Adventures in waiting around

I'm waiting for my next live hit (15 minutes from now). I've been training to go live on the air for the past three days. The first part right after you've got your interview is a bit nerve racking. You've got to put it into your comp, edit down the sound bytes, send your best bytes into the system we use (4 good ones), then write and voice a tease, then write a lead, and of course write your story, and have all the tech stuff (sound levels, etc) good to go before you get on the air. But after all that there's a little down time after the first hour (and so here I am). I'm currently parked out in front of the KSL studios in the truck with my equipment. I took some time a bit earlier to lay down for 5 minutes under a nearby tree on the edge of the parking lot. As I lay under that tree I contemplated just how many homeless people may have been in the exact spot I was actually laying in just then. Then a large man dressed in black (probably a waiter for some restaurant at the Gateway) came walking past me. He smiled and nodded and as I lay there I realized it was getting dark and it scared me, and I also wondered who might pass by and also mistake me for a homeless girl on the side of the road. So I got up and went back to the truck.

Adventure part II

Sooo, my night was really hectic. I was covering the Clean Flicks story (a fed judge ordered them to stop selling edited videos saying it was against copyright law- funny how airplanes and tv stations can do it, but individuals can't). Then there was breaking news to go cover a murder suspect holed up in his apartment with the police standing by. Guess who went to cover it? There I was with all the other local news crews and the police with huge guns standing outside the building. I wrote my script and was ready to go live when an officer came by and said they were about to nab the guy and didn't want us putting this on the air in case he was watching or listening and didn't know they were there. I argued with him that the guy was probably well aware the police were out there, but our station and the others decided not to run with it, but of course then the info officer said it was okay so I did. I was ready to wrap things up thinking this could take a while and I was done for the night when a swat team entered in through the back and caught the guy. Me and Wendy from the D-news followed the tv crews around the corner to the back where all the action was and saw the guy get hauled away in the police car. A happy ending for the neighborhood, but there was still work to do. The news teams descended upon the info officer for a statement, Then I went back to the truck, wrote my spot, but my laptop died so I ended up having to wing it at the last second. I wrapped up my work at the scene, came back to the studio to load the sound for the next morning and then discovered I couldn't get into the building because somewhere in the midst of all the running around I did out there my badge had fallen off. My badge with my name and picture on it. So I called Cleon, the newscaster that hour, he let me in. I loaded everything in, wrapped up, got in my own car, returned to the scene (in somewhat of a sketchy neighborhood, which wasn't very smart of me, but I was desperate) and combed around for where my badge might possibly be. Didn't find it. Rumor has it HR will make me pay for a new one. I might throw a fit or something but who knows if that will work. The way I figure it, though, is that I lost it in pursuit of the action and I shouldn't have to pay. Anyway, the night was full of drama and I need to calm my nerves and go to bed now.

Comments

Steve said…
Soooooooo, how are things going?!??! Is there a station feed? I'm about 11 hours ahead of you right now, but that might work out for trying to catch you online live. Is the job all you hoped it would be?!?!
Unknown said…
So I wrote that second part after you commented obviously. Don't know, you may be able to download off of ksl.com website. The official jobby job hasn't actually started. This was actually part of my training. The show I'll be working on starts tomorrow. It'll be on for one or two hours for then next couple nights and will be on in all its glory starting Monday. There are hints (and possibly allegations) we may have to come in saturday but I'm praying taht doesn't happen. I'll let you know how I feel once the shwo starts. From the stuff I've heard so far, though, the show will be awesome.
Joy said…
Yeah...I'd be interested to hear a live feed, if possible. Keep us posted girl!!
That One Guy said…
"I was covering the Clean Flicks story (a fed judge ordered them to stop selling edited videos saying it was against copyright law- funny how airplanes and tv stations can do it, but individuals can't)"

The judge did the right thing. The difference here is minor, but important: The studios, in conjunction with the directors, and others artistically involved with the original production, release an airline version, and, most of the time, a television version as well, at the time the original is released. This allows the directors and artists to retain control over the artistic integrity of a particular film, rather than turning it over to moral-police hacks whose only concern is a rental/purchase market for a "scrubbed" version of Saving Private Ryan.

This was clearly a case of copyright infringement, and the judge was right in ordering the businesses who do this to be shut down, and pronto.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you believe that you shouldn't be watching R-rated movies, then don't, but don't take it upon yourself to scratch off all the stuff you don't want to see, in an effort to see every movie you might want to see, regardless of the rating. And then sell it others who think like you.

