When life becomes history…

There are events you live through that you know will become part of history. And then there are everyday events and people whose lives suddenly come back at you, and you realize you lived through something special.

Yesterday Newell and I went to the downtown Stockton Cineplex and watched “Milk.” I knew the guy the way most news photogs know local politicians. He was the kind of person you could talk to, joke around with, pop a mike on. Very mellow, low key, friendly. He wanted and needed the news and he knew how to work the system as much as any of the others. Example: the pooper-scooper law. I saw that in the film and laughed – they caught the moment, just as it happened in real life.

Watching the film took me back decades to what may well have been the high point of my career – working at the public television station (KQED) in San Francisco from 1978 through 1980. Wow. Momentous years, momentous events…and working at a station that did news right. Not just covering events, but giving in-depth background and every day finding out what mattered to the community.

For a (fairly) young photog, this was life. KQED’s philosophy was that all journalists are equal – so as a FILMMAKER, I was treated as one of the team, not just a techie. Interviews were more conversations than a series of questions. “The Evening Edition” reached out to communities from high-brow (politics, opera, symphony) to ethnic (loved the story on the Black Panthers school) to S&M (if ya don’t know, don’t ask).

All of this was part of the fabric of late 70’s SF. My county supervisor was Dan White (and honestly, I can’t remember who I voted for). Randy Shilts, who I worked with frequently, was the first openly gay TV reporter in the country. Mayor George Moscone was one of the political-savy Moscone clan. Then-county supervisor Diane Feinstein, who tearfully made the stunning announcement of the shootings, I remember most for admitting in a giggly interview that she would have loved to be an actress.

And in watching the movie, they were all there in both archival film or portrayed in very believable acting. Sean Penn IS Milk. My god…he is Milk incarnate. It is uncanny.

Some side-tidbits. I consider Mary-Ann White and her children victims of events…her husband was a good man driven by devils to commit crimes he would never have considered had he been in his right mind. Not an evil man, but rather a man caught up in a lifestyle and circumstances he couldn’t comprehend and which he also resisted. Unable to change, he chose to end both his life and that of others. The film caught that. White was trying to survive financially…he had a franchise for a small fast food place on Pier 39. Supervisors were paid a pittance.

Milk though…was a man driven; a man unable to give up. And a most unlikely leader for the youth-obsessed gay movement. KQED was located in an industrial area near many of the gay bars. It wasn’t unusual to have guys in black leather and spikes sitting in chairs next to old socialites on pledge nights, taking phone calls and soliciting (no – not for that) for funds for public television. At one point in the movie, when the guys head out to The Stud for drinks, memories swirled as I remembered that the bar was located nearly across the street from KQED.

Enough of memory lane…my message today is that sometimes the most unlikely people and events become history. Yes, Milk was historic in that he was the first openly gay elected official in a major US city. But he never tried (or had time to try) to move beyond that…he was the Mayor of Castro Street and a committed local politician. This movie revealed more of his life and philosophy…making him bigger than he was in real life.

Serendipity on Sunday….

Love that assonance alliteration (blame my burned-out brain cells).

It’s been a while and a backlog has built up….and after resurfacing yesterday at the BAPPA digital day I guess I’d better post and dive again.

The afternoon workshops were just as good the am ones. Checked out the Canon and Nikon sessions on their gear w/o much interest (yeah, I’m a videot). Listened in on “Care and Feeding of the 800 Lb Gorilla in the Newsroom.” Pretty bland until RK Hernandez got up and let loose – what a surprise. I’ve never heard him blast or lamblast, so when he lit into the sales department at the Merc News about not selling/knowing how to sell multimedia (he says advertisors were asking to buy into the multimedia pages but sales didn’t know how to handle it)…wow. He kept reinforcing and repeating that what was happening to PJs and VJs was NOT THEIR FAULT. Now that brought some applause…and was sorely needed.

So of course I had to go to his Final Cut on Deadline workshop. He has the basics nailed – what is the minimum you need to survive? Well, first off – don’t go with Pro because Express will do everything you need 99% of the time. How to set the scratch disk – buy an external portable and put all of your media there. How to start a new project – save immediately. How to capture and basic drag and drop editing. Time ran out before he could finish – and he fielded questions as he went along.

Day ended with Scott McKierman (Zuma Press) and Jan Sturmann (Albinocrow) talking about making your way as a freelancer. Not quite a repeat of the am session, which was pretty general – more detailed and again (as many of these sessions are) motivating. YOU CAN DO IT.

On to more of the backlog. Some time ago I mentioned following up on rumors. Specifically a small valley town where the school district superintendent may have worked to get a book banned based on one parent’s complaint.

All along I’ve been in contact with some concerned citizens who feel that this wrong, considering it was only one parent complaining.

