Another full day of filming. It’s hard to believe that this is the third one – some combination of high-stress and adrenaline makes the pattern almost instantly ingrained.
Again, I recommend looking at the White Bison site for information on the ceremony itself. This event, like the previous, was held in a school gym. The graduating class, some 30 or 40 hours from graduating, came as a group; their attention has difficult to hold. As Don has said, it’s better to have 10 people attending who need to be there than 1,000 people who don’t want to be there. The students were present, but not giving or taking much. Still, if we reached one of them, or any one person in the audience, we’ve done something.
Much of my energy was spent trying to get around the school’s security system. The gym side door was locked, adjusting the lights needed a key, and the sound system was locked. As an added challenge, the entire gym had a total of two power outlets. The result was powerbars plugged into extension cords powered into other powerbars. Anyone attempting to use the gym for basketball would have a twisted ankle within thirty seconds – or maybe just straight-up electrocuted.
Don was given a pair of pants during the ceremony. I missed the story of exactly why; maybe Maria’s news update has something about that.
(edit: it does)
The final ceremony involved a march outside of the school and into the old school grounds – the new school was built about a block away from the old grounds. Everyone who could walk went over there and we made a group apology for the atrocities committed there. If you believe in spirits, or if you don’t believe in spirits, it doesn’t much matter. Just standing there acknowledging another person’s hurt is a powerful experience. I haven’t been to the concentration camps in Germany, but I imagine the feeling is similar. “This happened, and I’m sorry. We’re all sorry. Never again.” It’s an experience I recommend, if you get the chance.
I almost met a guy during the final ceremony; another cameraman, we shared sprinting lanes through the fields around the old school, racing to get far enough ahead of the procession to get a good shot. We didn’t really speak, and I know nothing about him, but the shared experience of running full-bore while cradling expensive electronics had curious bonding properties. On some level, we are now brothers.
The video footage didn’t actually turn out so hot, in the end, but the stage was set to get some great stills. For what would not be the last time, several birds followed the procession, but were never around to be caught on film except in the most glancing and blurred ways.
Of course, truth be told, I’ve never filmed any animal whatsoever with any success. Maybe don’t read too much into this.
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