon. I’m trying to fly low so that I don’t get snared by other programs who want me to shoot. The other cities all call me direct to book a job so if I play my cards right, I can be left alone for the rest of the week to do my own thing.

It’s like an old magician with his conjuring trick. By a slight of hand, I make the audience believe in something they never really saw. In my early days with the network, we had an electrician who would appear in the morning, walk through the office, carry some gear around, then vanish! At the end of his shift, he would reappear and repeat his little act almost in reverse. The whole day, everyone was convinced he was there, somewhere. Everyone was sure they just saw him, somewhere………

Turns out he was running two jobs. He was doing house renovations on the side and would park his van around the corner. Amazingly it seemed to go on for years before he came unstuck.

My vanishing act is no where as intrepid. I’m on the phone if needed and in actuality; I am doing jobs for the network, just not for the news room. Yesterday was flat chat. I had five jobs across town, all full lighting set-ups with interviews and overlay, and a lot of driving in between. What had started out promising, ended up pretty full on, with no time for lunch and some overtime at the long end of the day!

Best I stick to card tricks!

Fashion conscious or old fashioned?

2008-03-31T09:33:00.001+11:00

When I went for my first job at my network in 1981, I wore a suit. I think from memory it was slightly ill fitting, and I felt slightly uncomfortable in it, but it was a point drilled into me by my parents and grandfather that first impressions always counted.

2008 and I’m still here. No doubt in part to that very first day, I wore the suit. I’ve never worn it since, having only worn suits to work when a particular assignment required one.

In addition, I was not applying for a manager’s job; I was applying to be the mail boy. I got the job, and was promptly told to wear something more practical when next I returned.

Turn the clock forward to today, I can’t tell someone to wear something more practical. I can’t tell them to dress appropriately and I can’t tell them to wear something that makes them look slimmer or something that does not look like trailer trash.

The issue with crews is a different matter.

Crews need to dress in a way that allows them to be practical and comfortable in all weather conditions, but also allows them to attend a fire or incident and then later head off to do a press conference at a government building or even enter an office building to set up for an interview in the boardroom.

Crews traverse many a divide, going into factories and homes, businesses and farms. Either way they need to be presentable! This is my issue………..

I tend to think it legitimate for someone to iron a shirt when they wear it to work. Nor do I think it plausible that trousers should not look like they were slept in.

T-Shirts are another grey point in the office, but when you start to look like you’re off to mow the lawns or to spend the day at the beach, there needs to be a line drawn in the sand!

Jeans are okay, but I draw the line at ass crack and boxers sticking out like your some boy from the hood.

Oddly enough, we can’t wear branding that is the same as our equipment, for example no Sony or Panasonic. We can wear Nike. Go figure.

But nor do we have a clothing policy. Why? Because then the network might be seen as discriminatory as well as it may be forced to buy clothing, which at this point it does not and would like to keep it that way.

I get caught in this no mans land, yes the crews should look smart, but am I being old fashioned? I told a guy to iron his shirt and was told that’s how he likes to wear them and it was fashionable. It’s how all the young people wear their clothes, I was told.

As now as I ask around, there seems to be rules for on air reporters but not those who also are in public and represent the company, the crews. In fact the crews are out there the most, peddling the company wares and putting on the corporate smile as we are expected to.

Yet we remain neglected, all because someone doesn’t want to offend someone else, someone doesn’t want to set the rules, and someone doesn’t want to pay!

Wind like a freight train!

2008-03-25T21:52:00.001+11:00

Every now and then you get stuck in a scenario that you just can’t seem to escape. Take for example last week. I was sent to cover a press conference which was held outside. It turned out to be extremely windy and despite my suggestions to relocate, the other networks uttered a few words which seemed to bear some resemblance to a foolishness of not bothering.

Hence I became stuck in an all in, surrounded by microphone wielding reporters eager for a news bite. On came the talent, followed by the usual tedious and rehearsed statement. As predictable as a set of traffic lights, on came a flurry of questions all shot off by reporters bent on the one grab they needed to make a headline.

Right on queue, came my wind! Right on down my microphone and wind gag like a freight train, to use an often over used expression of the public when describing wind! Never mind the fact it was given to them by the media.

“Here take this. It’s a free expression. Use it whenever you want to describe a wind”

I often wonder if they ever describe a freight train hurtling past as sounding like wind!

Added to my frustration, was the fact that I was stuck on the end of a line of cameras. Not the best of positions. See a cameraman wants to be in the middle, where he gets poll position and the best view of the talking head. To my reporter’s credit, she fired the first salvo, bringing to bear the head of our main man.

The only problem with this was that as we were on the end she needed to lean in to get the microphone under his flapping lips. Now we had a new problem, as if my wind was not enough, I now had a reporter who wanted to share the same frame as my talent! In other words, she was getting in my shot. So now we play that little game of locking off the camera, walking around and gently shifting the reporter. 1 min later they are on the move again. It must make questions seem more important if you lean forwards when delivering the question. Never mind if you can’t ‘see’ the answer.

Throughout the whole press conference my mind never wandered far from the fact that what I was shooting was not that far from appearing in the dictionary as a definition under the word ‘crap’

My guts churned once more when the reporter informed me there was a great grab after her second question. I remembered not hearing the answer as that elusive freight train did another lap of my audio. The look on her face was almost worth bottling, however it is firmly embedded in my brains snapshot, in fact appears as a series of thumbnails as I write this blog.

Fortunately she was more your old salt and pepper squid rather than some young fresh fillet. An old favourite who had been around and wise enough to know crap happens to the best of us. She could write around the lost grab like a seasoned race driver dodging cones on a track.

Still though, even after having mentioned to the editor there were some sound ‘issues’ I could not help but hope she had enough to get through the story. As I watched it go to air, knowing full well it was no Rembrandt I could only hope no one would know it was me! One good thing about the News is there are no credits, certainly not that I deserved one that night or wanted my name attached to anything.

Thankfully tomorrow is always a new day.

Maybe a little winge.....

2008-03-16T14:53:00.001+11:00

I noticed sometime back that my blog had misplaced something. ME!

So now some two weeks later, I am posting again, a vain effort on a hot day in the study, to be more attentive of my blog and provide some new scribblings from those loyal enough to want to venture back past this way.

If the truth be known, I’ve just been too busy to contemplate finger to keyboard to transcribe a day I would rather lay to rest elsewhere than hang out all my dirty laundry for all to see.

With P2 racing away in our office and soon to be unleashed across the country, my mind is on a cold beer and my family when my weary head and bones drag themselves through the front door. My mobile rings constantly and whilst I am more than happy to help, my frustrations begin to boil at those who choose to call me rather than attempt to help themselves first.

It’s a frustration, but one that comes with the territory. The responsibility that comes with being a senior does not always end as you say goodnight to security at the front door. It doesn’t always end when you’re pushing a trolley around the supermarket or when you’re watching your son at sport on the weekend and it does not end when you turn out the lights to go to sleep.

My responsibility to my blog does not end because I’m busy at work or have another site to manage and nor does P2 alter anything.

I just have to learn to juggle better.

System & Routine

2008-02-29T11:47:00.001+11:00

Our days are often filled with routine and systems. Some channel us through the day unknowingly and others stand as sentinels, silently waiting to guide us back to our original course.

With our P2 rollout, I found that one of the best ways to coach the crews was to formulate a structure and stick to it. As their familiarity and assurance grew, they could build on the skills I had embedded in them, and become more audacious with the new camera and its wider functions.

Part of that process is to manage the new solid state media, such as the P2 cards of which the camera holds 5 in 5 individual slots. My theory, tested through trial and error, is to start your shift on slot 1, thereby giving yourself a start point and a reference for the rest of the day.

It works. It prevents cards from getting mixed up and camera operators handing in blank cards when in fact it should have been full. It’s a fairly simple procedure designed to make your day just that little easier.

But like all things new, there is always someone who knows better! Those that have strayed from the path inevitably find themselves lost. Predictably I get a phone call and the dilemma is solved pretty quickly.

Why is it that some will always challenge an indication or a warning? I actually don’t have a concern with staff testing my methods, after all that’s how we discover our weak points. But repeatedly and often from the same offender, it’s more because someone simply thinks they know better.

In a few weeks they will soon comprehend that they are the only ones still making errors and that alone hopefully will pull them in sequence with those happy to embrace new work practices.

Alls well that continues well.....

2008-02-23T13:23:00.000+11:00

I don’t recall seeing banners, streamers or balloons. There were no members of management waiting to great me nor were there staff or even the public lining the footpath to create an avenue of honour, and there certainly was no red carpet.

In fact there was nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary anyway. Monday was to all intensive purposes like any other day. It was 05.30am, the halls were quiet, lights were still out in places and but for the hum of a distant vacuum cleaner and the squeak of the security guards shoes on the foyers tiled floor, I could have been alone.

At 06.00am the first of our daily crews entered and together we made history. Quietly and with an almost solemn air of respect, we removed the first of the SX cameras and replaced it with a new P2. That change would herald a new direction and era for our network. After 2 years of testing and road trials and training, the first P2 rolled out into ‘official’ duty.

Over that day, 5 more cameras would follow, like finally trained assassins entering every story without fear or favour. They are like soldiers on the front line. They are loyal to no one, fear no one and follow each and every command without question.

By days end, I’d had it. The day had gone well, with only some very minor questions from crews but in all, a very successful day. The rest of the week followed suit ensuring from a field operation perspective, we did well!

What a headline!

2008-02-11T23:37:00.000+11:00

THE YEAR'S BEST [actual] HEADLINES:

Crack Found on Governor's Daughter [Imagine that!]

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says [No, really?]

Police Begin Campaign to Run down Jaywalkers [Now that's takingthings a bit far!]

Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus? [Not if I wipethoroughly!]

Panda Mating fails; Veterinarian takes Over [What a guy!]

Miners Refuse to Work after Death [No-good-for-nothing' lazyso-and-sos!]

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant [See if that works anybetter than a fair trial!]

War Dims Hope for Peace [I can see where it might have thateffect!]

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile [You think?]

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures [Who would have thought!]

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide [They maybe on to something!]

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges [You mean there's something strongerthan duct tape?]

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge [he probably IS thebattery charge!]

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group [Weren't they fatenough?!]

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft [That's what he getsfor eating those beans!]

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks [Taste like chicken?]

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half [Chainsaw Massacre all overagain!]

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors [Boy, are they tall!]

And the winner is....

Typhoon Rips through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Change is around the corner

2008-02-09T19:26:00.000+11:00

Revolution is in the air. Progress is on the wind. Change is around the corner………

And on it goes, blah blah blah.

One more week and on the 18th of February, provided all goes to plan! We will change over from SX tape format to the new Panasonic P2 cameras. Heralding in the new format will bade farewell to a tape format that has been with us for near on 10 years, and welcome in a new and brave memory card format.

The tape format alone, in various generations, has been with us for some 30 years. Over those years, stories have been shot, lost, erased or jammed in the camera, but with each one, there is a sense of emotion that with this change comes the end of an era, probably not that different to a time when film departed from mainstream media outlets.

Strangely only this week, we took on another casual who was unfamiliar with SX, yet he only has a week of it anyway. As I start to collate together P2 sets for crews in readiness for the changeover, I know that I am a witness to change.

