On a recent return trip from Perth to Bridgetown (see map), I came across policeman waving traffic to slow down on a stretch of the Forrest Highway north of Bunbury. This was on a long sweeping bend approaching a bridge over the Collie River and what had happened I surmise, was that someone had run up the back of a car towing a rather expensive boat.

The trailer had snapped, the whole thing had jackknifed, the car was on its roof in a ditch and the boat had come off the trailer and was smashed.

I would have stopped to take photos and video (I never travel without a Hi-def video camera and a decent camera with me. In this case it was a Panasonic  HS700 and a Casio EX-H20G). Sadly Mr Policeman was not in a mood –probably quite rightly – to allow the public to stop in what might be a crime scene, so I was waved on.

I was curious though, and asked our resident WIN/9 ENG (electronic news gathering) expert, Biggles (aka Ben Longden) his thoughts on this type of situation. Would he have stopped? What sort of things do you need to be aware of?  It makes interesting reading.

So read on … over to Biggles …

Q: At what point do you decide that an 'incident' is worth stoppong for to get footage

With the car bingle…  I would have just kept the camera in the car unless there was flames, multiple casualties and or fatalities.  Sounds cold and callous, but news editors only want a prang that’s visually speckky, or newsworthy in terms of casualties/fatalities –  or circumstances, such as flames/high speeds/car v truck, train etc etc.

If there was only a plod on scene and no ambo, I would offer first aid help till the flashing lights arrive, and then review it as per above.  It’s easier to use the camera once ambos are on scene!

Q: Any other tips?

If it’s a biggie and you are first on scene, phone the station and give them the heads up.  This gives the CoS (Chief of Staff) time to review resources and the like… they may have a crew en route and they can do the ints (interviews) or pickups while they use your money shots.  They may want it, they may not…BUT if they don’t know about the story, the chief of staff and ND can’t make a decision.

Don’t blame me… blame the public!  Every newsroom does serious research into what their viewers want, and then try their very hardest to provide that.   

If they screen stuff that’s not wanted by the audience the ratings drop.

The ratings drop, the incoming revenue drops… the revenue drops, jobs are threatened and new shows are not bought.. simple.

So give the viewers what they expect, and try to exceed that and ratings will ensure success.

Q: Are there any things that are off limits?

The next thing is ethics. Be tasteful in what’s reported but stick to the truth. Anyone who decides to bend the truth with a story won’t be working for long time. WIN and NINE have no respect for any reporter or cammo who deliberately does that, as it breaks the bond of trust with their  viewers.   Remember the story of the cammo who pursued a middle eastern man outside court, and called him a “bloody terrorist”?  Well, he was sacked once the field tapes were checked.

It does not matter who you are filming, or what they have been accused of. Be respectful, and bear in mind that you do not have the right to make any judgment on anyone.

Q: What about the technical aspects?

If you do shoot an interview (int), then using the on camera mic is deeply frowned upon… It’s got to be an off camera mic, either a lav (lapel) or shotty  close to the subject, so you get primarily the subject’s voice, and not the background.  The safest method is radio mikes with cable backup delivering all audio at 48Khz.  Also do your homework on “in field techniques for wind reduction”… Rode make a brilliant shotty wind jammer, as well as their Blimp.  Audio smothered by wind noise is NOT usable or repairable. End of story.

Having said that, the next thing is to consider the delivery back to the station. I would get in touch with the news in your area and offer to be a stringer for that part of the world. (NOTE: Victoria is already covered as is Riverina NSW!!) 

Most of us FTP the vision back,  but you need them to give you the addy and password. 

Handheld vision is not touched with a bargepole unless it’s exceptionally newsworthy (eg; Toowoomba tsunami). The usual go is 10 sec stills.. that is the camera is locked off and NOT moving. Just the things in the shot are moving.

Vision shot on sticks are the preferred.    SD, INTERLACED, 16:9, 8mbps VBR with audio at 48K.  Always shot 4x3 safe.

Note I said SD  widescreen and interlaced… well, 99% of news in Australia is shot that way, so supply what can be used with minimal fiddling downstream. By all means shoot and supply HD, but if the editor has to play with it, it’s not going to get used, as there is NOT enough TIME to faff around.

