The new CBS morning show did a piece on the “inventor” of the little waterproof camera. A fun story with some good ideas of ways to use it in your next story.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7397975n&tag=hdr%3Bcnav

You may no Mr. Portier by his street name, Turdpolisher.

Rick’s been a friend of b-roll.net for a long time. His eloquent diatribes have graced our FORUM often. He always has the words to say what you want to say… and make you smile along the way.

It seems his true stories of life behind the camera led to a book about not-so-true stories of a photog in Baton Rouge.

As Rick explains the story of Brock Nicholls…

“When his television career went down in flames on the steps of a Dallas courthouse, it made national news and earned the TV photog a night in lock-up. Now, Brock’s stuck in the place where it all started, Baton Rouge, working for a mental midget like Percy Finch and his “Good News” strategy that has viewers flocking to the competition. If that weren’t bad enough, Finch has Brock locked into shooting pet parades for Katie Couric wannabes like Nancy Patrick.

Against his better judgment, Brock drags Nancy to the scene of a fire where he is plunged into the world that originally ignited his passion for this business – a world before cookie-cutter anchors and Barbie doll reporters. There he finds something that has been sorely missing in his life – the first real person he’s met in years, Ida Mae Christophe. Miss Ida is sure the man burning the homes in her neighborhood is connected to former Grand Dragon, Raphe Whitney.”

I have started to dig into the chapters of Brocks world – and I’m transported to my life in the back of a live truck – chasing fire trucks and sirens. It’s an amazing look into our world – with a little dramatic fun added to the mix.

Congratulations to Rick for putting together a great book that every news professional should read. You’ll see yourself in one of the many newsroom characters…

Buy the paperback version on Amazon – or go digital at Smashwords.

The democratic voice of all “b-rollers,” selected amazing stories and rewarded the photogs that made them shine. The prize was a gorgeous engraved crystal trophy and bragging rights for the next year.

Normally, this is the time of year we’d be prepping the site for a new round of entries and starting the next b-roll.net AWARDS. In the past, a number of great sponsors have helped us deliver substantial awards to shooters around the world. Unfortunately, due to a lack of sponsorship this year, we’re going to have to suspend the contest.

The plan is to go back to the “garage” and hammer out some new technology that can make for an even better contest system. With improved technology and some new sponsors, the b-roll.net AWARDS may just come out of retirement in future years.

Thanks to everyone who has helped keep the contest rolling. Great thanks goes to Amanda Emily for fighting the hackers that have looked to break the TV section on b-roll.

I hadn’t seen Tim in six months. It was at a graduation party. As always, he was loud and brash, and after making enough small-talk about the kids, football, and politics, I looked for an opening to ditch him. It’s not like we were fishing buddies or anything. We bought a house from Tim and his wife Natalie fourteen years ago. His old neighbors became our new neighbors, and by default, we began running in the same social circles. Tim, a bear of a man with salt-and-pepper hair and a Chicago accent, liked being the center of attention, Natalie, shied away from the gossip at the women’s table and looked after their kids.

I had just set my camera on its tripod. It wasn’t the kind of street corner that usually attracts news crews. Ranch-style homes with freshly manicured lawns awaited guests for Thanksgiving dinner. Neighbors huddled in their doorways and kept to themselves occasionally pointing at the interloper with the lens pointed at the house across the street.

“Show some respect, will ya?” The voice blasted through an open car window.

I guess it’s a normal reaction when vultures perch on the street sign outside your home. I learned a long time ago not to argue the first amendment with grieving son. “I’ll try. But I’ve got a job to do.” I’m sure the expression on my face and the tone of my voice weren’t exactly comforting. This was my second murder scene of the day, and it was barely noon.

He sped away disgusted, and I was happy to see him go.

I kept my distance from the family as I always do in situations like this. They had enough to contend with without a hack with a telephoto lens exposing their every raw nerve to the entire region. But I did my job. A wide shot of the house circled by a thin yellow ribbon, Crime Scene DO NOT ENTER. A medium shot of deputies clustered near the garage. A crime scene technician snapping on latex gloves.

Family members clung to one another behind a beat-up van. I spun my camera at them and kept the shot wide and tried to pretend I wasn’t looking at them. I told myself it was better than zooming in on a private moment. I still didn’t know what was happening, but scanner chatter told me there were two bodies inside.

Any anchor worth his can of AquaNet could whore this up in to a lead story, so I sat and waited for a captain who could give me the details. After a few minutes, the captain stepped out of the house, her face sickly and pale. She stepped before the camera, notepad in hand. She prattled through the details: time of the call, time of arrival, two dead inside – husband and wife. And names.

Natalie and Tim.

My knees buckled. “Whoa-whoa-whoa!” I couldn’t breathe. I stepped away from my camera and paced back and forth while the other crews on the scene just stared at me. I shook my head, tried to breathe, and stepped back behind my camera. I had a job to do.

The captain continued. “It looks like Natalie asked Tim for a divorce, and he shot her in the chest, then turned the gun on himself.”

I did what I had been taught. I called the desk and asked to be removed from the story. It would be forty-five minutes before another crew could relieve me. I aimed my lens at the front door and waited for the bodies to roll out, all the while making excuses: “It’s not like we were super-close.” “I always knew something was wrong between them.” “Better for the family that it’s me and not another crew that wouldn’t keep its distance.” But I did my job.

When does a story cease to be a story and become someone’s life? It’s a question I came to grips with early on in my career.

Today, all I can think about is when did it become a job.

Other videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqH_cqB7uQs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq-rSjNCFoo

Lenslinger – SCHMUCK ALERT!

Today, Canon announced its latest camera, the C300 at the Canon Hollywood event. The camera, built first for video, has a new form-factor, time-code, waveform, and many other features you need on a video camera. See below for many links to all the camera specs.

To demonstrate what the camera can do, Laforet shot a short film in the Mojave desert – in some of the most demanding shooting conditions possible. The resulting film, Mobius, is gorgeously shot and a fun little ride. We’re waiting for a lot more info on the new camera, but this might change the game a little more.

Check out Vicent Laforet’s blog about it.
Engadget‘s look at the clip and camera
Abel Cine‘s look at the C300
The Verge has specs on the camera