Being at the right place, at the right time
 

I just wanted to share this bit of good fortune I had today.

I went to city hall to interview a city official for a documentary that I'm producing, and noticed that the lobby was abuzz with journalists and local celebrities. There was a press conference and Fergie (the Duchess, not the singer) was a guest.

I met with the city official, did a quick 30-min interview, then came back downstairs in time for the photo op. I had no press credentials (only the visitor pass that security gave me) but even with my humble Canon XH-A1 I blended in among the ENG cameras and media people stepped out of the way to get me a clear shot.

I walked out with 8 minutes of Sarah Ferguson and coverage. Every major TV station was there so I couldn't sell it to anyone, but I used it to get on the good side of a small community channel that I've been courting as a freelancer. First hit's always free. :-)

BTW, I'm still not sure what the conference was about. Something-something 'bout poverty or homelessness, I think. Oh, and I shook Fergie's hand after it was all done and wished her welcome to Montreal. Pretty much had to do that.

So, yeah. Always be prepared, like the scouts say. You never know when Sasquatch (or Fergie) might appear.


J.

Very cool. When you produce the package from your footage, be sure to provide a link - would love to see it.

Nice work, Jacques. Smart of you to grab the opportunity and run with it. Send us a link if you do something with it!

Way to go Jacques! I hope you post a link too.

I won't be doing any of the editing on this one, which is why I'm giving away a license. There was no interviewer with me and I didn't have my good shotgun mike (just the wireless lav I used for the interview with the city official), so they'll probably use a few seconds of the images with voiceover as a news item. And it'll be in French.

I'll post the link as soon as I have it.

J.

I'm going to risk sounding like a sourpuss Jacques, but I hope your good fortune prompts you to make sure you have a short gun mic in your camera bag all the time in future.

Apart from allowing you to make even more of your grasped opportunity for which we all congratulate you, you would also have been protected against a battery/cable failure on your radio mic.

Maximising good fortune means being ready for it.

There's a lot of gear I could bring "just in case": lights, gels, softboxes, filters, lenses, adapters, batteries, batteries, batteries, AC adapters, every conceivalbe cable, tripod dolly, etc. In the end, if I carry so much that I can't move, then I can't move.

I used to be anal about this. Now I'm just mobile.

Jacques, I'm sorry you felt my suggestion to be anal but I do understand the importance for you to be mobile. My mobile phone records photos and video - I can recommend it, though I wouldn't personally choose it for my work. :)

The cell phone analogy does not stand, Philip. When doing an interview, pack for an interview. No one packs thinking "What if stumble into a press conference with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York"? Or maybe they do, but they're the people always fussing with too much equipment while Sasquatch dances the charleston in front of them.

Besides, a shotgun would have changed nothing. I wasn't interviewing her. The built-in mic did an excellent job of picking up ambient noise.

So, moot.

Jacques, let's not argue - I should have made the smiley larger. I'm happy to accept we have different views. Best regards.

Thanks, Jacques, for my first good laugh of the day.