Q: Is my new Hidef camcorder good enough quality for TV?

While every man and his dog are drooling over the latest HD cameras, Aussie newsrooms use Sony’s XDCAM, shooting in DVCAM mode at 35mbps.  Nine is moving from Beta SX to XDCAM and has half of the cameras changed.  Ten and seven are doing the same. It seems only the ABC is using Panasonics P2 at the moment and slowly phasing out their digi betas. 

It’s a funny thing, but on a side note, many indie film makers are shooting projects on HD cameras, but tweaking the settings to achieve that of the “film look” in other words, grain like Super VHS!!

Q: What should I charge?

Fees are by negotiation. Now it’s not what we expect from the stories we hear of cheque book journalism, but way way WAY lower. So much so in fact many would get turned off thinking it’s not worth the investment for the return!   In many cases it’s about a half day’s pay compared to your regular day job.  Bear in mind, you may be working from an hour to 24 hours on a story, though…

Oh, and they take 45 days to pay…. The true ENG freelancers are serious professionals who do it for the love of the craft, not the money.  

Q: Who should I get to know?

Look for the plod with the most shiny stuff on the shoulder and introduce yourself with a handshake, and if it’s a fatal ASK where the body is so you can make sure it’s NOT in shot.  Generally shoot the crap out of everything….ambulances are fine provided you use a long lens. 

NO dead bodies, but injured ok 

Oh, and no shots of loading deceased into ambulances or hearses either.  Get wide shots of scene and concentrate on the rescuers.    Hope not despair.

If there are a lot of people there, get back and out of the inner zone or lion’s den and use longer optics.  (Too close and upset people get agro).. if there are witnesses, ask if they can say what they saw on camera. (Ask first is the key)   

Always but always be up front in your presence No hiding in the bushes.

If a bystander tells you they are related to the victim, do the human thing and tell them you are so sorry about what’s happened, introduce yourself to them and tell them you will respect their privacy.  Any viewer will tell you how “off’ it is for the grieving rellies to be interviewed at the scene with a mike in the face and the question “So, how do you feel?”  Remember, YOU are a human first, and a cammo second. 

Sometimes it pays to offer the plods a copy of what you shot for their reports (esp coroner cases). Cut it in sequence and delete the rubbish shots, but deliver it as a DVD in the next day or so to the officer you met.  Likewise to the SES and or Fireys as they DO use the vision in their internal debrief to analyze how they performed, as everyone’s memory of a job will differ.

Q: Any other advice?

Buy yourself a hi viz vest and wear that when at a prang, as you are well and truly in a workplace – besides, you are telling plods etc you are there.

Find out from the fireys when they run a media safety course, as a few organizations like Victoria’s CFA/MFB/DNRE/DSE won’t let you within a bulls roar of a scene unless you are accredited… and this involves a one day safety course in learning how fire thinks, how to recognize the unsafe areas, escape routes and how to NOT become the next victim.

Also you will have to invest in special PPE which can cost over $400 including helmet and boots . In the end you look like one of the fireys with a big MEDIA logo on your back. That’s cool. It tells them all that you are okay, and know your safety stuff so they won’t have to worry about you.  Ever seen the news reporter wearing the yellow jacket when reporting from a blaze?   It’s not a fashion thing, but a workplace requirement.       

Once you have the vision, ingest it and render to MPG2 asap, and begin the upload to the FTP server ASAP. Do 20 sec files as a max beginning with your best vision.  If you have time, type out a word doc with a rundown of the clips including spellings, contact details of the plod or firey in charge and send that in as well (dot doc, not docx as most newsrooms do NOT have the latest upgrades on anything (too expensive and time consuming with staff education)..

If you get signed up, I would pay the local plods and fireys a visit so they get to know you are around, and they can help you out with their ground rules while on scene.

Communicating and working with them makes life so much easier all round.

Q: Finally, should I 'look' the part?

And NO I don’t wear a shooters vest, jeans and runners like the cartoon versions! LOL …  it’s black shoes, business pants (jeans on weekends or the footy) and a company shirt.  Professional appearance and the ability to walk into long grass and not get scratched legs, cut feet or a snake bite.  (and yes, there IS a first aid kit in the car in case)

By Ben Longden

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