It’s not going to make the headlines, nor will it be recorded in the great annals of history but for those few of us to have seen change from one format to another, it will be a time we will remember for years to come, and probably think of days gone by with fondness, knowing that as time moves on, most will care less for our simple sentiment.

Double speak

2008-01-29T09:23:00.000+11:00

Our house phone died this week and my wife rang the phone company to arrange a time for them to call out to fix the problem.

I was on a day off, and she told me they would come between 7.30am and 12 midday. By 1.30pm my patience had run out.

I called them to be told I should have called earlier, to which I reminded them that if there was no problem in the first place we would not be having this conversation.

Clearly Paul the phone operator and I were off to a great start!

After being put on hold, on my mobile of course, he informed me there had been a glitch in the system and that no technician was booked for my job.

I informed Paul the phone operator that probably the next five minutes of the conversation was not going to make him happy!

The ‘GLITCH’ I informed was not in his office, but in my phone line, hence I was having to explain myself, again, over my mobile.

The ‘GLITCH’ he thought he had, was in fact a fuck up. Nothing GLITCHED it just got stuffed up by some idiot in the office.

So why then, cant people just say, “Sorry mate, we stuffed up”

I get frustrated by the continued use of terms that sometimes nearly differ completely from the original, simply in order to transgress or not affront someone, but almost to the point that occasionally I wonder what they are talking about.

Collateral damage, visually impaired, and developmentally delayed are just a few examples. Supporters of terms such as these believe that by changing the word they will change the opinions of people who either use them and the idea that the term represents.

Changing the term does not change the realities of the concept. Potatoes are the same thing whether you call them bananas, motorbikes, or journalists. The "visually impaired" are still unable to see, whether you refer to them as blind, visually disabled, or orange.

The terms "mentally retarded" and "developmentally delayed" mean exactly the same thing. The only difference is, it is not yet common to use developmentally delayed as an insult.

Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual
meaning, often resulting in acommunication bypass. Examples are downsising for firing of many employees and enhanced interogation techniques for torture.

Glitch on the other hand, is a short-lived fault in a system according to Wikipedia and mine took all day to fix, 5.30pm by the time it was done.

Finally, I will leave you with this quote from Donald Rumsfeld who knows how to knowingly confuse his knowledgeable audience at a Pentagon briefing.

“There are known knows. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things we know we don't know. But, there are also unknown unknowns. These are things we don't know we don't know”.

Road openings, what great news fillers.

2008-01-18T13:04:00.000+11:00

A mate sent me an email and he told me I was relaxed with entries on the blog. For the most part due to the reality of still being on leave for the Christmas break and had nothing to correspond about.

In fact I have not even troubled myself watching the News. If I happen to catch it I will, but I don’t make an effort to pursue it.

I did travel interstate last week to meet up with cousins I had not seen for some years. On one of my days out playing tourist, we came across a roadblock controlled by police who were supervising four lanes of traffic down to one in order to facilitate some activity ahead.

As we got nearer, I spied news crews with cameras mounted on shoulders or tripods. Reporters standing around permanently attached to mobile phones and take away coffee. It was an all too familiar site, and I found myself wondering what it was that had attracted their attention.

Some clues gave way to a possibility. Men in suits with new reflective vests and hard hats, media, new road works and it was a Sunday. A perfect setting for announcements about a road extension or new bridge as a Sunday eats up stories like openings.

We moved on, aided by police wishing they were somewhere else, soon to be back in the flow of traffic heading back on track to play tourist at some random city location. I never looked back, giving the whole scene a disrespectful and uninspired glance as we passed by.

Sure enough, the very next day in the papers, there was an article about the opening of a new road extension. It had been opened by the Premier of the State, but still only managed page 6.

Road openings, what great news fillers they become. I figure like most people, they could care less, just get the damn thing built and opened, that’s why we pay our road taxes and voted you in.

Ok Ken, I blogged, happy now?

Australia 2007- A Year In Review

2008-01-03T10:28:00.001+11:00

2007 - A year in Review

With the New Year under way, I thought a quick look back at 2007 might be worthwhile. I have borrowed the timeline from Elaine Ford @ ABC TV Online

With federal election campaigning under way before 2007 even began, the domestic news agenda was dominated in one form or another by the inevitable showdown between Kevin07 and John Winston Howard for the keys to The Lodge.

It was a year in which Australia's sense of itself was the connecting thread to much of the public debate and many disparate news events. Some were funny, many were tragic - from comedic APEC security breaches to Australia's presence in overseas conflicts, and the country's year-long preparation for the federal election. We were forced to confront the heart-wrenching tragedy of natural disasters and yet again there were stories of great personal sacrifice and compassion. What it means to be Australian was debated and challenged.

As the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to rumble on, Australians paused to pay tribute to four diggers who lost their lives overseas. Trooper David Pearce, Sergeant Matthew Locke and Private Luke Worsley were killed in skirmishes in Afghanistan. In East Timor, Private Ashley Baker was found dead in his military barracks and two Australians working for US security companies were killed in an attack in Iraq.

After five years detention in Guantanamo Bay, David Hicks returned home to Australia in May after pleading guilty to terrorism charges in a controversial deal. After serving nine months in Adelaide's Yatala prison, Hicks was released on December 29 under an interim control order. Hicks's lawyer read a statement to the media on his behalf, where the convicted terrorism supporter said he recognised "the huge debt of gratitude that I owe the Australian public for getting me home".

An inquiry in June found shocking child sex abuse rampant in many Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, prompting the Federal Government to stage an landmark emergency intervention to address problems. Further revelations in December of the gang rape of a 10-year-old in an Indigenous community in far north Queensland fuelled a furore that reverberated around the world.

Also in June, a horrific train crash killed 11 at Kerang in Victoria, and the bravery and resilience of emergency services crews and communities was tested in severe flooding that ravaged the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in September saw an unprecedented "ring of steel" security clampdown in Sydney's CBD. The Chaser boys made headlines around the world in a fake motorcade stunt that actually got them a step away from US President George W Bush's hotel before being arrested.

The Australian Federal Police were embroiled in a major bungle of their case against former Gold Coast-based doctor Mohammed Haneef, eventually dropping the charges against him in July.

Melbourne underworld figure Carl Williams was jailed for a minimum of 35 years in May, and authorities finally captured gangland fugitive Tony Mokbel hiding in Greece in June.
In November, a NSW coroner found Indonesian forces deliberately killed five Australian-based journalists at Balibo in East Timor in 1975, but the Indonesian Government has rejected the findings.

After years of bitter wrangling, terminally-ill asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton talked of his jubilation when the $4.5 billion compensation deal from James Hardie was announced in February - the largest settlement in Australia's history. Still fighting for justice on his deathbed - eventually winning compensation and damages - Mr Banton's health deteriorated and he died on November 27. Hundreds turned out to honour Mr Banton and applaud the compensation legacy he was instrumental in achieving to help future asbestos victims.

Environmental scientist Professor Tim Flannery was named our Australian of the Year, with Indigenous youth advocate Tania Major also honoured as Young Australian of the Year.
Big winners in the arts world were Alexis Wright and John Beard.

Wright's epic novel about life in the Gulf of Carpentaria won the Miles Franklin, while Beard pocketed $35,000 after taking out the Archibald Prize.

And Denmark's Crown Princess Mary - ex-pat from Tasmania - gave birth to a baby daughter in April.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T21:33:00.000+11:00

Since we here in Australia have long hot Summers, filled with beach, bbq’s and cricket, I thought it better to post an appropriate a picture as I could find.

Have a great Christmas with family and friends and have a very safe New Year. I’m on leave but all the best to the boys working through.

See you in 2008

Lost.......but now found!

2007-12-13T22:20:00.000+11:00

I will try to make this story short…………….

February this year I am away covering our bushfires. On one trip out to a farm under siege from fire, I take my own still camera, with wide angle adapter attached. It’s on a strap around my neck, but on returning to the helicopter, I discover my wide angle adapter has fallen off.

I make a brief but valiant attempt to locate it, but the approaching fire forces us to evacuate. It was a cheap copy I bought it China, so it’s more exasperating not to have it, rather than the loss in financial terms.

Fast forward to today……….I enter my supervisor’s office to see my wide angle sitting on his desk! He tells me a farmer found it on his property and drove 100km to deliver it to one of our remote offices in the country. He had remembered our TV network arriving by helicopter and had correctly assumed it belonged to us. The local manager had no idea whose it was but knew it was not a standard TV lens adaptor. He decided to keep it and use it as a paperweight until my own managers supervisor paid a visit and noticed it.

He bought it the 4 hours back to our office and gave it to my supervisor who left it sitting on his desk, not knowing to whom it belonged until today, when I walked in and saw it.

It escaped the flames, the cows and the Ute’s and amazingly was found to be returned to me as good as nick as it was when I dropped it.

Seems there are some good folks out there.

Writers Block

2007-12-09T18:38:00.000+11:00

Asking the questions is often the straightforward ingredient of any interview. It’s putting it all collectively to tell a story that’s easier said than done. This last week, I was out with one of our reporters, covering the follow up to a stabbing death at a convenience store.

She decided to sit it out in the car after the presser to put pen to paper, so she could file some voice for the office. I sat there with my fingers tapping the wheel ready to hit the road, my boredom interrupted briefly by even more wasted time spent playing with my new mobile.

I did manage to capture our roving reporter in moments of writers block, on my nifty mobile.

Some weeks do have em!

2007-12-02T17:50:00.000+11:00

There are some days and even weeks that seem to do your head in when doing this job. This last week gone was one of them.

The week began in a reasonably customary fashion. There were the abundant spot fires amongst staff to put out, the ordering of some new supplies and a mild panic attack by the operations manager that the telephone system was going to shut down on all our CDMA phones as the network switches over.

Added to this, was one staffer who was quite anxious by the fact that we had run out of Gaffer tape, the industries answer to sticky tape sometimes more commonly known as hurricane tape because of its strength. The fact that he could have got some off someone else was not going to help him, nor was the fact that I found a full roll of Gaffer was going to help as it was silver and not industry black as he insisted on pointing out. Nor it seems was he dexterous enough to use the silver one until I managed to get some in, which as it turned out was a mere 48 hours later.

I had a minor drama with finding cigarette butts under the carpet in the helicopter, and a major one with a door hinge breaking away in flight. Fortunately no one was injured or even more seriously endangered, perhaps with tragic consequences.

Then whilst covering a canola story the next day, the reporter informed me she was pregnant. Joy for her but it was a stinking hot day and mid air on the way back, I ordered the pilot to land ASAP as she was in need of empting the entire contents of her stomach, but least needed of all was for it to be in the chopper!

Our day and hers in particular was not helped on learning of the death of the child of one of our soundrecordists. His daughter had been born at 24 weeks and it would have been a miracle should she had survived. It was not to be but her brave plight had touched all in the office and her loss equally affected us.

The following day, we covered the drowning of a small child on a boating trip with her granddad. Again countless hours in the air by chopper, only to discover that the reporter we had was not trained in HUET, helicopter underwater escape training. Therefore we left him on the beach as we went off to chase a capsized boat with the body of someone’s child in it. We found it and after a while of filming we left the water police to begin the grim and sad task of retrieval.

In trying to feed back our pictures from the chopper, we had numerous technical issues which only ever seem to present themselves when you least need them to. My valiant attempts to resuscitate the links were failing me as my mobile communications to the office via the chopper also decided to fall short in sympathy with everything else that seemed to feel like it that day.

