So, I failed at blogging my Sierra Leone experience. I have been trying to sit here and continue to write about our trip (post the first few days you read about below)… but we are so far removed now that I just don’t feel I can do the stories justice. The emotions aren’t as raw and the memories aren’t as fresh.
However, this is the beauty of being a TV journalist... I have the video. So I have decided from here on out, I will blog about my editing process… about the emotions and memories that come back as I see the video… and about the challenges of trying to put together a story with less than perfect video (I realize now that my faith in my shooting and camera was stronger than the reality of my skills and equipment :).
Truthfully, shooting anything in Sierra Leone is difficult considering the lighting and white balance issues. Imagine the contrast between jet-black skin and white clothing… or trying to shoot in a home with no electricity (there is NO electricity anywhere so you choose between the bright equator sun or relative darkness)… it was no easy task. Add to that, the fact that my viewfinder didn’t work so I had to rely on the flip out LCD that was impossible to see in the sun… AND that I was shooting while interviewing.
As a reporter you are trained to find the story and ask the right questions… to interact with your interview subjects… to get them to trust you and open up. That is not as easy with a camera in your hand. As a photographer you are trained to get the best shots and lots of them…your looking for different angles, cut-aways, and plenty of b-roll. As I found, being the reporter AND photographer is not as simple as it seems... both elements suffer a bit.
So… where am I now?
I have written the first two pieces and edited one and a half. In these stories I focus on two of the sponsored children and try to present the reality of Sierra Leone through their eyes.
As I mentioned above, in editing these pieces I have been disappointed in my video and had to turn to Michael for some of his… but as luck (or God) would have it… He lost the video from the first two days of our trip (i.e. the sponsored villages). Gotta love God’s Humor :)
So here I sit… procrastinating… I know I need to break out the computer and get to work on the second piece (keep in mind I still have 7 hours of video to log before I can even write parts 3-5 on the Diamond industry)… Ah… procrastination…
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