The dark side

As I told you last time, I am working in Afghanistan with the ‘Combat Camera Team’, a three man team who are responsible for gathering footage, stills and stories to send back for the UK and international press to use (if they so wish).  Now I am the ‘Video guy’, so I am the one who films the footage, packages it up and sends it back to the UK for distribution via our internet, which is a bit like internet at home, just a damn site slower, in fact at times it is soooooo slow (try to remember the old dial up speeds from the 90’s and then quarter it), it might be quicker to jump onto the nearest bicycle (the main local form of transport) and take it home like that.

These are just the kind of limitations you have to endure out here at times, although not pleasant they are frustrating enough when an editor is desperately waiting for your footage, but that is just the way it is.

My background is not working with video, I am a stills photographer for the Army, however one of our roles is to supply a camera operator from within the trade, which at the time of writing consist of just 43 people, to fulfil the role (internally referred as turning to the dark side).  I did a camera operators course once, but now due to my age and possibly assisted by my rapidly thinning ginger hair (we like to focus on this fact in the Army), I had pretty much forgotten it all and even working out where the tape cassette went was proving challenging until it was pointed out to me that the ‘NEW’ cameras didn’t use tape anymore.  Oooops.

In the patrol we are organised so that we fit in with minimal fuss

So with three months due until the deployment, off I went to re-learn the skills of video, sound, editing and packaging my footage, shot sequences, overlapping action, crossing the line, terminology like Cut Away’s, close up’s, General Views.  Sounds easy………………………but its not!  I am an experienced stills photographer, who may, at times, be a little set in his ways. I have over time developed my style of photography and now tend to work towards what I am looking for…………a single shot to tell a story when possible.  Now with video I have to take 25 frames a second.  I have to wear big headphones or protective earphones to keep on top of the sound, carry a big tripod as ‘shakey’ cam is ‘just amateurish’.  So as I look through the viewfinder concentrating on all this I may well have to bear in mind where I am walking because there are a few people out here who like to hide unpleasant things for us to find in the ground.  Its not all bad news though because I get my own officer to look after me (a  bit of a turn around from old the Blackadder days hey?).  He even carries the sticks (tripod) and with some pride calls himself my ‘sticks bitch’.  You gotta love Army humour.

Putting our heads above the parapet 

After being out here for a few weeks now I am starting to get the hang of it but it is still quite difficult and not at all what you would call natural, you have to zoom right in to focus and then zoom back out to compose, set the white balance, check your sound, check for background noise, listen to what is being said, will that bit edit?  Can I edit this into a piece that says all it needs to?  Can I edit it?  Can I edit?  No really, can I edit?  As if the taking of the footage was not hard enough, I also need to edit basic packages for use on the web.  Now much of this is work self taught on the hop.  A few pointers here or there and a way you go, just make sure you don’t go longer than 60 secs because the average web user loses interest then.  Editing software is never an easy task to get your head around and ‘Avid’ is perhaps the most confusing of the lot, but you have to learn it and pretty quickly.  The manual may as well be written in Japanese too with all the Video terminology that makes little or no sense to the uninitiated.

The Team leader provides support as I become tunnel visioned looking through the viewfinder

In the end you just have to jump in and try your best to keep all the information in your head while concentrating on all the elements of the camera handling………………………Damn, I forgot the white balance again!

Every day is a school day.

Until next time.

All images in this post are British Crown Copyright and taken by Sergeant Steve Blake RLC, the stills photographer from the Combat Camera Team on Operation Herrick 15