Finally I summoned the links truck to meet me at the airport so we could feed from our hangar. Somehow, god only knows how, following his GPS, he got lost! He claims there had been a road built that his GPS could not see. Evidently neither could he or he drives with his eyes closed! The airport has been in the same place since before WW2, and whilst the road has evolved, it still goes to the same god damn place.

The next day was not much better, except for the fact the reporter and I get on really well. Can only make the day seem better even if you are covering a stabbing death at a local 7/11. The week ended with my father in law admitted to hospital, as my wife sits by his side, whilst the agonizing decisions are made about how best to treat him as a ventilator breaths for him.

We were comforted in the evening to sit proudly and watch our teenage daughter graduate from school. To us she is still our small daughter but now she grows into a young woman and it all seems to happen before our eyes. As I watched her on the stage, for a brief moment, my mind wandered back to events of the week. At least three people would not be attending their own graduation. Three lots of parents would not be able to watch proudly as we were doing. They would not enjoy the moments we had.

It shows in this job, that life, regardless of the steps you take, cannot be predicted, altered or manipulated, and that every moment is precious and needs to be treasured. I will not live my life as if it were my last, but I will not take it for granted, and I will hold onto every moment I have with my children.

Here & There in the air

2007-11-18T14:46:00.000+11:00

One of the means for us to get around is by helicopter. We have two, one in each major city. Sometimes the helicopter is used as a camera platform, with camera and operator slung out the side open door, and sometimes, we use it purely to get from A to B.

We have recently purchased a Flir system, which is actually being installed now, having had to wait on parts, and hopefully our training will start in a few weeks.

Aside from all that, the capability to fly is often based on weather conditions and this last week saw us have a mix of good and bad.

Early in the week we were to fly up north to cover a grain story in the country. The city was cloaked in fog and after waiting it out for the fog to burn off for two hours, we finally were able to get clearance to fly.

By then we had been diverted from the grain story to a mine collapse in the opposite direction. The grain story would have meant about 5 hours of flying, which I was not looking forward to. The mine collapse was an hour away, so a much shorter round trip.

We headed off only to get fogged in again as we tried to cross the mountains and air traffic renewed its conditions. The pilot decided to abort and return only to find the trip home was going to get worse. We followed the beach for a short while and ended up landing at the ports as we could not even get back to the airport.

I resorted to using a taxi to get back to collect my car.

The next day was better, but this time I was sent to follow a politician visiting the high country. The weather was perfect for flying with blue skies. As I drove home at the end of the day, I could not help but think how strange to be in the city in the morning, hours away later up in the mountains, and then sitting in traffic on the way home.

The next day, there I was again, sitting in the helicopter listening to music on my mp3 player, as wheat field after another passed underneath on our way to a remote farm property. There we are standing in the wheat field filming headers harvesting, and several hours later, I’m back in traffic again heading home.

I often want to wind down the window to the guy

in the next lane and ask, “What kind of a day have you had mate?”

Remembrance Day

2007-11-11T21:00:00.000+11:00

At 5am on 11 November 1918, three German government representatives accepted the armistice terms presented to them by an allied commander, General Foch of the French Army. The demands of the armistice included the withdrawal of German forces to the east bank of the Rhine within 30 days; immediate cessation of warfare; and surrender of the German fleet and all heavy guns with no further negotiations until the signing of the peace treaty.

The armistice became effective at 11am the same day, and as the guns fell silent on the Western Front in France and Belgium, four years of hostilities ended.

The cease-fire was made permanent the following year when members of the Commonwealth and the League of Nations signed the Treaty of Versailles. People across the world celebrated the war's end - celebrations tempered by thoughts of the enormous suffering and loss of life resulting from the war.

More than 416 000 Australians volunteered for service in World War I. Of these, 324 000 served overseas. More than 60 000 Australians were killed, including 45 000 who died on the Western Front in France and Belgium and more than 8 000 who died on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.

In Australia and other allied countries, including New Zealand, Canada and the United States, 11 November became known as Armistice Day - a day to remember those who died in World War I. The day continues to be commemorated in Allied countries.

After World War II the Australian Government agreed to the United Kingdom's proposal that Armistice Day be renamed Remembrance Day to commemorate those who were killed in both World Wars. Today the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts is commemorated on Remembrance Day.

Since the First World War, the wartime experiences of Australian service personnel have been recorded by photographers working in a range of official capacities. During the First World War, photographers were appointed to the Australian War Records Section (AWRS), organised by Charles Bean.

These photographers, including Frank Hurley and Hubert Wilkins, were charged with taking photographs that would document the service of Australians in the war for both the historical record of the war and for propaganda.

Today is Rememberance Day. Photography has since its beginnings been bound in an intimate and changing relationship with war. Whether as a record of events, an analytical tool, or a form of propaganda, photography has played a critical part in forming our response to global and local conflicts.

Photographers report the physical impact and the emotional effects of war: the tortured battleground, its deadly aftermath, civilian relief or humiliation, and loss.

Here are just two examples.

Frank Hurley (1885-1962) was appointed Australia’s second official First World War photographer. Hurley had been a prominent commercial photographer in Sydney before his appointment as official photographer for Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911–13), and had recently returned from a second Antarctic trip as photographer for Ernest Shackleton’s 1914–16 expedition. When Hurley joined the AIF’s London Administrative Headquarters on 17 August 1917, he was already a figure with a huge reputation, widely recognised for the dramatic and highly aesthetic nature of his work.

Hurley spent over three months photographing the Western Front, where he produced some of the finest photographs of his long career. However, he had a difficult time with Charles Bean, who came to resent Hurley’s manner and what he saw as the unreliable nature of Hurley’s work: Hurley would have soldiers restage actions and events that he had missed, and, most controversially, produced composite images that combined fragments form different negatives.

After a series of increasingly acrimonious exchanges with Bean over his use of composites and, more broadly, over the issue of the historical reliability of his work, Hurley left the Western Front in November 1917 for the Middle East, where he photographed the activities of the Australian Mounted Division.

Hurley was also appointed an official war photographer during the Second World War, where he again photographed Australian troops in the Middle East.

Mike Coleridge (1933-) was born in Slovenia. He escaped to Austria with his mother when German troops occupied his hometown, and immigrated to Australia as an unaccompanied 16-year-old. Over the next few years Coleridge worked in a range of manual jobs in Sydney and rural New South Wales, before enlisting with the Australian Army in Darwin in 1957 and serving in Malaya with the Royal Australian Artillery.

While in Malaya, Coleridge privately made films for the British army using his own cameras. On his return to Australia in 1963, Coleridge had a reputation for this work and was appointed as public relations photographer.

Coleridge went to Vietnam in late 1966 and spent over a year in the country. Like other army public relations photographers, Coleridge operated quite independently, at times having to subsidise his work by acquiring his own film (especially colour films, which the army did not provide) and often making his own way around.

Coleridge was at all times remarkably resourceful: he established his own makeshift darkroom at the Australian base at Nui Dat, from where he processed photographs that would come to define the Australian experience of the Vietnam War.

As a young boy in Slovenia, Coleridge was fascinated by the heroics of the war cameramen responsible for the newsreels he watched in movie theatres. The image of the camera recording the frontline stayed with him. In Vietnam he often worked at great personal risk, traveling with at least three cameras. Coleridge recorded parts of the tours of duty of 5RAR, 6RAR, and 7RAR, and the range of activities he covered was vast.

He took many portraits of soldiers carefully moving through South Vietnam’s landscape to provide people in Australia with a sense of the physical conditions under which soldiers operated. He also took many photographs of Iroquois helicopters; one of these has become an iconic image of the Vietnam War for Australians.

Charmaine Dragun Death

2007-11-07T06:50:00.000+11:00

Depression and suicide are often all to familiar in this business, and usually, as media we cover these events, unaware that a tragic death has often been the result of an individual quietly battling illness for a long time.

Sadly, this week it was one of our own in the media.

Charmaine Dragun, a 29-year-old television newsreader was found dead at one of Sydney's most well-known tourist spots. Police say the death of the Channel 10 journalist and news anchor was not suspicious.

The television network where the 29-year-old had worked for eight years was in a state of shock.

Police have not commented on the circumstances leading up to the woman's death, saying only that a member of the public reported a woman was sitting at a harbour's edge lookout.

Charmaine began her career as a radio journalist. She worked as a reporter and news reader for Perth radio stations 6PR and 96FM. After making the move to television, she rose through the ranks at Ten News, covering everything from entertainment to stories of major and national significance.

Dragun was due to present the 5pm news for Perth and Ten Late News on the day she died. Staff in Perth and Sydney were only informed of her death 15 minutes before the programme was due to air.

From all of those in the industry, our deepest sympathies go to her partner, Simon, and her family.

Follow this prompt if you want to see a video tribute to Charmaine.

Lifeline 13 11 14, beyondblue 1300 224 636, Kids Help Line 1800 551 800.

Finally seeing the light! Or maybe not?

2007-10-22T14:46:00.000+10:00

In an industry that seems to continuously develop at a great rate of knots, like a whirlwind, amongst all the turbulence and debris floating out the window is some old fashioned work practices.

I had been reading various comments on a notice board at b-roll, an industry based web site, and one was a post about lighting at press conferences.

For those outside this business, a press conference usually involves one or two people addressing the media. Often it’s indoors, seated at a table or lectern and the assembled media line up in front like a firing squad. Camera crews and photographers take aim; sound recordists target boom poles and reporters, note pads and micro recorders in hand, pose pertinent questions.

However, very few of these are ever lit by the organizers. Occasionally you will find they are, but it’s less then often and it usually involves a large ‘media event’. Added to this, organizers tend to think of their audience as the ‘invited guests’. Champagne and finger food parades the room upon the deft hands of young waitresses, whilst minders, investors, shareholders and hanger-on’s, mingle and try to look important in their fleeting moments of fame.

In the meantime, camera crews move chairs to gain vital ground for tripods, complain bitterly that the background looks great to the eye but that the camera will falter and bulk at such bright detail and that the one light on the lectern will never amount to anything but a bit of show.

Audio splits are a cameraman’s worst enemy. Rarely do they work despite hiring massive amounts of gear and some whacked out has-been to drive the audio desk. Either that or some poor shmuck with the excuse, “I never set it up, I’m just operating it” falters badly as camera ops and sound recordists complain of a buzz in the audio, often caused by an earth loop, because the same said shmuck ran power in parallel with all the audio looms.

After some debate, crews and radio reporters revert to placing microphones all over the lectern, securing all with copious amounts of gaffer tape, much to the annoyance of the audio operators and to the speakers who now have no where to place their notes!

Why is it company’s part with good money for something they know nothing about? Why do they hire and never consult with the media on what is needed. I don’t think they will ever understand, nor will they ever comprehend that there is a far greater audience watching and listening via the attending media, yet so often we are the least considered.

In a smaller conference, crews will just do what they do. Like auto pilots, they set up lights and microphones and will even change back drops to suit. In the post on b-roll, the debate was about lighting and that often these days, partly because of laziness but also time constraints and technology as in better cameras, crews often do not light. This means they use available, what ever is in the room is it.

To the younger guys, this is it. It’s faster, convenient, and does anyone really notice or care?

To the older blokes, we do notice and we do care. It’s also about loss of skill and pride in what you do. There are arguments for both sides. Faster and convenient on one side and better looking product on the other. It’s more than that in detail but that’s the grits of it.

