RNC 2008 Riot footage shot with XH-A1

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James in HD

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Here is video #1 of 4 that I am making.
I live in St. Paul and I watched up close and personal
the 2008 RNC riots from Sept 1st - Sept 4th.

I grabbed my Canon XH-A1 and started shooting.
Check out what I captured. The good stuff is still to come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttT6Bx6eteA

Tell me what you think.
 
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Looks interesting, can't wait to see the rest. You should upload to Vimeo for higher quality videos - the community there may appreciate it as well.
 
The constant shift in color is just very distracting. I think the footage should speak for itself without any fancy editing trick.
 
If you're serious about Minnesota being a Police State, that's a political statement, don't you think? Probably two sides to this issue and this is hardly the place to get into that.

Maybe just re-do the title work without the political positioning. During is misspelled anyway.
 
From a storytelling perspective, I would have to agree about the titles. With the titles, it feels more like a propaganda short that will lose part of the audience (looks like it has already). Without the titles, it would seem more documentary/journalistic (albeit biased docu/journalistic) and perhaps more accepted because it doesn't tell the viewer how to feel.
 
Also, it happened not happen. I agree with the editing, etc. The first poor victim has "Guerilla Warfare" tatood on his chest. Yeah... this isn't slanted propaganda itself eh?
Bill
 
However I also have footage of an 8 year old getting maced after walking out after lunch with her family. Then I was maced for seeing it. It was a police state. Just google the videos of the stuff they did to people.

Yes I wish I could go back and re-edit the title work. I'm an idiot who types too fast for his own good and I never spell check. But it's already up there and loaded.

And the reason for the flashy editing. Well it was a very crazy 4 days. And that's how it felt to be in middle of everything going on. Chaos, Anarchy, and everything happening all at once around you. It's hard to watch it and not want to get the feeling of the insanity that was in the air. So I did what I could to get that across.
 
Nevertheless,
This is not a place to air political opinions that just happen to have video involved. I'm sorry you got in the middle of that craziness. It does look like it sucked. I would be very worried for my camera...
Bill
 
You are right. It bothers me too much to let that edit sit. I am taking out all the text except the facts at the end and who made it. I will be taking out the "This is what a Police State looks like" as well as the incorrect spelling.

Thanks for your feed back.
- James

I do not want to take sides, however there were just as many bad police as there were rioters. And on the other hand there were just as many good police. I get what you are saying.
 
Looks cool, but its just footage of people dancing around and cops. Put in some interviews and voice over giving the viewer some info, not just visual stimulation.
 
Sorry - didn't bother getting past 20 seconds. My internet is slow and I don't feel like watching a distorted-in-post-to-show-grittiness-by-making-it-red-and-inserting-the-OLD TV-preset-in-FCP-to-make-it-unwatchable footage.

Documentary footage is just that - it should speak on it's own. Not be edited in a way that you can't even see what's going on. Keep it how you recorded it. With correction it is no longer documentary footage.
 
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Okay - first off we're treading on extremely thin ice... but I think this is a topic that some people could get a lot out of so hopefully we can let it ride without getting into the politics. We have a lot of users interested in doc and journalism work - so let's just make certain we keep this on track.
James in HD said:
I do not want to take sides
Click to expand...
I have a really hard time believing that given the edit - while it might be your intent to take sides - it's abundantly clear in the way the video is put together which side of this you're on. Making documenatary work is a place where many people let the message get in the way of the medium (in my opinion) - making it more important than the actual craftsmanship of the piece itself.

My two cents - this edit is so far over the top that it becomes almost a parody of itself.
I would lose everything from the music to the titles and simply present the events as they occurred.
Give us the live audio and uncut takes - let us experience it the same way you did.
Give us a simple title at the beginning for context - but that's it.
We don't need the commentary or the effects - they only serve to weaken the entire video.
Anything that you add or use to embelish the video will only work to sensationalize the events at which point you wind up with a video that will serve only to preach to the choir (which is what you have now). In the end, with all the video effects, quick cuts and commentary titles you have something which really plays out more like a nice music video for the band than anything even close to a "journalistic" piece.

Like I said - just my two cents.

You may want to take a look at the work of the Maysles for example - "Gimme Shelter" in particular.
That is a great film to watch to learn how to present riot (or fight) footage in such a way that the viewer can get as close as possible to experiencing it themsevles - and drawing their own conclusions.
 
Like I said, this is video #1 of 4.
Each video will have a new feel and style to it.
1 of which will actually show all the good stuff that went down.
This one show's a cop being beat down and the Anarchy group
doing stupid things in the streets to get their point across.
By the way, what's their point? They have none really.
I just wanted to approach each video as it's own.

There's only effects on certain parts to show emotion.
The man is not coming in clear at the beginning, because what
he's saying is not making since. Then he turns red when the anger
comes out. Then polarized just before the action kicks off.
It's the way things felt as I was shooting. I personally was maced
and gassed for no reason besides capturing a Police officer macing
an 8 year old girl. He walked up to me within 3 feet and maced me
with foam pepper spray and told me to hand over the tape.
My response: Yeah right buddy I have a right to be here.

The reason that footage is not yet in my videos is because
that 8 year old went into cardiac arrest and there is now a
multi-million dollar law suit happening.

And 2nd, I never once said this is a documentary. It's a music video
for a group called "Dope Sic Love". Video #1 was a music video that's all.

So watch it, and take it for what it is. If you have a decent connection
watch it in high quality. But let's talk about what it is, a music video.
You guys are picking apart a documentary. This is not a documentary.
 
Well then I ask you this - where are your releases for 'talent'?

Sorry to say - for a music video that footage can't be used under fair use.
 
James in HD said:
Like I said, this is video #1 of 4.
Each video will have a new feel and style to it.
1 of which will actually show all the good stuff that went down.
This one show's a cop being beat down and the Anarchy group
doing stupid things in the streets to get their point across.
By the way, what's their point? They have none really.
I just wanted to approach each video as it's own.

There's only effects on certain parts to show emotion.
The man is not coming in clear at the beginning, because what
he's saying is not making since. Then he turns red when the anger
comes out. Then polarized just before the action kicks off.
It's the way things felt as I was shooting. I personally was maced
and gassed for no reason besides capturing a Police officer macing
an 8 year old girl. He walked up to me within 3 feet and maced me
with foam pepper spray and told me to hand over the tape.
My response: Yeah right buddy I have a right to be here.

The reason that footage is not yet in my videos is because
that 8 year old went into cardiac arrest and there is now a
multi-million dollar law suit happening.

And 2nd, I never once said this is a documentary. It's a music video
for a group called "Dope Sic Love". Video #1 was a music video that's all.

So watch it, and take it for what it is. If you have a decent connection
watch it in high quality. But let's talk about what it is, a music video.
You guys are picking apart a documentary. This is not a documentary.
Click to expand...

James,

Members responded this way because you started with a political agenda. Your titles made that clear. I don't know why you tell this story about the little girl since its not in your video and can't be verified.

I know a lot about chemical agents and they don't work that way. Even if she was there, what kind of family subjects a child to this sort of thing? Everyone was warned ahead of time, so, unless they were planning a lawsuit....

It just smacks of unoriginal propaganda.
 
all politics aside, i felt it was entertaining. i had a good laugh when i saw the hippies dancing. the editing went well with the music.

if you're trying to make it a documentary then i agree with everyone else about the flashy editing. but if the clip is merely intended for entertainment purposes, then i think you succeeded.
 
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