David R. Busse
Well-known member
This was not done for television and never aired anywhere.
For the past few years my brother (a machinery salesman who dabbles in video now and then), occasionally assisted by myself and an ABC colleague named Martin Orozco, have been visiting the Ozark country retreat of an old family friend, 68 year-old John Woods of St. Louis.
About a 90 minute drive from St. Louis, our friend spent eight years and a great deal of money building his life's dream. He told everyone he wanted to build something to entertain the grandkids.
Earlier this month, my brother and Martin dropped by to shoot some more video. My brother called me and said "I think we finally got a good interview that explains why John built this thing..."
12 days later, John died of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident on a two-lane highway in the Ozarks. Within hours, Martin and I were sitting at a computer looking at the video he and my brother shot.
With Martin doing the editing and me playing producer, we edited a six-minute video tribute to a man and his passion. Zapped it off electronically to St. Louis, and it was shown at John's memorial service, attended by more than 400 friends. We got requests for at least a hundred copies on DVD.
This is the second "obit video" I've done. The first one was for a reporter colleague who died of a heart attack. The good news is that the intense immersion of producing such video is a great way to control your grief. The bad news is that the feeeling of loss finally hits you well after the editing's finished.
You would have liked John Woods. And, if any local teevee types had ever discovered this guy, there was a helluva story lurking here.
When it was finished, I called my brother and asked "where the heck did you learn to shoot like that...?"
"From watching you," he said.
See
http://web.me.com/dbusse/ATT&NW/Tribute_to_John_Woods.html
For the past few years my brother (a machinery salesman who dabbles in video now and then), occasionally assisted by myself and an ABC colleague named Martin Orozco, have been visiting the Ozark country retreat of an old family friend, 68 year-old John Woods of St. Louis.
About a 90 minute drive from St. Louis, our friend spent eight years and a great deal of money building his life's dream. He told everyone he wanted to build something to entertain the grandkids.
Earlier this month, my brother and Martin dropped by to shoot some more video. My brother called me and said "I think we finally got a good interview that explains why John built this thing..."
12 days later, John died of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident on a two-lane highway in the Ozarks. Within hours, Martin and I were sitting at a computer looking at the video he and my brother shot.
With Martin doing the editing and me playing producer, we edited a six-minute video tribute to a man and his passion. Zapped it off electronically to St. Louis, and it was shown at John's memorial service, attended by more than 400 friends. We got requests for at least a hundred copies on DVD.
This is the second "obit video" I've done. The first one was for a reporter colleague who died of a heart attack. The good news is that the intense immersion of producing such video is a great way to control your grief. The bad news is that the feeeling of loss finally hits you well after the editing's finished.
You would have liked John Woods. And, if any local teevee types had ever discovered this guy, there was a helluva story lurking here.
When it was finished, I called my brother and asked "where the heck did you learn to shoot like that...?"
"From watching you," he said.
See
http://web.me.com/dbusse/ATT&NW/Tribute_to_John_Woods.html
