Re: taping a solemn event

We had a friend die while participating in his first triathlon while swimming. On Saturday we are having a tribute ride. I’m making a DVD for our group, documenting our training and preparation for the MS ride, City to Shore, in September. I want to tape the tribute ride for the DVD and for the fiancee or our friend. I’m looking for suggestions on how to make the taping appropriate and meaningful. For example, I was thinking about having all of the riders, go past the camera single file, and look at the camera as they bike past. Not sure how that will look, but I’m searching for ideas. I plan on driving my car and stopping at certain points, and taping the riders as they go by, and taping them as they finish.

I’m looking for any suggestions. I don’t want to blow this.

Hank Kearns

Hi, Hank -

At first, my own personal take on this was that the riders should not acknowledge the camera at all during the ride-by. That would seem (to me, anyway) to be too much like a "reality TV" show where the participants are playing up to the camera.

I like your single-file ride-by shot idea... maybe you could slow it down a bit in post (half or three-quarters speed) and keep the shot after the last rider has passed through it - that open space representing your fallen friend. Perhaps overlay a great photo of your friend on a bike after the last rider has passed through the shot.

{personal disclosure}

When my mother died a few years ago, my father had a heart attack shortly afterward and wound up in the hospital, missing the funeral. I brought my camera along, set it up with a locked-down shot of the mourners and taped a wireless lav to the podium to record the comments (I did the eulogy)... so you saw me from the back, and all the attendees facing me therefore faced the camera.

I realized afterward that the attendees spread out wider than my initial shot, so immediately after the service, I grabbed my camera and tried to quietly and unobtrusively get wedding-reception-style candids of everyone who was there. This was to be my dad's only way to see the service, so I wanted to be sure to show everyone who was there.

Well, one cousin of mine spotted me and said "is that on? Is that rolling?" (as people so often do when they see someone in shooting position) and immediately began talking to the camera as if it were my dad, remembering some of his favorite moments with my parents and with my mom in particular. Without prompting, others lined up and started doing the same, and I wound up with a great video of family talking about mom, addressing my dad directly... and the resulting video wound up really helping my dad deal with the loss of his wife of 50+ years.

{/personal disclosure}

So what I'm getting at is, after you shoot the ride (candidly, without participants necessarily acknowledging the camera), it wouldn't necessarily be inappropriate to let people give short statements about your friend and what a great impact he had on their lives. You mention a fiancee... in time, such a video could be of great comfort to her.

My condolences on your tragic loss, and I wish you the best in making what is sure to be a wonderful and heart-felt tribute video.

- Mike