Its rare today for me to see a camera op with lights at a presser. I still carry a one light bag just to get me through and I have a bigger kit for more formal set ups. But more often crews just use available or a top/camera light.

Why has it gone this way? Speed, convenience, lack of skills training, online demands and content. As long as we roll on what is said, and it’s usable, that’s all that counts.

Recently I visited a couple of film and TV schools. The scope of the syllabus was quite extensive yet I could not help thinking where were some of these students going to get jobs and would the skills they learnt in the classroom be enough for the job required. They obviously covered the media in many forms as well as learning about the craft itself. Sound, editing, camera and lighting would all form the basis of their knowledge and abilities and go towards giving them the skills required to take their talent into the real world of TV.

I came away thinking they would probably be over equipped for the job!

Death in the Office

2007-10-07T14:00:00.000+10:00

There has been a death in the TV industry and it’s sad to say, but I think it almost went unnoticed.

It’s much like watching frail and weakened refugees in a far off land. You know the end is imminent but you cannot seem to prevent it. You feel incapable and those who you know can make a difference seem reluctant to do so.

Like a beggar in the street, we walk past completely indifferent to their peril, our lives are on a track that we cannot or fear to reroute from. Besides, we always like to think of it as someone else’s problem.

I’m not talking about a person, a known figure in the industry or a quiet achiever. The death I speak of is a process. The loss of a formula, a system, a work practice, a structure, is what this passing away is about.

Having been treading the boards of the one organization for 27 years, many a manager has come and gone. Most have seemed to be happy with the current status. Things work so leave them, if it aint broken, don’t fix it. Tweak were needed, improve as required. Keep your staff happy, and do not try to reinvent the wheel!

Well, times have changed and it’s change that’s not just indicative to my industry. Maybe it’s an age thing but these days I seem older and street wiser than my managers. I receive more instructions from people younger than me, who have more qualifications but know fuck all. We spend more time having a meeting with a committee to decide what to do, when in the same time I could have done it already.

I have to send more emails to people who could care less, just so they are seen to be kept in the loop! At the end of the day, I end up doing it myself in any case. Most of the emails are never replied to, let alone read. It is no longer acceptable to approach managers direct, instead I am required to follow a chain of command or in this case as I have been reminded, protocols!

Our training department always sends me brusque emails verbatim about following protocols and procedures when organizing staff training. However, they never do it themselves. They just send emails to everyone about how to do it. What the hell is that all about?

We spend more money making the building secure because of terrorism, yet we cannot have a defibrillator in the building in case someone has a heart attack, just because a first aider might get it wrong and kill someone! So we let them die anyway and put in glass bullet proof security doors that are not wide enough for an ambulance gurney! Go figure.

Why is it that I cannot be a specialist in any one craft anymore? Why does my Union look the other way? Apparently I need to be able to execute several tasks in order to be more efficient in the office. Yet I do not get paid more! Apparently my job descriptions can change without notice. I need to be more diverse, more ambidextrous, more tolerant, more interchangeable and adaptable!

Yep, there has been a death in the industry. I don’t know his or her name. They were the person who came in at the start of their shift and went home at the end. They never did overtime because there was no need for it and I never saw them sitting at their desk eating lunch, whilst still working.

They were actually very skilled at their job, able to do it quietly and efficiently. When something went wrong they fixed it themselves and never blamed anyone else. They knew all the other staff in the office by name and actually said hello when they passed you in the corridor!

They were always happy to help others and sometimes would buy you a little treat because they could. Nothing was to much to ask, they were interested in what the next person was doing and actually knew all there was about their field of expertise.

Yep, they passed away and the rest of the place never noticed. Yes industry is changing but it doesn’t have to like this. Sad really.

Dylan Howard, the tribe has spoken.

2007-09-10T18:44:00.000+10:00

Journalists and reporters around the world, harvest their information from an assortment of sources.

Most do extensive, thorough and sometimes far reaching research to compile a story; others make it simpler by following media spin in a press release or re edit material from AAP or Reuters. Some just simply plagiarize the hard work of someone else and I have no doubt that sometimes and hopefully very rarely, it is simply fabricated. Plain and simple, it’s made up.

What most reporters will not do and most networks will deny takes place, is checkbook journalism. It is where the essential characteristic is that the journalist pays the subject of the work money for the right to publish their story. Chequebook journalism is a symptom of the fiercely competitive commercial television industry here in Australia. People are paid to tell a story and sometimes, paid to not tell the story, at least to anyone else.

There is much debate about wether it detracts from the ‘quality’ of the story and raises questions of accuracy, particullarly when only one media outlet has exclusive rights to broadcast, and no one else has the oportunity to examine facts with questions.

It’s a minor detail that seems lost on the public. How do we know it’s the truth when only one outlet will tell the story, and the subject will only tell it for a price. For some reason the public always swallow the pill without ever questioning it.

But as an aside issue, what if the information is obtained illegally and then purchased by a network for a story and aired, how does that sit with the public? In most cases, they would never know but a recent event here in Australia has sparked quite a bit of debate amoungst the media.

Dylan Howard, a sports reporter for the Melbourne Seven Network, ran a story on August 24 about AFL football players at a Melbourne based club who were allegedly taking drugs. His story was based on information contained in medical records he ‘obtained’

It now seems, those medical records were allegedly stolen, police having arrested and charged two suspects over the theft. His network paid $3000.00 for the information and yesterday, Howard was questioned by Police over his involvement. Whilst no charges have been laid, Police will continue their investigation.

In the meantime, the Seven Network stands by Howard and his lawyer stated, "Mr Howard has asked me to stress that he acted honestly and with integrity throughout this matter.”"He reported the story because he believed it was in the legitimate public interest to do so”

"In the event that any charges are laid, they will be vigorously defended with the full support of his employer, and he is grateful to his employer for that support," His lawyer said.

The AFL Players Association and the AFL, were far from supportive. In fact, the AFL players began a boycott of Channel Seven by not taking questions from Channel Seven reporters at press conferences. It hardly made a dint, as crews would simply roll anyway.

It has raised some interesting questions. Did the network and Howard betray the clubs and the players by revealing the details, given he never actually named players or clubs? Was it in the public interest to reveal drug takers or in this case those who were allegedly in rehab?

Why is the AFL protecting it’s players rather than dealing with the drug issue. Yes Dylan Howard should not have betrayed the rights of individuals privacy when it comes to medical records, regardless of how they were obtained, and in fairness, he did not. But the AFL and the players has now turned this against the Network and its reporter has become the scapegoat.

Perhaps if those details had been obtained by another means, he may well have had the story of the year.

Brave new world

2007-08-17T09:52:00.000+10:00

It’s a brave new world! Think I must have heard that catch phrase a few times, most likely anytime between the 50’s and now. My grandparents probably contemplated it of my mother’s youth, as she would have done of me and as I now do of my own children.

What my grandparents thought was part of the “brave new world’, I’m not sure. I remember my grandfather talking about seeing his first car as a small boy and hearing music on the ‘wireless’. So impressed by the new technology, he forged a career in radio broadcasting.

For me, a child born into the 60’s, my brave new world was colour TV and calculators! I remember at school, one boy was the first to get colour TV, so we all left school and bolted around to look at it. There we were, six boys all sitting on the couch, totally subdued by the mystical colours of ‘Days of Our Lives’. I’ve never forgotten that moment, more so now because as I look back, I can recall now how deficient the quality of the picture looked.

In retrospect, my days were harmless. I grew up when kids could walk to school and still used cardboard and a clothes peg on their bikes to make a cool sound. The childish thing about technology was school kids getting a kick out of typing the numbers 55378008 into a calculator and turning it upside down! It spells BOOBLESS.

I never had a mobile phone, but nor did I ever seem to have the change to use a pay phone. Oddly enough, there never seemed to be anyone I considered necessary to call so it was academic really.

As a teenager, dad bought a new colour TV. Most impressive was the remote control on a cord, which to his exasperation, the cat enjoyed attacking. He repaired it so many times, in the end it was so short, you may as well get up and change the channel. Soon after, we got a video recorder and we spent hours mulling over the instructions on how to record a TV show on one channel whilst watching something on another. Who would have thought!

So now the tables are turning……..I need to hold those instructions a little further out to be able to read them, and my kids have done it before I get to the end! Every now and then, I call out to my 17 year old daughter to give me driving instructions on the computer and my 9 year old son can do more tricks on Xbox than me. Of course he would, all I had was pinball and PacMan.

As technology changes in my work place, I need to keep up. So far, so good, but I know a time will come when I will leave work behind and technology will overtake me. It did with my grandfather, who in later years was always impressed by my mobile phone. For a man who went to sea as a wireless operator using Morse Code, the concept of mobile phones left him somewhat mystified with the technology but in wonder of its practical use.

Recently we have changed to Panasonic and the P2 camera’s and with that comes a new evolution in our work place. Fortunately I have been part of the project for the last two years and now we are at a rollout phase which includes training all our staff of which I am responsible. So far, all the crews have achieved well, some slower but that’s to be expected.

It is hard though, to get your head around new technology, particularly when it involves computers, of which today’s world seems so dependant on and also in a world where the technology is evolving so rapidly. I’m pretty good because I’m interested, so I will play with things and work them out but I know some will be left behind.

When we changed from film to videotape in 83, some people retired believing it was the end of an era. I know we have some staff who openly embrace change, but silently they struggle. My daughter is interested in becoming an editor. So another generation is set to be thrust into the TV world and all it encompasses. I wonder what technology she will encounter and conquer.

Yes, it’s a brave new world.

Helicopter Down

2007-08-02T22:40:00.000+10:00

Most people get up for work, shower, breakfast, kiss kids and loved ones goodbye and drive off to work, and never once mull over the fact that it may well be their final day. In fact most of us would not ever consider the option, preferring to conceal the inevitable deep in the recesses of our minds.

In fact, there is only one profession that I would truly consider one that defies the previous paragraph is that of a soldier or member of the defence force who is truly in a profession where he is required to die if called upon.

Police and other emergency workers expect a level of hazard and danger and they have a healthy respect for it. No doubt there are other professions that also, in their own right, carry risk.

As a news cameraman, I have never considered my job dangerous. I have accepted that there are fundamentals of what I do that potentially could prove hazardous and if not treated reverently, could be extremely treacherous. I have never walked out the door in the morning and considered it my last.

This past week, four people working in this industry, walked out of their own houses, like any other day. But this day sadly, they never came home. They were working for TV networks in Phoenix, in the USA.

Five news helicopters and one police helicopter were in the air following a truck that police were pursuing through Phoenix when two of the media helicopters made contact. They plummeted from an altitude of about 500 feet into a grassy park in the middle of the city and burst into flames. All four people aboard the KNXV-TV and KTVK-TV helicopters, one pilot and one cameraman on each were killed.

In 1984 and 1989, news helicopters collided in Japan, killing 6 in total. This seems a first in the United States at least, where the use of helicopters for news gathering is most prolific.

In May of 2004, a Channel 4 news helicopter crew cheated death when their helicopter corkscrewed out of the evening sky, slammed into a Brooklyn apartment building in New York and shattered into pieces.

Predominately, the industry has changed. Previously, helicopters were used in the main as media transport, ferrying a reporter and crew to the scene. Now it’s more about using the helicopter as a camera platform, added with the ability to go live with breaking news.