Time to go public – now that it seems to be over, although the dust has not settled and there may well be repercussions in the future. The town is Newman and the superintendent of the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District, epicenter to this story, is Dr. Richard Fauss. Here’s a link to a story run in the Modesto Bee, plus an editorial. Please note the ironic reference in the last lines in the editorial to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. And the final editorial:

We strongly disagree with the decision of Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District Superintendent Rick Fauss to remove the book “Bless Me, Ultima,” by Rudolfo Anaya, from high school classes. Books should be removed from curricula only in rare circumstances — for pedagogically sound, legally sufficient reasons — and only after conducting a thorough, measured review process that includes evaluating controversial excerpts in the context of the book as a whole.
Banning “Bless Me, Ultima” sets a dangerous precedent. Which books will be next? “The Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman? “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley? The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling? All are on the American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged titles. And all, like “Bless Me, Ultima,” are highly recommended by educators across the country.
In our experience, controversies of this sort are best handled by expanding the array of curricular offerings available, not restricting it, and by including more voices in the conversation rather than silencing any. Individual freedom, democracy and a good education all depend on the right to read, inquire, question and think for ourselves.
REBECCA L. ZEIDEL
Kids’ Right to Read Project, National Coalition Against Censorship New York

This story is repeated across our country. Ideas are scary, dangerous things and small minds are often afraid of those whose ideas tower above them.

Saturday slumming….

...we don't know jack about what's next...

Two years ago I began blogging as a result of a workshop presented by Richard Koci Hernandez here at the SFBAPPA Digital Workshop…now renamed the Digital/Multimedia workshop.

Change was afoot back then. I’d put on a couple of video workshops for students and broadcast cameramen in the three years preceding and the last one was stuffed with still photographers trying to learn video. What a shock – why were THEY there?

Soon after the traditional still workshop began to offer video sessions and it took fire. The fire continues, but the industry, both in print and broadcasting, is changing beyond what I could ever have believed. Newspapers are declaring bankruptcy…both media are cutting and gutting staff.

Buddy Kathy Newell is with me…we can’t seem to fall of the learning curve and keep coming back.

Here’s a quick take on some of the morning workshops

SF State professor Ken Kobre (and author of Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach) introduced and explained his KobreGuide website, along with these thoughts:
1. Challenge your interview – too many newspaper videos focus on a subject and their story without any challenge or other voices – interview someone who has an opposing viewpoint (aka balancing the story). Kobre pointed out that photographers tend to tell a story from one side because they are usually paired with a writer whose story provides both sides
2. The industry needs to standardize material so viewers know what to expect…we’re talking familiar formats
3. KobreGuide is a place for discussion and exchange of ideas and great videos

Dai Sugano/San Jose Mercury News
Showed off some of his visual masterpieces. The man is an artist with a vision few can match.

Jan Sturmann/Freelance & Scott McKiernan/Zuma Press
Freelancing in a Multimedia World
Their message: We love to tell stories…getting into amazing situations and changing other people by what we shoot
Scott:
The principles of being a good PJ VJ have not changed – it is story driven.
But to run a business…a bit boring, you have a price, a plan.
These guys focused on life outside of the walls of a newsroom. Can you survive if you aren’t on staff? And can you survive if you aren’t freelancing for a news organization?
The answer is yes – there are companies, non-profits, agencies all hungry for content.
But in order to survive you have to know what you’re worth. How long does it take you to produce a story or multimedia piece? What is your time worth?
Multimedia projects so weird, so complicated…how do you judge? You need go get a handle on how long it takes (on average) so you can project costs/profits and give estimates to your client(s).
Also remember to amortize gear and include the cost of buying supplies. Simple business common sense.
Differentiate between marketing or journalism – don’t do the job if you don’t really believe in it…ask a lot of questions
Be consistent
Simple things work
Don’t be afraid to let folks know you are proud of something

Manny Cisneros/Sac Bee kinda surprised me. His take:
Three years ago he handed in his Nikon and was raring to become part of the (multimedia) Crusade. Now he’s back shooting stills.
He isn’t sure what is happening…it’s stagnant…are the crusaders running out of energy?

Richard Koci Hernandez/now a Ford Foundation Fellow at UC Berkeley was all over the place, so I’ll just toss out the notes I took as I tried to keep up with him
Read “Don’t Make Me Think”
Silverback for Mac – usability software
Rule #1 – Learn em break em and then make em
This guy is off the wall
Creativity – what everything boils down to…
Steal…the first rule (it’s not where you take things from its where you take them to)
You need to be a TiVo…you need to watch/know what’s going on/watch music videos…other people
GET OUT OF THE BOX
You need to have a journal (I have my blog) but the journal is where you write it down RIGHTNOW so you don’t forget the moment – the instant
Interactivity –
“Wreck this Journal” (another must-read) every page tells you something crazy to do
Failure…we are all afraid of it
You have to fail
Whatever you think/think the opposite (another book)
A whole new mind: why right-brainers will rule the future (yet another book)
Change doesn’t matter – it will be something else tomorrow
Remember why we’re here – if you can’t, move over
The future belongs to those who are willing to get their hands dirty
The future belongs to the creative people
Focus on one thing move to the next
Savor and explore a particular activity
Fail and fail again
Succeed
Be the storyteller
Astonish me!!! Richard Avadon said this was the best piece of advice he ever got
There is no “I” in journalism
Collaborate share give back

Sigh….

And once again I am excited…rejuvenated…ready to rock and roll and travel the far roads…