Shooting
As I've said before, I work dayside on weekends, so despite the heavy workload I was home by 7:00 last night. Lucky for me, my pager sounded at 7:15.
"You're the closest," the producer said when I called in. I should explain our callout system. There is no specific person "on call" at any one time. We're all considered "on call" all the time. Spot news assignments are made based upon location. If you're the closest person to the damage, you get the call.
"There's a shooting," she said. "I'm sending the address to your pager."
I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with my gut. So far I have run on spot news five times, and every time I get a burning sensation deep down in my abdomen. I want to run right out the door, but I'm horrified by the idea of being stuck out somewhere without a toilet around if I don't take care of it before leaving. So I make a pit stop first, then feel guilty about not responding with all possible speed. One day I'm afraid I will have missed something major because I was on the crapper; that fear makes the need all the more urgent.
Anyway, that taken care of, I headed out the door to the scene of the crime. It wasn't in a great neighborhood, so I was simultaneously relieved and irritated that photogs from the other two stations had beaten me there. One of them was kind of young, like me. The other was an older guy who has been in the market for a while. I had been a little surprised that my station hadn't sent a reporter with me, and I was even more surprised that the other guys didn't have reporters with them either.
"Sunday night," the older guy said. "They won't drag out reporters for this. This is a VO."
I was excited by the story, my first real crime coverage. The other guys didn't seem that interested. In retrospect, I guess it wasn't really a great news story. Some guys got into an argument over drugs, and one shot the other.
Still, I was all over the place, shooting every angle of the house that I could get from behind the police tape. I shot cops walking around. I shot cop cars. I shot the ambulance. I shot people standing around. I shot everything while the other guys just hung around by the tape. After a while I was running out of things to shoot, so I called in to find out what more the producer wanted.
"Wait there 'til they bring out the body," she said. "Then come on back."
I joined the guys back at the tape just about the time the coroner's people were bringing out the corpse. I was all set to shoot it when the older guy said, "What are you doing? You don't want to shoot that."
I looked over, and both the other guys had turned their cameras away from the house and stepped away from them. "I always turn it away to let the cops know we're not shooting that shit," the older photog said. "Just shows some respect. There's enough to shoot without the body."
I hadn't thought about that. Something inside told me the producer would be pissed if I didn't get the body coming out. Something else told me this photog was right. I went with my gut (which had started to burn again) and turned my camera away too.
Curiously enough, it didn't become an issue. The producer was really busy, so she barely lent me her ear long enough to give her all the info for the story. I watched the story from home, and she didn't even use most of what I told her.
Still, I wonder if I should have shot it anyway.
posted by Max @ 1:12 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
Why are you always the "closest" to these things? If I were you, I'd move as far away from the station as possible...then someone else will be "closest."
So close, and yet so far...
the producer ALWAYS wants more shots that involve staying at the scene. they of course ALWAYS forget that they asked you to do that and the editors will only use the first four shots on your tape anyway. and in the end no one cares except for you.
however, we always gripe about shit but we always stay in this industry. go figure.
Tip:
Always, always, always shoot the body if they bring it out while you are there. Who cares about respect?
I know this was just a drug killing, but what if it was someone important's son or daughter? What if it turned out to be a national story? You'd be the only guy with video of the stiff. That means you'd be the
Tip #2:
Who cares if the other photogs don't shoot it? Fuck 'em, you'll just have better video. Do your thing, not the other photog's thing.
It's better to have the video and not need it than need the video and not have it.
Forget the other photogs, shoot the body!
The body is the main shot. The house, the police tape, the cops walking around and the cop cars are filler. The only time we would turn the cameras way would be for the body of a police officer or fireman. And that's mostly to keep a good working relationship with them.
As Donald would put it: "You're fired!"
You turned away? Awwww.
You're a reporter? You're telling a story, right? What was the end result of this situation?
The body was covered? Of course it was. The scene was sanitized, so show it. C'mon, dude.
Next time, whip your lens over to show your buds bowing (and averting their lenses) in reverence.
Oh, my! How sad.
(Now, I'm thinking this blog is a gag. I'm certainly gagging.)
I would have shot it... of course, the body had already been shot once.
Sincerely,
Frank U. McBoob
Most definetely shoot the body... It's always better to have too much footage. I don't know your stations policy though... If the body is even partially uncovered (feet included) I turn away but if it's covered tally light's on.
I always shoot the body as well. My station has a policy of not showing the covered bodies on air, yet we're hypocrites showing dead bodies and stuff from the streets of Baghdad. It's better to CYA - cover your ass.
Thanks for the comments. I guess I should have shot it, but I'm still feeling my way around in this job and didn't want to go against the other guys if this is the way things are done here.
I'll know better next time.
Doing what the other photogs do is "the way things are done here?"
I don't get it.
So everyone from all the stations have all the same video?
In case you missed it, I said I'll know better next time.
I have to expand on Dyckerson's post...
Where the hell do you live? The middle of the ghetto?
SAY NO.
They will not fire you for saying no once in a while, but they WILL keep abusing you for saying yes all the time.
You can either feel bad about saying no, or you can get burnt out and shoot yourself in 9 months. Your choice.
Also, you should get a copy of the map and addresses so you can make sure that YOU are actually the closest. I think they are BS'ing you man.
When you're constantly being poked in the ass, you gotta turn around!
Oh yeah.
SHOOT THE BODY!!!!!
THAT is what makes the difference between the video you shoot now, and the video they could shoot tomorrow.
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