The addition of newer technology, better camera systems and links and the introduction of FLIR camera systems have enabled the helicopter to become part of the newsroom environment and allow the viewer to be there on scene, from the comfort of their lounge chair.

Many news cameramen operate out of helicopters, either using FLIR systems or working from open doors with harness and camera mounts. Either way, everytime I go out in the helicopter, it never occurs to me that it may be my very last time. Nor do I have that notion when I am sent to cover any other story. In fact I enjoy flying and the sense of liberty that a helicopter appears to provide is quite different to that of an aeroplane.

We often use our helicopter as a camera platform, as well as an extravagant taxi, but whatever use it has, I have always maintained a healthy deference for it. As a TV news cameraman, being in scenarios that have elements of risk is part of the job. A tragedy like this is a harsh reminder of that fact.

As peers, our feelings and sympathies go out to those families left behind. To ourselves, our thoughts are with our own loved ones and in the reflection that each day we can come home to them. It’s a bonus.

Searching for Daniel

2007-07-28T19:03:00.000+10:00

Every now and then, along comes a story that borders on out of the ordinary. In this case, the story itself was not all that different to many others like it around the world.

A 2 yr old child is left in the care of another. The child goes missing, presumed dead, and the child minder becomes the prime suspect. The police have a good case but not solid enough to make an arrest, but principally what is different here, but not entirely unusual, they have no body.

Without that, they lack a vital element that may well link the suspect to the crime, but also there is no child to bury and no closure for the family.

It’s been four years since the day Daniel Thomas disappeared, presumed murdered and last week, based on new information, Homicide detectives in conjunction with Search and Rescue started combing an area 15 km from the rural town of Myrtleford where Daniel disappeared. Information given to police suggested that his body may have been dumped near the roadside in an area know for plantation pine logging.

With this new information in hand, police converged on the small town and began the painstaking task of searching in dense bush and scrub, carefully examining every nook and cranny. A variety of old bottles and spent rifle cartridges from rabbit shooting were found but the remains of Daniel remained elusive. The finding of bones would temporarily halt proceedings only to be resumed once it was established they were from wild animals.

In all of this were Daniels parents, Kevin and Donna, keeping a remote vigil of proceedings. As media, we equally descended on the town in numbers, taking up camp at motels, setting up satellite trucks and converging on the location of the search.

On the day I went up, we flew by helicopter. Onboard I called ahead for a taxi to meet us at the airstrip to ferry us out to the search site. In a small country town, most taxi’s amount to one and the mobile number usually goes direct to the driver, as it did in this case. To the operator I described our helicopter, where we were to land and to where we wanted him to take us.

“No problem” he said. I know where you need to go, I’m Daniels father”

For the next fifteen minutes, I thought I had misheard him. It could hardly be the case that the only taxi in the area that I had just booked was being driven by the father of the deceased!

We landed, loaded the car, pilled in and made our acquaintances only to discover that in fact I had heard correctly and that now the man in the front seat was going to ferry us to the very place police were searching for his son’s body.

I asked him if this was a problem, offering to hire the car or get another driver, but he assured us it was okay and he understood we had a job to do as did the police. He had a presence of mind to understand that the role of the media can also be one of a positive nature and as long as we continued to report events, it would remain public and hopefully that may help to bring more evidence forward.
The police had not formally informed him of the search, a routine procedure to avoid suspects from tampering with evidence, not that Kevin was considered one.

The twenty minute drive was shortened by conversation about the weather and the recent bushfires. I ventured out and asked him about the media intrusion and his feelings of the search. He was fluent and candid but said he had uncertainties as he knew he was approaching the search site, soon to loom around the next bend.

The road from there was a fairly long open road, and in the distance, vans, police vehicles and media cars and crews could be seen milling about, waiting for a find. I can only surmise an eagle eyed snapper spotted the lone taxi venturing into the lions den of media. It did not take a scientist to determine who was behind the wheel and soon snappers raised lenses on monopods and cameramen locked cameras onto tripods. They were raised like sentinels fronting an intruder.

From where I sat in the back of the taxi, I could feel their lenses zooming in on us like rabbits in a spotlight. We came to a halt to the sound of motor drives on cameras and the snapping of lenses as cameras were pressed up against the windows. Kevin wound down his window only to have microphones pushed in to get a grab from the father of Daniel.

For a brief moment I felt like a rock star. But it soon turned to a feeling of revulsion as I felt like I was being examined, and had some guilt that I was supposed to confess to. I left the car, gathered my gear and retreated to the side of the road. As Kevin left I made my apologies and walked off, camera slung over the shoulder, and headed in the opposite direction.

The waiting media were curious as to how we had scored him as a driver and what had been said. I gave them little, as Kevin had done. Later in the day, Kevin drove us again and we did get an interview out of him. He seemed a good man, who had lost a son in tragic circumstances and desperately needed closure. We wished him well and returned to our helicopter for the trip home.

The trip home seemed quieter. The reporter sat and wrote her script, the pilot did his flying and I just enjoyed the view, but as we crossed the mountains, I could not help to wonder if somewhere out there Daniel Thomas lay, and that hopefully he could be found and placed at peace and that Kevin would also find some level of comfort and closure in this tragic part of his life.

Mines bigger than yours!

2007-07-01T20:49:00.000+10:00

It’s one of those days, rushing from job to job, doing lap after lap of the block trying to find a car spot.

The office is squeezing every last drop out of you and in the meantime you try to ingest some foodstuff to keep you going.

So far you manage to just keep your head above water. You find a park, just get to the job on time, manage to get a good position in the press conference, and finally after you know your rolling, vision is getting down and the audio needle is bouncing away, you relax!

Then before you know it, your packing up and off to the next assignment, only to unpack again and set up lights still warm from the last one!

At last you get a park out front and as you look around you realize you are the first crew to arrive. Fantastic, you think. You can get inside, pick pole position, set up and relax and watch everyone else squabble over the scraps.

Not this time either buddy. You just got guzumped by a 20 something, hot out of TV school know it all, armed with his piddly little video camera and blow away in a breeze tripod! He got pole position and he don’t care a bee’s fart that you have hauled your arse across town 6 times already with the vain hope that at least once in the day, you might feel like your not dragging it……..

Yep, that’s it. I now officially hate those pissy little buggers with the equally pissy little camera’s shooting for who ever cares online TV, and who shoot for all the endless sports programs that seem to have spawned overnight and National Geographic missed it!

Here in Australia, its football time. With that come all the sports tools that seem to hibernate during summer unless they follow cricket or tennis, which sadly for our sport, those tools seem to follow nutting out on laptops those same old tired and ridiculous clichés that were used last year and the year before that.

Time after time, I am in battle with little video cameras and their not so knowledgeable operators who apart from lacking any camera skills, seem to fail to notice that there is a way of ‘doing things’ on the road.

Not that I oppose change, just the arrogance that comes with it. There seems to be not only a lack of respect for regular network shooters, but a lack of awareness. Their attentiveness to those around then seems somewhat inadequate. They disregard requests to move a little to allow others a vantage point, as well as failing to recognize others microphones when they seek to place theirs in front of all others.

This industry is ever evolving and we as operators need to constantly evolve with it, but what the cost to our profession that we start to venture down the dog eat dog path of self destruction?
Who is hiring these ‘go out and get’em’ young guns and more importantly, who is teaching them? Has our technology so changed that my years of experience and skill are no longer needed and are our newsrooms and means of digesting our daily news changing so much that we are prepared to go down the path of handy cam trash TV?

Probably. Well that being the case, thank goodness I am at the afternoon end of my journey.

Media and Funerals

2007-06-17T22:58:00.000+10:00

Picture by Angela Wylie - The Age

Recently on the 5th of June in Central Victoria, there was a horrific train and truck crash that took the lives of 11 innocent train passengers and injured dozens more.

In the state's worst rail disaster in more than six decades, the truck slammed into a three-carriage passenger train six kilometers north of Kerang about 1.40pm.

The force of the collision ripped the train's second carriage open down one side and separated the third carriage from the rest of the train.

What followed was a media frenzy. As dozens of newsrooms went into overdrive, crews and reporters and photographers were dispatched with little notice and little information.

As reports started to reach newsrooms and the airwaves it became more apparent that this was more than a minor incident. As the media began to converge on the scene and begin the task of reporting, it was obvious that this would turn out to be a long night as rescue crews had done their task and what remained was to secure the scene to be able to begin the grim task of removing the dead at first light.

As the days followed, the media continued its job of keeping a presence at the scene but in somewhat reduced numbers. Each day found a new story angle. Interviews with rescuers, interviews with crash investigators and pictures of the scene close up.

Pretty soon, the scene returns to normality, the town begins the healing process, the reporters start to run out of new angles, and the investigators return to the city to begin the process of trying to piece together the events of the crash.

The media pack up. Down come the masts of the link trucks. Satellite dishes are folded away, cables wrapped and motel rooms and hotel bars are left empty.

To the outside eye, life returns to normal. The occasional holiday tripper will pass slowly by the crash site, the wind rustling through the long grass like a ghost on the breeze. A lone crow watching silently on a telephone pole. The town will be glad to have the staring eyes of the media off them. They will be glad to be able to mourn together, to express their grief at such a terrible loss and tragedy, away from prying eyes and lenses.

But their relief will be short-lived. For every death there is a burial and in a case where there are 11, the media will be sure to follow.

There has always been much debate about the intrusion of the media at such personal events. Perhaps where there has been an event that has affected so many lives, how can it simply be ignored? In simple terms, it can’t. Do the public have a right to be there, to be a witness to personal grief and loss through the media?

These are not public figures or celebrities. They are ordinary people who lost their lives in a tragic way. One Melbourne network, the ABC TV News made a conscious choice not to cover the funerals, whilst the other networks were there as expected. The funerals were not attended by politicians and there is to be a public state memorial service to which all networks will undoubtedly cover.

Covering funerals has always been hotly debated about the rights of the family as opposed to the rights of the public and the media.

In my view, the general public has no right. The anguish already caused to a family in loss is not better served by the public having access via a TV Network. The public already know their pain and suffering from the initial reports and to want more at such a personal time is simply selfish.

The media, in trying to feed the beast and justify attending such events as in the public’s interest is kidding themselves. Some TV crews and reporters take great delight in getting the money shot, but for many, there is a quiet feeling of shame at the vagrant and exploitive intrusion into peoples lives.

The public and the media have no right and these people should be left to heal without the knowledge that their pain will be captured by a TV lens and shared like hot chips amoungst a bunch of hungry seagulls.

Balibo Five

2007-06-03T13:14:00.000+10:00

On the 5th of February, 2007, the NSW Coroners Court began an inquest into the death of Brian Peters. In 1975, Peters was a British Cameraman working for TCN 9 Sydney and along with reporter Malcolm Rennie, were covering the deaths of Catholic Priests in Aceh, Indonesia.

With them were also two Australians, Reporter Greg Shacklton, Sound Recordist Tony Stewart and New Zealand Cameraman, Gary Cunningham, working for HSV 7 in Melbourne.

The five were based in the town of Balibo which was then in Portuguese Timor. They were all killed by Indonesian troops on October 16th, 1975 and became known as the Balibo Five.

Brian Peters

The Indonesian Military justified the killings on the basis they believed the News Crews were Communists and were sympathizers of the Fretilin Party in Portuguese Timor, but it’s more the belief that the Indonesians were in fear of their Military incursions being exposed.

