Life Behind the Lens

Life Behind the Lens - Cyclone Debbie 2017

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 10:27:55 GMT

Heavy Sheeting Rain, Seemingly Falling in All Directions.

Eyes squinting as the biting wind produced tears before immediately whipping them away.

Sheets of roofing metal flying up the street.

Trapped on a street corner while a Category 4 cyclone crossed over - the most intense experience I had during my career as a network news cameraman.

How and why did I end up in this situation?

Having lived in Cairns for almost 20 years and being a news cameraman for 17, cyclones were a frequent part of my life. So when I was sent to Bowen in 2017 to cover Cyclone Debbie, I was not concerned.

The one aspect that made this situation unique, however, was the prediction of Debbie crossing the coast during daylight hours.

Most recent cyclones at that point had made landfall overnight, so the news gathering process usually focused on the aftermath, destruction caused and clean up. With the entire event unfolding during the day, this was going to be a very different experience. This came with added pressure and expectation from the studio to obtain footage.

Our directive was clear - to go live whenever and however we could.

Fortunately I was paired with an experienced crew and together we formulated a plan. The night before the cyclone we scoped out a safe area where we could do live crosses the following day. It was near our hotel and we would have our backs to a strong and solid building that was 100 years old.

We had a clear view up and down the street so we could see and avoid any flying debris that may come our way. Both our hire cars were driven up onto the footpath as extra barriers. In the event that it became too dangerous for us to do our jobs we also had safe passage back to our hotel rooms.

Once the sun was up the breakfast TV show attached to our network wanted live pictures and crosses from us, and every other crew stationed up and down the coast.

Once the TV show finished, the network continued with live rolling coverage of the natural disaster. We were required to do multiple crosses during the day, while also gathering shots to use as vision overlay for our 6pm news stories.

During a break in broadcast, one of the journalists, Darren, and I moved from our safe location to try and secure a new vantage point. I left my camera in the car and only had my phone with me.

We moved to a street corner and could see the rain forming waves up and down the street. Sheets of tin roofing had ripped away and were flying past, thankfully not near us. Then we heard an almighty rip and a crack.

Our path back was now blocked.

A shade sail had ripped and was flailing around like a giant whip. It had a chain attached that was clanging violently into the ground, making it far too dangerous for Darren and I to leave.

We were stuck on the corner for the remainder of the day. While less protected than our original location, fortunately we were safe and had overhead cover from the rain.

Despite being stuck, we were still able to file for the rolling coverage. I had an app on my phone that enabled me to send live footage back to the newsroom.

What am I doing here?

Although I didn’t have my broadcast camera, I was still able to get great shots of rain, wind and debris flying around. Eventually my phone battery died and we knew we had to get back to the other crew.

We made a run for it.

There was a slight break in wind speed and so we ran into the street, well away from the flailing shade sail, and made it back to the other crew.

We were extremely lucky and I am well aware of how devastating an alternate outcome could have been. There were moments when I was standing on that corner, thinking about my family and asking myself “What am I doing here?"

My wife, who knows the expectations and demands of the network and my propensity for doing anything I can to get a good shot, said to me before I left for this cyclone: “Be safe, don’t do anything stupid.”

I have been in many exciting and thrilling situations during my career, but there does become a point where you begin to question if the risk is worth it for a TV news story. It wasn’t long after this that I began to consider branching out on my own. Now I have swapped the thrill of an adrenaline charged news chase for the buzz of a delighted client when they see their vision come to life. In many ways - much more rewarding.

For further insight into Life Behind the Lens, read about my experience dashing to South Korea at a moment’s notice or working at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games .

Life Behind the Lens - Race to South Korea

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 10:27:28 GMT

“Can you go to Seoul ?"

"F--- yeah I can!"

That's how it started. One minute I was on a stakeout near Ipswich, the next racing off to get organised for a breaking news trip to South Korea.

"Will you make it?"

"I'm stuck in morning traffic, but I'll absolutely make it."

It was 7:30am and my international flight departed in 3.5 hours.

Crunch time. I was a 45 minute drive from the airport and needed to get home and pack a travel bag, but also had equipment to pick up from the studio at Mount Coot-tha. There was no time, so I needed to make a plan, fast.

I called my wife and asked her to pack my bag and passport and meet me at the airport. She is always supportive and was happy to rush to help. Next, I rang work to see if there was a cameraman available who could bring me the equipment I would need.