Just my $0.02.

Thanks! :)
That One Guy said…
And by the way, congrats on the job, sounds like you had an exciting evening... hope it all goes well for you, and I wish you every success in the endeavor.

TOG.
Unknown said…
Thanks one guy. I do have to say in the defense of Clean Flicks however, that citizens should have the right to watch the movie they want, the way they want it. The film industry is losing out, and so are people who could have enjoyed something but will no longer be able to. My question is why the film makers don't also release a "clean" version of their movie to the public and sell it at Blockbuster or something along those lines.
Unknown said…
I'll let y'all know as soon as our site is up. I think we may have a live feed.
That One Guy said…
SJ: I think the TV version should be good enough. I say that knowing that is not a version available to the public for purchase, but, that having been said, making movies is not ALWAYS about making to most money - (aside from most of the mindless "Hollywood Blockbusters"), obviously, it is a big part, but I think most film producers/directors would tell you they wouldn't be willing to sacrifice their artistic vision for the sake of some more dollars. Just a hunch.

Some will say that some violence, sex, language, is gratuitous, and they are right. But some is not.

Again, my $0.02. :)
Steve said…
SJ,
What an exciting night!!! Makes my little trip here seem downright boring. :)

That Guy,
I'm with you on the movie thing. It's also along the precedent that just also passed a court regarding people making new versions of a released song to suit their needs.
Most directors and actors consider their work as a work of art in its entirety. You wouldn't think it is ok to only see Mona Lisa's eyebrows or half the Eiffel Tower or only the legs of The Thinker. Art is art as what it is. Gratuitous or not, its the message the people involved wanted to convey. Plus I've talked to people that have seen "clean versions" and sometimes they miss important messages, subtexts or even plot and it's like we saw two completely different movies.

Also, you wouldn't expect to be allowed to make money from adding scenes to an already released movie and then being able to sell it as a new movie, its the same premise.

SJ (again),
Looking forward to finding that live feed!
Panini said…
what an exciting night! geez. I am so bummed about the clean flicks thing. I think it's a shame. I have LOVED my membership. I wish that more movies were accessible to a larger audience--whether by airline version or allowing a scrubbing company. Sometimes you miss things in the cleaned up movie--it depends on the type of film it is usually--most of the time it's great. Brilliant acting and plots without all the F-words and groin scratching. There's still merit to someone's work without rolling in filth . . . enough for me to enjoy it anyway.
That One Guy said…
My general comment on the entirety of this issue: "you wouldn't put gym shorts on the statue of David - if it's offensive to you, or you have a moral commitment not to see it, don't".

the end.

:)
Scully said…
Thought I would chime in on the CleanFlicks thing. The idea has always made me a bit unsettled, simply because it is someone elses work you are changing. I love books and yes, even in the ones I love most, there are things I dislike or disagree with or am offended by, but I think it would be blasphemy for someone to creat a public library where they had taken a marker and blacked out whatever the felt was immoral. For example, Catcher in the Rye. We all had to read it in high school and some people balked. Holden has a mouth on him, but it informs you about him, about his youth, about the responses he wants to draw out of people, about his world view. To cut that from the book is to cut something from the character. You can choose to see or not see, to read or not read, but this is about artistic vision whether you accept it or not. You can't really pick and choose the part of the artist's vision of which you approve. Because then it is your vision and not the artist's.
Unknown said…
Then really are movies art or just entertainment. I'd be hard-pressed to say that movie "Weiners" with Keenan is art. However the Squid and the Whale, that was more of an arty film. But then deciding what is and is not art is an entirely different ball of wax. The way I see it is that it is someone else's work you are messing with, this is true. But some people wouldn't even consider seeing that piece of "art" if it weren't for Clean Flicks. And one more point, the pope in Michaelangelo's day made him put figs over God and David, but people can still appreciate that beautiful piece of art to this day...and not be offended
Scully said…
I wouldn't call all films 'Art', but I would say it was someone's vision. And the Sistine Chapel was created for public consumption in a place of worship where you can't control who sees it, where as seeing The Squid and the Whale is a personal choice. Which is why if TS&tW was aired on network television or an airplane, it would be edited. It is a question of public and private consumption.
Unknown said…
Your my hero! You are having awesome awesome experiences up there~sounds like hard work though!
Sarah Bellum said…
i tuned in to nightside last night to catch ethan and heard you. great job and what a fab voice you've got!!

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