Its often been strongly suggested that at the time, Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, gave approval to the Indonesians for the killings. A claim he strongly denies. Yunis Yosfiah, former Minister for Information in the Habibie Government of Indonesia in 1988 and 1999, is said to have been the leader of the Balibo attack and the one to give the order to kill the five.

An eyewitness describes how the five where shot with their arms in the air. The fifth escaped to a bathroom of the house they were staying in. When he emerged he was stabbed in the back. There are also allegations the bodies of the five were placed in military uniforms and posed with weapons to make it look like they were involved in active fighting.

The enquiry continues but it would seem there is enough evidence to refer the matter to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to consider the prosecution of persons unnamed for the war crime of willful killing.

Greg Shacklton

The five had called their house, ‘The Embassy’ after Greg Shacklton painted the Australian Flag and the word ‘Australia’ on the front. By the end of the day, they were all dead, their bodies burned over the next three days and later interred in a Jakarta Cemetery.

Their deaths have for the last 30 years remained a mystery. Suggestions of murder, execution and the possibility of being caught in crossfire have all added to the mystery. Nor has there has been any comfort for their friends and families who for many years have believed there has been a cover up and inaction by both Governments.

Code of Ethics

2007-05-25T11:46:00.000+10:00

Every now and then I like to play games in the car, usually with reporters and typically on long trips.

We play a question & answer game, only I get to ask the questions. I usually ask, if you had a dinner party, which six people you would invite. If you could interview someone famous, who would it be, and what’s your most memorable story and why?

It invites, in most, some entertaining debate and at times provokes someone to think about what they have done or perhaps would like to do.

The other day when I was out with a reporter, we played our game, and I asked her if she had ever done something dishonest, fraudulent or falsified a story, and furthermore was she ashamed of something she had done whilst working in the media.

Straight away she said, No!

And then she sat quietly for a short while as we headed back to the office. At first I thought I may have offended her by asking such a question. I did not think it an unreasonable inquiry, but now I was beginning to think I had over stepped the mark.

A few moments later, she uttered the word, “Actually………”

I knew there was more coming. “Why don’t we stop for a coffee on the way back?”

Oh dear. Now I thought I was going to have her confess to some heinous crime of journalism. Some terrible burden she had carried with her all these years and now it was time to absolve her sins.

As I stirred the sugar into my coffee, waiting for her to break down and sob uncontrollably………

“I once used footage that I promised I would not”

“Sorry! Think I missed that. Did you say you killed someone to get a story or that you used vision you said you would not use?”

“I used vision………….

“Hmmm, that’s what I thought you said”

I hardly thought she had committed a massive crime. She did. She then turned the tables on me and my only confession was that I had secretly filmed someone, who had asked not to be filmed and then agreed to tell us some details about a story. I had the camera tucked under my arm and filmed and it was put to air. I felt some shame at my dishonesty and betrayal of trust and have avoided such practices ever since.

I have no doubt that there are some extremely unscrupulous reporters and crews out there treading the beat of news and current affairs, defending their actions under the presumption that “It’s in the publics interest”

Bullshit. It’s about beating the opposition. I have witnessed betrayal and deceit and seen reporters shape untruths into fact. There is an old saying in this industry……..

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Journalists have a Code of Ethics. I doubt many could dictate from it. I doubt they could tell you what the first point is or the other 11, let alone the four key ingredients.

Honesty
Fairness
Independence
Respect for the rights of others

And the first point is……….

1. Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts. Do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis. Do your utmost to give a fair opportunity for reply.

Ever wondered what they are? Well here are the other 11……..

2. Do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, family relationships, religious belief, or physical or intellectual disability.

3. Aim to attribute information to its source. Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree without first considering the source’s motives and any alternative attributable source. Where confidences are accepted, respect them in all circumstances.

4. Do not allow personal interest, or any belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit, to undermine your accuracy, fairness or independence.

5. Disclose conflicts of interest that affect, or could be seen to affect, the accuracy, fairness or independence of your journalism. Do not improperly use a journalistic position for personal gain.
6. Do not allow advertising or other commercial considerations to undermine accuracy, fairness or independence.

7. Do your utmost to ensure disclosure of any direct or indirect payment made for interviews, pictures, information or stories.

8. Use fair, responsible and honest means to obtain material. Identify yourself and your employer before obtaining any interview for publication or broadcast. Never exploit a person’s vulnerability or ignorance of media practice.

9. Present pictures and sound which are true and accurate. Any manipulation likely to mislead should be disclosed.

10. Do not plagiarize.

11. Respect private grief and personal privacy. Journalists have the right to resist compulsion to intrude.

12. Do your utmost to achieve fair correction of errors.

Truck + Car + Camera Crew = Accident

2007-05-12T18:31:00.000+10:00

As a TV crew, you are at times for various reasons required to film in areas where the public often frequent. This can be shopping centers, parks, public buildings, sporting grounds, universities, footpaths, even the beach and numerous other comparable places.

When filming in any of these areas, a crew needs to be mindful of the public and the responsibility they have to ensure that their actions whilst filming do not endanger or put at risk the public in any way. In almost all cases, TV crews go about their news duties with no incident whatsoever. In fact, the only two cases I can recall here were a crew who accidentally knocked down a pedestrian whilst giving chase at the courts and a reporter who hit a pedestrian in the head with a tripod as he, with good intent, carelessly slung it onto his shoulder.

The road is a different kettle of fish. Moving cars at speed, distractions and obstruction of view can combine to make a lethal cocktail, and in this case, almost disaster. In Melbourne recently, there was a vehicle accident that involved a truck and cars. In this case it took place in the Domain Tunnel resulting in a vehicle pile up, two trucks, fire and sadly three dead.

Turn the clock forward, and Channel Nine airs a story titled “Truck terror in the tunnel” on its “A Current Affair” show, one month after the fatality. The show had taken a woman driver into the tunnel who claimed that she was terrified because she always found trucks intimidating.

This was demonstrated by adding cameras to her car and asking her to drive through the tunnel, capturing the vision of her and the ‘intimidation’. Apparently, and clear by the video evidence, a crew car is in front of her with a rear mounted camera and apparently another is in another lane, filming as well.

The crew then was filming a truck which then changed lanes at the same time as another car changed into the same lane. The result is spectacular with the truck pushing the car out of the tunnel. Amazingly, the driver of the car walked away, but now the incident is being investigated by the Police as there are suggestions that the crew and Channel Nine had been responsible for the crash.

……from www.theage.com.au

The pair entered the right-hand lane of the tunnel with a 22-tonne truck travelling behind them. As the truck neared the tunnel's exit, it moved into the centre lane, colliding with a Mercedes E320 also merging at the same time. The incident was filmed by a camera in the back window of the ACA 4WD.

The driver of the truck, Sydneysider Simon Lingham, told The Age: "In my belief Channel Nine were the ones that caused the accident. They were all over the road and the only reason I changed lanes was to avoid them."

Mr Lingham said he had noticed the ACA vehicle more than two kilometres before it entered the tunnel, after it blocked his attempt to overtake.

"I thought the driver in front was some clown on a mobile phone, who was not paying attention. I tried to pass them on at least one occasion before we entered the tunnel, but they actually sped up and got in front of me," he said.

"They were driving erratically, constantly changing their speed without using their brakes."

Any experienced cameraman will read this article and, as I did, almost without hesitation surmise what took place. It’s easy to suggest the crew were at fault, possibly they were. A Police investigation will determine that but it opens up possibilities as to the responsibilities tv crews have when working in areas that involve public safety. This extends to reporters, producers and ultimately station managers.

How many times have you been filming beside the scene of a car accident, only to hear the sound of screaching tyres and sometimes metal on metal. I know I have. Does that mean we as a crew are partly to blame for encouraging rubber neckers. No, not in that case but filming beside the road, creating an unwanted distraction, maybe or in this case, hindering traffic flow to get the shots, as seems to be the suggestion.

…..from www.theage.com.au

"The 4WD with ACA was changing speed and definitely contributed to the collision," he said. "It was totally irresponsible of Channel Nine and they created a situation where a crash was almost inevitable."

The Age has learned that another vehicle driven by an ACA producer and camera crew was also in the tunnel at the time of the collision.The role of the second car is unclear, but it is believed to have taken additional footage of tunnel traffic and may have impeded traffic flow.

You will have to keep visiting for the update but you can READ THE FULL STORY here and also view the footage.

Standby for Test Pattern

2007-04-27T20:40:00.000+10:00

Ever lost the signal on your TV and after a few moments, had your viewing pleasure interrupted by a test pattern? Ever wondered how long you would sit there staring at it, waiting patiently for your favorite TV show to reappear.

It seems to happen less these days, more probable the program you were watching was a strip of film that got caught in the telecine machine. Not much different to the days of cinema when without explanation, the projector would stall and the image of film buckled up and flickering radiated across the screen accompanied by the jeers of the audience.

Test pattern actually does have a purpose, other than keeping you entertained as you sit and wait. It lets you know that there is no merit in getting up to bash the side of your TV, the station is at fault!

Test patterns or Test Cards as they are sometimes known, are broadcast at times when the transmitter is active but no programme is being broadcast. Test Pattern has been around as long as TV and they were originally physical cards which a television camera was pointed at, more notably before and at the end of transmission times. In 1934 the first testcard ‘Tuning Signals’ were broadcast, the earliest being a simple line and circle. North America followed in 1939 and the BBC in 1947.

Some cards are still used for calibration, alignment, and matching of cameras, but nowadays test patterns used for calibrating or troubleshooting are generated by test signal generators. So what happened to all those test pattern cards? Probably ended up in a dumpmaster.

All except one………..

Who would have thought test pattern could be famous. Apparently it is, at least in the American North. In 1939 the famous ‘Indian Head’ first appeared. The Indian Head test card was a black and white television test pattern that was introduced in 1939 by RCA of Harrison, New Jersey as a part of the RCA TK-1 Monoscope. Twentieth century television became so important socially that this mere technical image, covertly identified as a branded industrial product, has become a historic cultural icon. Its name comes from the art of an American Indian featured on the card.

The Indian Head test pattern became familiar to large TV audiences that had bought television sets from 1947 on. The Indian Head would often follow the formal television station sign-off after the United States national anthem. This Indian Head pattern was also used in Canada, following the Canadian national anthem sign-off in the evening.

BBC test cards are identified by a letter. The most famous British test card is Test Card F which incorporates a colour photograph of Carole Hersee, daughter of BBC engineer George Hersee playing noughts and crosses with a doll. It was used on the BBC and ITV from the beginning of colour broadcasts in the late 1960s. It was later updated as Test Card J, and for widescreen broadcasts as Test Card W. Test Card F has often been spoofed by comedians.

To think that such a simple thing as test pattern could actually become famous defies explanation, but there you have it. I managed to write a blog about it, and I was surprised at the number of web sites dedicated to Test Pattern! A google search came up with a few more interesting patterns.

CLICK HERE to read more on the Indian Head

Wartime Cameramen Remembered

2007-04-22T15:06:00.000+10:00

Flag Raising Iwo Jima

62 years ago, a U.S. Marine motion-picture cameraman stood in dust and bramble inside a rocky volcano, waiting to film a flag-raising. “I’m not in your way, am I, Joe?” he shouted to a nearby still photographer over the relentless Pacific wind.

