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Getting in Touch : Events
Feedback on Memorial Video Needed | from tuneman7 - Monday, April 11, 2005
accessed 1769 times Memorial video is available and digitized. However, we need feedback from attendees before deciding if and how to make it available. We've received raw footage from two of the filming crews at the memorial, the third batch is on its way.
The footage is beautiful, none of it has been edited, it's raw, but the audio is all there and it's great, it really captures the event well.
In our last few tasks related to the memorial, we would like to make the footage of the service available via the web.
Many people would have liked to have been able to attend the memorial but were not able to do so for one reason or the other. Many of these same people contributed towards the memorial, and I think it would be wonderful to make this footage available.
Most of the footage just focuses on the speakers. However, there are some pans of the audience and some brief close-ups on people in the audience as the eulogies were being read.
The organizers very much respect people's privacy and do not want for anyone's likeness to be available without the approval of those persons.
As mentioned, not much of the footage shows audience members, but some faces are visible.
This leaves us with a few options:
1. Privately distribute the footage to attendees:
We could simply make the video available upon request, or email a link to attendees who attended or RSVP’d to the event.
The problem with this is that once it’s out there, it’s out there. We’ll have no control over where the footage ends up, who shows it to who, etc. …
2. Distribute the footage to close friends and family members:
Since family and close friends are receiving copies of this footage anyway, people can go through the “telephone network” or the personal network and obtain copies or view the footage that way.
3. Edit the footage:
We can edit the footage so that we “cube-out” distort, or otherwise hide the faces of audience members, while at the same time keeping the audio track intact so that people can still hear what is being said.
This option is more work, and will delay the release of the footage. However, if necessary, we can definitely do this with our little amateur computer-based video edit kits, or try our best. The result may be some simply “black screens” while audio continues for those shots where the audience is panned.
4. Make the footage available “As-Is”:
We could simply make the raw footage available.
We have an obligation to our friends, and attendees to do the right thing as far as protecting people, their futures and their families. We take this responsibility and the trust of our friends and attendees very seriously.
Footage is always a tricky thing because security or family concerns aside sometimes people are concerned about the way that they look and come across, etc., on camera. A memorial is an emotional event and many people were crying, and not looking their Hollywood best, so to speak. This is a real concern to some people, and we also take it seriously.
My personal feeling is that this memorial was a watershed event. An event like this is an once-in-a-lifetime event. It was very bittersweet for me personally because, while I was happy that everyone made the event so wonderful through their attendance and contribution, we were all saying goodbye to a dear friend who cannot be replaced in our hearts. The sadness and loss aside, it was a beautiful day, filed with so much beauty, so much love, so much respect, and I believe, a lot of healing and some closure.
I walked on the beach that night after everything was said and done, the reception hall was closed, all I could see was the sand, stars, and a distant bonfire where friends were talking through the night. I breathed a big sigh of relief, and I shed a tear or two of sadness and joy, sadness that I had lost a brother, joy that we had done right by our friend. We stood together for that one day, we held our heads up, we sent off our friend with dignity, we remembered all our fallen friends, not just Richard, we showed compassion, we showed dignity, we showed honesty, we shared hope and we showed solidarity.
It would be nice to share this event through the footage with those who could not attend. However, we want to make sure that if we do, we do it with the goodwill and approval of those who may be in the footage.
As written above, most of the footage does not focus on the audience, but there are some pans of the audience and a few close-ups of attendees
Any input, comments, objections, concerns, questions or suggestions anyone has on the best way to go about this, is very much appreciated. You may email me through this site, if you have questions, or just post below.
Don
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Reader's comments on this article Add a new comment on this article |  from Earlybird
Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - 23:29
(Agree/Disagree?)
It looks like one of the links to the footage is no longer there.
I seem to rememer two sets of footage. Checking Xfamily.org . ... .....
DATA LOCATED:
http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Category:Video_Archives
strange. ...
(reply to this comment)
| from Phoenixkidd
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 19:58
(Agree/Disagree?)
I second the motion on an edited version of the video be made available. Afterall all those who didn't want to be taped had a nice section at the memorial where they could see at where they wouldn't be on camera. Also this would save you guys time in having to edit out or blurr all the people's faces or do any type of editing. BTW when do you think this video will be available, Sarafina?
(reply to this comment)
|  From sarafina
Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 23:51
(Agree/Disagree?)
Well here’s the situation. The reason the cameras were there was to get a few shots of the memorial. We did not want the memorial to be used in a negative way. Which is why we did not have a press conference. We did not want anything to distract from what we were there for, which was to honor and say goodbye to a good friend. We allowed a few cameras that were going to use a few clips of the memorial to show how many loved and came to say goodbye to Ricky. I asked that no close ups be shown and that they could be there as long as they did not interfere with the memorial itself. I set aside separate seating if anyone wanted to be there but did not want to be on camera for any public or media coverage. Unfortunately not everyone got there on time and some missed the announcement of the separate seating.
Now in order to get certain quality and beautiful shots the cameramen filmed almost the whole memorial and were going to edit later for a few shots they wanted. Then what happened is Elixca and I asked the cameramen if they could send us a copy of the Uncut footage as we just wanted it as a keepsake and for personal use to play for ourselves whenever we were sad or missed our friend/ loved one. I didn’t know they were going to send it to anyone else. Now it was sent to a few good friends who also suggested that there were many who couldn’t come to the memorial but who helped (which btw we couldn’t have even had the memorial without everyone’s help) I understand all this, at the same time I’m want to make sure we respect everyone as well.