I arrived at the airport first, followed by my wife and son. She handed me my packed bag, complete with a supply of snacks because she knows that I usually don't have time to stop and buy food on trips away. I gave my 4 year old son a big hug and said goodbye, not knowing how long this trip would be.

Then my colleague, Gibbsy, pulled up and started unloading the equipment I needed. Frantically, we worked together to pack my camera, audio and lighting gear. I had a total of 7 pieces of luggage, including my personal bag and 6 cases full of gear.

After an adrenaline-filled morning, we boarded the first flight on our 19 hour journey to Seoul.

The next step was making it through airport security. This can be slow at the best of times, but much worse when I am putting a broadcast camera and multiple spare batteries through an x-ray machine.

Often I am questioned by security and it can take some time to clarify that I am permitted to carry specific batteries and confirm they have their terminals taped and are stored separately in my backpack.

When I’m flying into a new country with multiple cases of camera gear, I'm always worried about making it through customs and immigration. Especially a last minute trip like this. Luckily, this time it was smooth sailing and we were through in record time.

At the arrivals hall we were met by our driver and fixer. A fixer is someone who can speak the local language and provide us with regional knowledge that we wouldn't normally have on the ground in a foreign country. Without them we would be lost and it would make our job of news gathering difficult.

Our first task was to immediately set up for live crosses to our breakfast TV show, so we did them right outside the airport. Meanwhile, our fixer was organising a location where we could get shots of South Korean missile launchers.

After a 4 hour drive we made it to North Gyeongsang, where we began a 45-minute hike. The hike was steep and slippery at times and a challenge while carrying cumbersome equipment.

At the checkpoint we were detained by the military. I thought we might end up in prison.

We had to clamber over boulders and constantly duck under low-lying branches, but it was totally worth it for the view at the top. I was able to get the shots we needed and filmed a piece to camera for the news bulletin that evening.

The next day our fixer was able to secure permission for us to enter part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and shoot some vision of North Korea from a distance. We made it through the checkpoint with no issues and drove to the Peace Observatory where I was able to film shots of North Korea using my long lens.

Our fixer was frantically calling his contact to smooth things over.

In the afternoon however, things started to go pear-shaped. We were moments away from crossing live into an afternoon bulletin when a soldier started telling us that we didn't have permission to film and we must turn the camera off.

We went live and the soldier started waving his hands in front of the lens and I was forced to shut down the camera during the live cross.

Throughout my entire career as a cameraman I have never had to switch off during a live cross as sending black to air is a huge no-no. We ended up missing three of our scheduled live crosses. Fortunately the network understood what was happening so it wasn't a huge deal.

The real issue was whether we were going to get out of this unscathed. At the checkpoint to get out of the DMZ we were detained by the military and they inspected my vision and instructed me to delete everything. Fortunately I had already sent the vision back to Australia.

Thankfully, nothing came of it and we were allowed to leave with a military escort.

It was a very hairy situation and for a moment there I thought that we might be deported or worse, end up in a South Korean military jail.

Tim and I stayed in Seoul for an additional 3 days, filing stories and doing live crosses for the network without other incidents.

This was certainly one of the more memorable trips of my career. From camping out in front of a courthouse to flying across the globe at the last minute, I always enjoyed the daily variety that came with news gathering.

For further insight into Life Behind the Lens, read about my experience filming during Cyclone Debbie or at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games .

Life Behind the Lens - Tokyo Olympic Games (Part 2)

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 10:21:16 GMT

On the first morning I met Clara Pferrer, the producer I was going to be working with for the next 4 weeks.

Clara is a reporter and producer based in Germany. We spent the next 2 days at the International Broadcast Centre, learning the processes for filing and editing our stories for Olympic Channel News (OCN) as well as the procedures in place while on the ground at our events.

Based out of the Ariake Urban Sports Park I was working on all the skateboarding and BMX events. In the lead up Clara and I filed athlete and venue profile stories as well as any other stories of interest we found.

Another huge moment was filming at the skatepark and turning around to see Tony Hawk.

It was a privilege to meet and work with all the dedicated people that made these events possible.

From legendary BMX freestylist Van Homan to the team behind California Skateparks (the designers and builders of the first ever Olympic Skatepark) Joe Ciaglia and Bill Minadeo.

With their help and recommendations Clara and I were able to then meet and interview any of the athletes that we needed to do a story on.

Spending time interviewing and chatting with many athletes from all over the world was inspiring.