“No, it’s all right,” the photographer replied. “Hey, there she goes, Bill!” Five Marines and a Navy corpsman pushed up the long, heavy pipe improvised as a flagstaff. The wind snapped the flag during its rise. Once up, however, Old Glory stood out straight and full. The movie man cranked 198 frames of 16mm Kodachrome ASA 8 film through his Bell & Howell camera until the film ran out. He would never know whether he captured the entire lift. The still photographer took a picture with his 4x5 Speed Graphic at the peak of action.

Each of the two photographers had caught an enduring moment of the American experience. Joe Rosenthal, The Associated Press still photographer, would win a Pulitzer Prize for his shot of the raising of the flag on the summit of Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945. The film by Sgt. Bill Genaust would live on gloriously as well, but his name would be all but lost to history after his death nine days later.
(Taken from Parade.com)

Here in Australia, the 25th April is our National Day for the remembrance of those who fought and gave their lives and it is called Anzac Day, so named for the day Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops landed at Gallipoli at dawn on April 25th, 1915. With the allied loss at 180,000 it is widely seen as the ‘founding’ of Australia. Australia has been involved in many wars, most notably both the World Wars and the Vietnam Conflict.

Information about the wars were often relayed to those at home by letters, newspapers and wartime newsreels. The newsreels had a significant and enduring influence on Australian society in that for many years they provided the only audiovisual depiction of major events such as elections, wars, floods, bushfires etc, reflecting the changing attitudes of the Australian population spanning almost half a century.

Still from the movie 'Newsfront'

Many of those behind the cameras that brought you those pictures have all but passed, and sadly many have been forgotten. In this blog I wanted to just touch on a few who by their own achievements, have left us with a piece of history forever embedded in celluloid.

Bill Genaust in action on Iwo Jima

Sgt. Bill Genaust risked his life to film one of the most famous events of World War II, the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima in 1945. He died in combat nine days later.

You can read the full story HERE

Damien Parer was a war cameraman whose film 'Kokoda Front Line' was awarded an Oscar in 1943. Following service with Australian units, Parer was killed covering US operations in the Pacific. Parer’s war work took him to the Middle East in 1940 to witness Australian troops in action. He photographed and filmed the early victories in Libya, and the fighting in Greece and Syria and at the siege of Tobruk. Returning to Australia to cover the fighting in the Pacific, he filmed the Australians fighting along the Kokoda Trail in Papua.

Still from Parer's film 'Kokoda'

Increasingly unhappy with the Department of Information for its frugality and interference, Parer resigned in 1943 to work for Paramount News. He went on to cover American operations; on 17 September 1944, during the invasion of Peleliu Island he was killed, with his camera in hand, by a Japanese machine-gunner.

Damien Parer

You can read more on Damien Parer HERE.

Neil Davis was unusual among foreign correspondents. Davis chose to film the war from the South Vietnamese perspective, shooting acclaimed combat footage on many occasions and acquiring a reputation for skill and luck. He was driven by the desire to obtain the best film he could and was well-known for his neutrality, crossing, on one occasion, to film from the Viet Cong side.

Davis's main preoccupation was with filming the effects of war and combat on individuals. His neutrality notwithstanding, Davis earned the ire of United States military authorities, but this did not stop American news networks seeking out his film.

After Vietnam, Davis based himself in Bangkok, but travelled widely to cover stories in Angola, the Sudan, Uganda and Beirut. On 29 January 1977 he married Chou Ping, but the couple separated in 1980. The following year he was briefly imprisoned in Iraq, accused of spying for Israel.

Davis hitching a ride in a Huey

On 9 September 1985, Davis was killed by shrapnel while filming a coup in Bangkok.

Brad Jacobs notches up 50

2007-04-15T21:35:00.000+10:00

In this industry, employees are consumable and many will simply pass through a television station, rather than make a profession of it. I myself am one of those who by no definable alternative, has remained with the same network for the last 26 years, since practically walking out the front gate of school and in through the front gate of a television station that was literally down the road.

In my own network there are those that have graced our corridors for more years than I and in some cases reached the 40 year mark. By then, most have well and truly moved to greener pastures or stiller waters, and I don’t suggest as in 6 feet under, but the ‘R’ word.

Retirement!

For some that quest or need to keep working, to keep the cylinders pumping and a head of steam up is but a distant memory and the decision to use a three or a four iron is what now consumes their daily need. Out of that pack, every now and then an individual will soldier on, year after year. They quietly and efficiently continue to do what they have always done, secure in the comfort that they can.

These people no longer work to pay the mortgage or put food on the table or educate teenagers. Their needs are no longer driven by an all consuming world, but by a will to continue to do what they do because of one simple desire, they love doing it.

Enter stage left, Brad Jacobs, a cameraman with American 5 Eyewitness News. He has been capturing images through the lens for 50 years, and has no plans to retire. He came to work at KSTP-TV from Duluth in 1957. Since then, he's travelled the world and neighbourhoods of the Twin Cities, Saint Paul and Minneapolis. His career has seen him use film cameras through to various inceptions of ‘modern portable’ electronic cameras to today’s modern News cameras.

He covered riots in the 60’S and was attacked while in his news car, kicked in the head and hospitalized. In an interview for TV on his network he talks about covering a speech by Kennedy and when JFK left the podium no one claimed the copy of his speech which he left, so he took it.

He does not intend to retire, and on the day he celebrates his milestone, he’s working. As Brad says of his 50 years, “If I had the opportunity to choose a life's occupation again, I would make the same choice.”

His network ran a tribute to him WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE

Well done Brad.

One frame can make a difference

2007-04-13T10:18:00.000+10:00

A recent posting on her blog Femme Fontanelle about the Pulitzer winning photographer, Kevin Carter and his most famous photograph of a young child being stalked by a hungry vulture, got me thinking.

What other images that have been captured by photographers and news hounds, have so captivated an audience that the viewer has been moved to think differently about the world in which we live.

What photos out there evoke social comment or inspire imagination. What images have made change in the world in which we live?

So a simple search on the internet came up with but just a few examples.

BTW….here is another blogger for those who like stills visit.....

One Picture a Day

A Narrow Depth of View

2007-04-10T19:17:00.000+10:00

Far be it for me to post twice on the same topic, but my recent experiences with our new online VJ provoked me to post for a second time.

I copied my previous post onto a site I frequent called B-Roll. It has amongst other things related to the industry, a message board, where refined and hapless operators can express thoughts or ask questions or provoke debate, all in the comfort of those who are like minded, and do so with a chosen amount of anonymity.

The VJ debate is a tired one, quite frankly one I can no longer be bothered with. I was somewhat tested by a response from a character by the name of Pre Set who in response to my previous post, wrote………

Why does one take it as their responsibility to "train" VJ's in the first place?Shouldn't the VJ know what it's supposed to do when it gets there?This sounds like an assembly line worker having to "train" the robot that will eventually replace him and put him out of work!Let the VJ's succeed or fail on their own....

I am often stunned by the shear arrogance and foolishness of people who seem to think that progress happens everywhere but in their own backyard. The television industry is an ever evolving demographic that changes shape and content as often as kids mould plasticine. Technology, that we thought was beyond us 20years ago, is now a domestic item and the youth are far more equipped and able minded to cope and gear themselves.

Enter our VJ.

She came out with me on the road and basically imitated my moves. Very soon she was like the young fledgling, keen to take her firsts steps towards independence. Despite some wobbly starts, she did well, and in time she will prove to be a good operator. Whilst the system she is part of is only in a tentative and infant stage, it is no different to the era my grandfather was in when as a young wireless operator at sea crossing the Atlantic, heard one of the first broadcasts from the BBC, and was so captivated by this ground breaking technology, he left the sea and pursued a career in radio.

Whilst I am not a defender of the VJ, and can see its weaknesses, I will defend change and progress if it’s warranted, and even when we think it may be for the worse, and change is not always avoidable, it’s up to us to make the transformation a positive one.

The young ‘Pre Sets’ of this world forget the practised operator who retired or left to make way for them. They forget that many cameramen have gone before them carving out careers and opportunities and modifying technology that evolves the job into what it is today. What was once done by a team of specialist and trained personnel, is now done by one, themselves. I bet they probably have never given it a second thought.

If it walks, looks & sounds like a VJ, it must be a VJ!

2007-04-02T20:18:00.000+10:00

After much debate and dialogue on various blogs and message boards around the world, the subject concerning VJ’s or Video Journalists has come to closer shores for me. For those unaware of what a VJ is, this is the definition given by Wikepedia.

"Video journalism is a form of broadcast journalism, where the production of video content in which the journalist shoots, edits and often presents his or her own material."

In fact today, one of our reporters started her first day as a VJ in our office. More of a ripple in the pond rather than a tsunami, but much more apparent to me as I am training her! Over the next few days, she will be my shadow. Every job I go to, she will follow. Everytime I set up my tripod, she will do likewise, and when I hit record, she will follow.

“I shall call her mini me”

Why not? Her camera does the same as mine, only smaller, her tripod is comparable but smaller and her audio kit is less significant, as is her light kit. Well it should. It only has one light.

So there she is. A cut down, ergonomically shaped, refined, mini turbo version of me! (not her in the photo)

Or is she? The next few days will tell. She is by trade a journalist, a fairly keen one at that. I have known her for sometime and we have worked together on a number of jobs. In actual fact, I quite like her, she has spunk. I had not seen her for a while and assumed that she had moved to greener pastures, so I was both surprised and delighted to see her in the office. We shook hands and I gave her a polite kiss on the cheek to welcome her back.

OMG! Was I ‘sleeping with the enemy’?

Hardly, her work is all online, not in competition with our flagship bulletin, but it does raise some issues and whilst the rest of the reporting staff work away blindly ignorant of what is coming, I cant help but think am I aiding and abetting someone who in time may assimilate the rest of the journalistic staff down the VJ path.

The VJ is not entirely new here is Australia; in fact it’s done by several networks to achieve a number of things, primarily cheap TV. It can be argued that VJ crews get better access, are less intimidating and so on…….arguments we could have all night. Quite frankly do I care? No.

Did any one stand up and say, “Better keep soundo’s” No. This is just another step in TV evolution. Trends come and go, technology changes, budgets rule and quality will often be compromised.

Trying to stop the VJ is like trying to stop a mud slide. At the end of the day, I’m not teaching her to do my job; I’m trying to educate her to be a better VJ and deliver the best possible product she can.

Defining our Industry

2007-03-29T22:39:00.000+10:00

Fellow blogger Lenslinger at Viewfinder Blues has a small quote on the side of his blog page. It reads……..

I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.

Groucho Marx

It made me wonder what other quotes there are about our industry. I have sampled a few here found on the net for your amusement.

The one function that TV News performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.

David Brinkley, US TV Journalist, 1920-2003

It was while making newspaper deliveries, trying to miss the bushes and hit the porch, that I first learned the importance of accuracy in journalism.

Charles Osgood

In the spider-web of facts, many a truth is strangled.

Paul Eldridge

If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event... what kind of film would you use?

Author Unknown

No news is good news. No journalists is even better.

Nicolas Bentley

Journalism is organized gossip.

Edward Egglestone

Television has a real problem. They have no page two. Consequently every big story gets the same play and comes across to the viewer as a really big, scary one.

Art Buchwald, 1969

Theatre is life. Cinema is art. Television is furniture.

Author Unknown

Television: A medium - so called because it is neither rare nor well done.

Ernie Kovacs

I believe that the best cameraman is one who recognizes the source, the story, as the basis of his work.

