(First time blogging from my Blackberry, so hope this works!)
Filmed several hours of the military tribunal today – got amazing footage!
The first part this morning was the trial of 2 police officers who were accused of allowing 17 sex offenders (some convicts, some awaiting trial) to escape from the local prison. In that type of situation, the officers can then be held responsible, and thus put on trial, for the crimes of those they (allegedly) helped escape. B/c the trial was in French and Swahili, I couldn’t understand it, however, my team members told me how impressed they were with the arguments of both the prosecutor and the defense. The ABA provides the attorneys on behalf of the plaintiffs, and they partner with the local bar association to ensure proper defense for the accused. I have been SO impressed with ABA ROLI’s work here. And apparently so is the local population – everyone in Kasongo knows ABA ROLI, and has such admiration for them. One of the things I admire is that they partner with, hire, and utilize native Congolese as opposed to bringing in trained internationals to do the work of both trials and administration. It gives them the ability to efficiently and and effectively implement “the rule of law,” and be able to (when the time is right) phase out their presence without adversely affecting the justice system.
The second half of today was the trial of police officers accused of raping 2 minors – ages 11 and 13. The way the trial works, the cases of the minors are presented by their attorneys. The ABA ROLI also provides a counselor/psychologist to be with the girls throughout the trial, both so they understand what’s going on, and have continuous emotional support.
It was so HOT while filming today. I was moving in and out of the crowd, dripping sweat, sometimes almost lying on the floor to get a shot I needed, other times hugging a wall to get a good view to shoot a specific angle. I was fortunate that both those involved in the trial and the crowd accepted my being there and (sometimes) almost seemed to forget I was there. Made the feel of what I was capturing very authentic and natural. Really looking forward to the edit with this footage.
For those who have an interest – my primary camera is a Canon 7D, and I have two lenses. A 17-55mm EF-S lens, made esp for the 7D’s sensor size, and a 70-200mm Canon L-series telephoto. The image quality from both lenses is ridiculous. Using a 7″ Marshall on-board monitor to help ensure more accurate focus, and have four 16GB compact flash cards to ensure enough space for all the footage. I also utilize Tiffen glass ND filters so I’m able to keep the aperture open and the depth of field nice and shallow so the image quality is beautiful. My second camera is a Sony HVR-A1U HDV camera which I’ve had for several years, and love for documentary work. It’s been with me to Sudan and back, and is great for situations like this. Small, lightweight, good image quality, tape-based, professional audio. As a secondary audio source (primary audio for interviews), I use the Zoom h4n field recorder with a Senneheiser (sp?) ME-66 shotgun microphone. For emergencies, quick indiscreet shots, or “production footage,” I also carry a Flip HD ultra, and, very rarely but when I want someone to think I’m on the phone and not filming, I’ll use the video camera on my Blackberry.
Quick thanks to my brother-in-law Beau who made some great recommendations for personal gear for me to bring with (he’s had plenty of experience given his recent tour of duty with the Marines in Afghanistan).
And thank you to those who have emailed and sent me facebook messages while I’ve been here, it’s been very encouraging! A little more than a week to go!
Tomorrow (Friday), I’ll send a brief about the civil court we’re filming, after which I’ll be visiting the homes and families of several rape victims.
Time for bed!
Malachi Leopold
Left Brain/Right Brain Productions,LLC
773.332.6837
LBRBProductions.com
Full-Service Production With A Purpose.