This is the way I see it. We did promise everyone attending had the choice to not be in the cameras eye esp. in the case that the film was used to for any public media purpose. There were chairs set aside for that purpose. I can’t help it if you were not there on time and showed up at the end or in the middle and did not hear the announcement. I can understand not wanting to be on public TV; that we will honor, but if you were there all it shows is that you loved Ricky and were there to say goodbye and show your respect and love for him. If you were there amongst the others why should you feel ashamed to show that? If you are ashamed that you were there and that others of your peers might see you then I may question your intentions for being there in the first place.
It was a beautiful event and a tribute to lost friend. Although I myself have serious issues about the fact that I’m shown in a very vulnerable state, a place where I could barely speak and look up (in my opinion) in a terrible state due to lack of sleep and stress over having loss yet another close member of my family, I still count myself honored that I was there! That I was there to say goodbye, that I was there to see how many others loved my friend, that I was there to see how beautiful of a family I have to support me. To see that I was NOT alone, to see how much love there was amongst those of us who have been to hell and back and survived. To see even those that were there to help those that were weak and may have been at the end of their ropes. I was honored to be amongst such wonderful and valiant courageous souls, who that despite their own personal tragedies and hardships and losses, put all that aside to come and support a few desperate friends like myself and Elixcia and Don and others who I will not name (maybe you were one of them), to stand beside us and be proud to have had a comrade and friend such as Ricky.
So the bottom line is unless it well effect your current life negatively by being seen amongst your peers supporting or grieving for your friend then that should be the only reason you should object to letting all the others who donated to the memorial and made it possible for you to attend to from seeing the raw footage. The footage is available, were just waiting for the approval of those who attended. No mater what my feelings or of those who have access to the footage we want to make sure we are taking everyone’s opinions in to consideration.(reply to this comment) |
| | From Sonderval
Thursday, April 14, 2005, 03:58
(Agree/Disagree?)
Before I say anything I'll say I wasn't able to be at the memorial so I don't have a say in this decision, I would have loved to be there and I'd love to see the video but the decision isn't mine to make.
The one response I'd have to your comment is there is one other reason that people might have for not wanting their faces shown as being at that memorial, and that's because not everyone chooses to make public that they were ever a member of the cult. For that reason I can quite understand why some people would be uncomfortable having this video going out into the public domain unedited. I just wanted to say that because your post seemed to be quite harsh towards anyone who would want this video edited and I don't think that's fair.
I don't think anyone who was at that memorial is ashamed of their grief for Ricky or their support for their friends and peers, but I can understand people who don't tell their work colleagues or casual friends about their past and wouldn't be comfortable with that knowledge being in the public domain, I'm not worried about it myself but I gave up on being 'normal' quite a while ago. I don't feel that just because someone is uncomfortable about the fact that they were born into the cult makes them any less of a person or devalues why they were at that memorial.
But saying all that, I hope everyone who was there decides that they're comfortable with the unedited video being shown, I would have loved to have been there but simply couldn't afford it due to some unfortunately timed recent events here, I sent what I could and my thoughts were there.(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | from Craven de Kere
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 18:40
(Agree/Disagree?)
I vote for unedited. Let me know what you decide. I have the footage but haven't given it to anyone for those reasons you outline.
(reply to this comment)
| from ginger52
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 18:14
(Agree/Disagree?)
I would love to see the unedited footage, can you just have anyone that would not want to be on the video email you can you can blur them out. I don't see why to many people would have a problem with being on there.
(reply to this comment)
| from melzar
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 07:14
(Agree/Disagree?)
Being that, much to my dismay, I was unable to attend Ricky's memorial, I'd love to experience the fully unedited version to be able somehow feel as if I participated as much as possible from thousands of miles away. Can't wait to see it online...
(reply to this comment)
| from Ralph Crayon
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 14:06
(Agree/Disagree?)
Post it all online, Can't wait to see it.
(reply to this comment)
| from moon beam
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 11:49
(Agree/Disagree?)
My vote is do it, leave it un-edited. I hope it's soon as I was so disapointed I couldn't come over for Ricky's memorial. It would be nice to see it without a lot of blurring or black-outs.
(reply to this comment)
| from Guccigirl
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 10:42
 (Agree/Disagree?)
I say post it! Anyone who didn't want to be caught on camera had the option to move. That's my vote.
(reply to this comment)
| | | | | | | from Joseph_S
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 10:21
(Agree/Disagree?)
Don,
I recall an anouncement being made to the attendees that if they did NOT want to be shown on video, they should move to a specified area. When I didn't move, it was my understanding that I was giving my consent to being taped and shown.
(reply to this comment)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | From tuneman7
Tuesday, April 12, 2005, 10:37
(Agree/Disagree?)
Yes, that announcement was made, however a few people showed up when the event was already in progress, and the greeter was in the audience, and so the message may not have gotten to a few people. So we're just trying to be careful, but for the most part people's reactions have been the same as yours Joseph.
EyesWideShut, actually emailed me and said she didn't are about blurring her face but just wanted an "edited" memorial video. She's volunteered to do the editing for me. -- Just kidding.
Take it easy!
Don(reply to this comment) |
| | | | | from Nick
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 10:00
(Agree/Disagree?)
I say just post it out there. I mean give it a few months and it will get out there anyway so IMO just make it easy for all to see from the start.
(reply to this comment)
| from EyesWideShut
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 08:13
(Agree/Disagree?)
I did't have time to read the whole post so maybe I'm missing something here, but I'd like it edited. There's my vote.
(reply to this comment)
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