James Wong Howe

People always seem to assume that we have a full, back-up support team - make-up, costume and a driver - but usually, in a war zone, there's only me and the cameraman.

Kate Adie

The cameraman is there for one reason, to keep the camera rolling.

Mark Burnett, "Survivor" Executive Producer

Producer/Reporter and now Cameraman!

2007-03-22T13:05:00.000+11:00

I have always believed that Journalists should, as part of their orientation to the profession have to shoot their own story. What better way to learn some of the aspects of a craft than by doing it yourself. How can you value the weight of a camera sitting on someone’s shoulders, when you have never done it yourself?

How does someone understand the intricacy of avoiding boom shadows on a sunny day or better yet, managing to get all those nice little sound bites that one takes for granted?

The indifference we have all suffered when questioned by a journalist as to why a shot is wobbly or missing or soft when quite apparently there are 120 other perfectly good shots to choose from. Why is it a journalist gets exasperated when after requesting something, is told by the very person trained in camera, lighting, sound and edit, that it’s not achievable and why, that they remain irritated for the rest of the day or continue to have more tantrums than my own teenager.

Part of that can be answered easily. Personality defect. It manifests itself in numerous forms and in numerous journalists, more predominately the young, ambitious, blond, who would eat their own young, as well as the long timers, incapable of anything else and have become bitter and twisted and think the world owes them!

The other day I was requested to meet with a producer/reporter who works for one of our ‘higher end’ production shows. I rang her to be asked if I could meet her in a city park to shoot some overlay or b-roll and perhaps a quick interview. So off I trotted and when I got to the location I found there were many cyclists in orange milling around.

I gave up looking for her as I figured she would be lost in the crowd, so I kept an eye out for a boom pole sticking up like a periscope. Nothing, so scanning again I looked for a camera perched upon a diligent cameraman’s shoulder. Nope, nothing again.

Beginning to think I had gone to the wrong location, I suddenly spied my producer/reporter amongst the crowd and sea of orange. But it was not her I spotted first, but her camera!

There she was, moving around shooting and asking questions all at the same time on her own. We met and greeted and I gave her a rather vague look as to what she was doing. I was informed that this was the way the program was going. They used full crews for sit down interviews and ‘complicated stuff’ but now reporters/producers were expected to shoot as well.

Could I support this? They get what they deserve. They could fight it with management but choose not to, but complain still about quality and compromise. Did I care to argue the point? Not really but rather than put myself in a difficult position, I shot what she needed and left. But not before she told me that she now had a new found respect for crews and their craft. Does this mean she never had respect for us before?

Like I care. I walked away thinking, so now you want me to sympathize with you? All these years you never respected us or what we did and now that you are asked to do what we do everyday, suddenly were okay?

I don’t think so. But lesson learned for her, even if somewhat to late. I do however think that every new reporter should shoot a story and learn a little respect from the start.

Be nice to your fellow shooter

2007-03-18T09:04:00.000+11:00

Who would have thought that in the game we play, daily assimilation with other media all trying to do the same thing, that somewhere in all of that inter twining of vision and sound, there would be rules.

But there are, and they are not rules based on a book but rather ethics and good old-fashioned politeness to your fellow news hound. Aside from that, a favour delivered or a courtesy extended will hopefully come back one day like a boomerang when you need it most.

Shifting your tripod a little to the left to allow someone in, holding another’s flexi fill, or lending a battery or tape to the new guy who forgot a spare are but just some of the favours crews extend to each other.

I have always been grateful for the tip that someone may come from my right or I am looking for a blue car or a man in a grey suit. It’s nice to know when I arrive at a job that someone who has been there for an hour already will sometimes let me know what I missed and who spoke.

I have always extended myself to help another in the vain hope that one day I may need to seek a favour in return and can call on it. It’s not about collecting debt but letting others know that we can all work independently but that a little consideration for a fellow goes a long way.

A further example of that is not getting in anyone else’s shot!

But this week the F1 Grand Prix is on here at Albert Park and aside from the noise and the grid girls, comes the European media and the words courtesy and polite don’t seem to factor in their dictionary, let alone work practices.

We had a press call with Rubens Barichello, which despite attempts by local media to stay controlled, it turned into a free for all. Later in the day we had the same with Fernando Alonso and we scored a one on one, which was cool. Shook the big mans hand, but not before grappling with media minders, security and mostly European media.

My one on one finally turned into a 1 on 20 as others jumped in towards the end. The British snappers were vultures and aggressive and arrogant and the Europeans were less so but completely unaware of anyone else. They walked through shots, created shadows by standing in front of lights and yelled as you recorded your interview.

Generally, none of them gave a rats. Us local boys fought back and started letting them have it. Told them we do it differently here and would not tolerate this crap. They looked at us like a cat does when told off. They simply stared blankly and then proceeded to continue regardless.

Its one of those things that happen when you get a big overseas event in your backyard. They come in, crap on your nature strip and leave. Thank goodness the race is on today and by tomorrow they will be gone. Thank goodness the event is controlled by rights holders, of which we are not, which means we can’t go near it. Having the swimming on here as well adds to our woes. But that’s controlled as well which is great because I’m working today……..Might just have a coffee and watch it all on the telly.

Australians lost and Australia's loss

2007-03-08T23:46:00.000+11:00

As most of you would have heard by now, 5 Australians were killed on the Garuda flight that crashed at Yogyakarta, one of them being reporter Morgan Mellish. Walkley Award winning journalist Mellish began his Jakarta posting with the Australian Financial Review early last year.

He won his 2006 Walkley for revealing that businessman and Liberal Party donor Robert Gerard had been appointed to the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, despite accusations against him for tax evasion.

Amazingly, a freelance cameraman filmed the crash after he himself escaped from the wreckage with a broken leg.

From: Jemima Kiss with the Guardian,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,,2028518,00.html

A cameraman working for an Australian broadcaster shot dramatic footage of survivors escaping today's Indonesian plane crash - despite suffering a suspected broken leg in the accident.

At least 22 of 140 passengers on the Garuda airlines flight are reported to have died in the crash at Yogyakarta early this morning.

The BBC reported that 118 people survived but the remaining passengers, including six journalists, are still not accounted for.

Freelance cameraman Wayan Sukardo managed to film the aftermath of the crash for Australia's Seven News after crawling free from the wreckage with a suspected broken leg.
The plane wreckage can be seen burning in the footage, while the downed aircraft's jet engines are still going emitting a high-pitched whine.

At least one journalist is thought to have died when the plane crashed in Indonesia early this morning.

Australian Financial Review reporter Morgan Mellish was one of eight Australian journalists on the Garuda airlines flight from Jakarta that crashed at Yogyakarta in central Java and is still unaccounted for.

Sydney Morning Herald reporter Cynthia Banham survived but sustained injuries as she escaped from the plane. She is reported to have 60% burns.

The plane veered off the runway and crashed through a fence at Yogyakarta. Most passengers managed to escape from the wreckage before the aircraft's fuel tanks exploded. Garuda Airlines said that 22 people died in the crash.

Journalists had been covering a trip to Indonesia by Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer. He was travelling on a separate plane and had been due to meet the head of a Muslim organisation, Din Samsyuddin, who was also traveling on the Garuda flight that crashed.

You can see the footage here……….

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/scp_v3/viewer/index.php?pid=16471&rn=248153&cl=2036829&ch=248154

Death walks amoungst us

2007-02-26T23:22:00.000+11:00

In this job, TV Crews invariably cover events that involve death. Today was no different, with the announcement by the Homicide Squad, that a deceased baby had been found in a plastic bag in a laundry cupboard. The death of the baby girl believed to have been only a day old is being investigated, whilst the mother remains in hospital suffering from shock.

Under a railway bridge early today, the remains of what police believe is a vagrant, were found. His body had been stripped of all flesh leaving some bones, ribs and arms and a skull and bedding.

Trevor Pinder, Herald Sun

Two weeks ago, my first week back on the beat after my accident, my first job was a car fatality. That week saw 14 people die on the roads in our state alone. Some I saw first hand as did one of our other crews.

I know its all part of the job, the news and a need to provide a service, but there are days or weeks when you think to yourself, “when will it end”

At what point do I get to stop going to car crashes where 19yr olds end up as mince and mothers stop putting dead babies in cupboards.

Geelong Advertiser

Swirling around in this world in which we live is a silent tornado of madness that snatches our young, the innocent and the sad and lost souls who wander the streets, only to anonymously make a name for themselves on the 6pm news as a bag of bones under a railway bridge.

Light Duties! What's that?

2007-02-15T11:36:00.000+11:00

These last few weeks I have been either off work or on light duties due to a car accident. This coming Saturday I return to normal duties and hopefully my injuries will not have enduring effects.

But what does a cameraman do for light duties, when he cannot lift or carry, has lost his car and gear to his replacement and has no office as such to hide in?

He becomes a gun at XL spreadsheets and audits and rosters and becomes a pain in the ass getting all those little jobs done that you said you would do two years ago.

Our reporters have allocated desks, and they are like a private car spot! No one dare use another’s desk and if you do there may be consequences. A reporter hates nothing more than returning to the office only to find someone else has set up base at their desk.

But I needed a desk and a computer and a phone. I also needed it for several weeks as I had been assigned a task to plan and develop a P2 workflow for our upcoming changeover. This plan is to be implemented around our other sites and as well as that I had a number of spreadsheets I wanted to formulate for various tasks that had previously been written down or simply not done.

I was at danger of becoming a spreadsheet Nazi.

That first Monday as I ventured into the office, ever the eagle eye trying to find a place to land, I spied the desk of the weather man. Now I knew he never ventured into the office till 5pm. These days everything is so like a Broadway production and everyone knows their part and their lines and most importantly their cue. The nightly news show, playing night after night to an appreciative audience, rolls on like every other night.

Production staff have it down so pat now, that often they arrive for work after their rostered time. They know what to do and they simply go through the motions. The weather man is the same. His map never changes shape, he just alters the figures and it’s all given to him by the weather bureau and graphics do the rest. In fact he is not even a weather man as such, just a reader.

But he is very protective of his desk. One time when I used it, he came in and I was still on it. He just stood there watching over my shoulder until I left. I took my time but this time I made sure I was off each night before 5pm. After that last time he put up a sign saying….

“WEATHER DESK. DO NOT USE. IMPORTANT WEATHER SOFTWARE ON COMPUTER.”

Most people ignored it and continued to use it. I actually did a search on the computer and could find no software so I called IT and said I was having a problem with the weather software and could they come and fix it. The guy came up and asked me what the hell I was talking about. He had a look and agreed there were problems with the software, mainly because THERE WAS NONE! You idiot weather man!

So armed with this information, I took up residence at the weather mans desk. I made sure that each day I was firmly embedded! When I went home at 5 to 5 I would make sure I left an array of water cooler cups and dirty a coffee mug I stole from the kitchen. I left the odd newspaper strewn and to add insult would include a note on the weather page about how they never get the forecast right.I’m sure he has no idea who it was but I am sure it bothers him. Oddly sometimes we would pass in the corridor as I left and he would give me the usual courteous smile.

As for the spreadsheets, I love them. I used to hate them because I could never get them right. Now that I am becoming a gun at them, there easy! Trouble is, I just want to put everything on them. It’s addictive.

But then that’s a new skill that before I would never have bothered with because I never needed it. Now I have it, I can utilize it to my advantage and it’s become another work tool.

See, you can teach an old dog new tricks.