There are far too many athletes to list but some of the standouts would be Sky Brown, the world's youngest professional skateboarder and the smiling and most friendly Manny Santiago from Puerto Rico.

It was extraordinary to listen to their stories and then share via the Olympic Channel News service.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and mask wearing, interviewing athletes was more challenging than usual. We had to set up our microphone stand and extend it up to 2 meters to comply with social distancing measures. Plus the masks we were wearing often impeded the athlete hearing our questions.

We would wait in the media mixed zones, which were usually set up right next to the field of play. Think of the mixed zone as a row of media outlets from all over the world, sectioned off into stalls. The first stall was always NBC, followed by OCN and then BBC. Working alongside some of the best and most professional media outlets in the world was a huge highlight.

Damn, do emotions run high after a medal event! A memorable moment was when Beth Shriever from Great Britain won gold during the Women's BMX racing final. The BBC journalist next to us was going off like a firecracker, cheering with excitement. He was crying with happiness and then I was crying, because I got caught up in the moment. It was surreal. I'm not British, but emotions were high and the positive energy was infectious.

During the events I had a front-row seat to the most visually exciting sports events that occurred at the Tokyo Olympics Games.

Another huge and memorable moment was filming at the skatepark and turning around to see Tony Hawk. THE. TONY. HAWK! I nearly squealed, but instead I politely asked him for a photo, and he generously obliged. When I’m working, I never ask athletes or celebrities for photos, but this particular opportunity was too good to pass up.

Although we were busy, throughout the games I often felt the need to stop for a moment and take it all in and realise how lucky I am to be able to work at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. To witness the first ever Olympic skateboarding events and BMX freestyle event as well as the BMX racing was incredible and an experience I will cherish.

For further insight into Life Behind the Lens, read our other blogs about filming during Cyclone Debbie or dashing to South Korea at a moment’s notice .

Life Behind the Lens - Tokyo Olympic Games (Part 1)

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 04:55:23 GMT

March 2020.

A global pandemic is declared.

International borders close, followed by state borders and a steady trickle of new restrictions are introduced.

Lockdowns. Essential workers. Quarantine.

Everyone has been impacted, the ways as complex and unique as we all are.

2020 was gearing up to be a very successful year for me with many exciting jobs booked from motorsports, athletics and cycling to the UEFA Football Championship in Europe, Tokyo Olympic Games and finally trips to Southeast Asia and South America.

As the world grappled with managing the situation, cancellation after cancellation rolled in. I watched 6 months of work crumble in what felt like an instant.

For the first time in history, the Olympic Games were postponed for a reason other than war.

Fast forward a year and I received a new contract for the games in 2021. It was a relief to hear the games were back on, but there was also a huge amount of uncertainty about...all of it. What will the restrictions be? How will we do our job effectively and safely? Can I get home?

Fortunately the concern and worry was unfounded. After a process of vaccination, obtaining a travel exemption and multiple COVID-19 tests, the journey finally began.

My flight from Brisbane to Singapore’s Changi Airport was surreal. Almost empty, there were only about 5 people in my section of the plane. Very strange, but also great, because it meant I could spread my legs out and lie down across my row of seats.

Normally Changi is a superb airport to spend a few hours layover, but not so much during a global pandemic. The restaurants, shops and cafes were closed and we were restricted to specific sections of the airport. If time allowed, passengers could order meals. I was happy to bump into a colleague from Brisbane who was also working at the games and we passed the time chatting.

The overnight flight to Tokyo was easy and straightforward, mostly due to having a whole row to spread across. After landing in Tokyo it was a lengthy process of mosty waiting in queues. There were multiple flights into Tokyo and each flight ahead of us had to be processed first.

Once through customs we were lined up to complete a COVID-19 spit test. I was given a plastic receptacle, similar to a test tube and had to spit into it until it reached a certain volume.

Once the test was performed, passengers were then escorted into one of the airline lounges that had been procured by the Japanese Government to keep passengers socially distanced while they waited for their results. This whole process was around 3 - 4 hours.

Once cleared with a negative test result, I was escorted to the luggage carousels where our bags had already been removed and were waiting to be picked up. From here I was escorted outside to a waiting bus, which took me to another transport interchange where I could catch a taxi to my final destination for the day, Toyoko Inn Shinagawa.

My room was small but sufficient and I prepared for the following day. In part 2 I share my experience working for Olympic Channel News (OCN) at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

For further insight into Life Behind the Lens, read our other blogs about filming during Cyclone Debbie or dashing to South Korea at a moment’s notice.