The Hardest Post To Write...

Yesterday morning about 1015am, i took one of the hardest phone calls i have ever received. My Mum, Hilda Joan Martin, had passed away sometime in the previous night. Bringing her a cup of tea in the morning, my Father was the one to discover that she had passed away peacefully in her sleep. I am grateful that the evening before, i spoke to my Mum on the phone, as she had just returned home from another stay in hospital, one of many over the previous 5 or 6 months due to many problems she had encountered during those months, chief amongst which was a weakened heart.

Hilda Joan Martin... My Mum.

 There was no weak heart in my mind when it comes to remembering my Mother. Having suffered many medical problems throughout her life, she fought and lived with them. She didn't give up, although at times i knew she wanted to. She was tough in many ways that you would not think of when you looked at my Mum. An inner toughness that gave her a longer life than many would have thought over her lifetime. My Mum was always there for me and my Sister Karen, and my Dad. Sure, we had our problems like any other family, but as a family we worked through them and are still a close family. We saw and spoke to each other on a regular basis, we shared each others lives as a family.

I've always had my Mum there... Until today. I woke up for the first time to realise that she wasn't going to be there, and that is going to hurt for a long time to come.

I'm not the only one. My Dad, my Sister, and her Grand children Ben and Jed will miss her also. My Uncles and Aunties, of which there are many, have lost a Sister. My Grandmother has lost a Daughter. It's going to be a hard few weeks and months coming to terms with such a huge loss in our lives.

I looked on my mobile phone today. it contains the entire text conversation between me and my Mum since i bought the phone. Things like that are going to pop up from time to time. Photo's, messages and other digital contacts that my Mum took to, like Facebook and Skype, will remind me when i least expect it, that she is no longer here with us.

Most of my memories though are in my head. There are plenty of them to remember her with. Good times when i was small, and good times not so long ago. My Mum will sure be missed by a great many people, but she will without doubt, never be forgotten.

I Love you Mum.  

Floating Turds 2... The Revenge.

A few years back, during the flooding in the town of Lewes, i did my bit and filmed for the TV News. I have good memories of those few days when trickling rivers turned into raging torrents and nature decided to reclaim long forgotten natural floodplains. I even got some good feedback from the head honchos at the BBC. I guess they remembered, for today i found myself up to my knees in flood water again in West Sussex where heavy rain has swollen the rivers, saturated the rural areas and overloaded the drainage systems.

A floating turd hunt. June 2012.

My guess is that we will have more of this to come in the next few years if the climate change mob are to be believed. Or were they claiming drought and water shortages..? i can never remember. Anyway, i again found myself balls deep in flood water and sewage overflow from the good people of the South of England, avoiding floating turds and other detritus from households who suddenly found water seeping up through the floorboards and in through their doors. As much as i try to put a little humour into this blog post, i find myself unable to put aside the misery and upset that nature can throw at people by washing away their valuables, memories and sofa. I feel for the victims, i really do.

Mobile home... sorry, Houseboat for sale... £100.00 or nearest offer.

Not only do they have to deal with the calamity of having next doors belongings floating through the living room, they also have to put up with the likes of me and my reporter knocking on their door to ask how they feel right now. Some people we spoke to at the mobile home park are now homeless, with much of what they own ruined.

"How the blinking buggery do you think i feel..." would be my answer.

We were however, welcomed. We were offered cups of tea, shown around and treated with kindness from those who had spent the past 24 hours struggling to keep their lives and properties together. That's the British for you. When the turd of life floats through their letterbox and the god of the sewer pipe relocates their dining room table to the next town via the high street, they will always smile at you and offer a cup of tea.

Just check the chocolate brownie on the side before eating... ok...?

You can see what i saw on my youtube channel... Here

Paul Martin is @ukcameraman on Twitter.

www,media-attention.co.uk

The Problem With Infographics...

In today's digital media world, the infographic has seen a rise in popularity. Easy to produce and share with the world they can impart information in an easily digestible manner. A quick glance can give you the required data and knowledge needed to either make a decision or find an answer. For the TV News, a good infographic can inform the public in a quick and timely fashion.

However...

All it takes is one little piece of misleading information, a word or symbol that confuses the reader. Take for example, the infographic below, sent to me by my good friend and journalist Tom Hepworth. It invites you to find out whether you are the rock singer, Meatloaf.

I had no idea that i could indeed be Meatloaf, i certainly don't remember much of the rock and roll lifestyle if i were him, or where all my money went. My point is that even a simple infographic like this can lead to a world of confusion because of one word... 'That'.

Does anybody know what 'That' is...? If i was Meatloaf, i would surely know what 'that' is, in which case, i have no need for the infographic. But it asks me if i am Meatloaf... Am i...? Let us find out. Would i do anything for love...? Well yes, of course i would, most people would do anything for love wouldn't they...? So i answer 'yes'.

Infographics... Confusing.

Now, here comes the sticking point. It asks me if would even do 'That'. Now, not knowing whether i am Meatloaf, i don't know what 'That' is... With me so far...? You see, Meatloaf would know what 'that' is, in which case, follow the arrows and bingo... You are indeed Meatloaf. But the infographic is asking me if i am Meatloaf right...? And yes, i would do anything for love but, i don't know what 'that' is... and whether i would do it or not.

'That' could be anything. It could be something that gets you arrested, laughed at, scorned in public, or banished from your local community. I am not going to admit that i would do 'that' without knowing what 'that' is... You see...? No...? Exactly. I can only get through half of the infographic and i get stuck. And i still don't know whether i am Meatloaf or not.

Look... quite obviously, i am not Meatloaf. My Missus tells me that i do not go like a bat out of hell and i can't ever remember seeing paradise by the dashboard light. But i cannot follow the no arrow on the infographic because i would do anything for love... so i am forced to go down the route of admitting to doing... 'That'. Hence the confusion problem.

So... infographic producers, please think through the questions before sharing your infographic with the world. As for me, i'm going to lie down in the dark somewhere with a stiff drink until the confusion passes, and try to figure out with my over stimulated imagination, just what 'That' could possibly be... the results could be astonishing.

Paul Martin is @ukcameraman on Twitter.

www.media-attention.co.uk
  

The TV News, In One Sentence...

This TV News freelancing malarky is a tough one. One minute you have phone calls, the next you don't. Having been booked for the next few days my heart was lifted, knowing that for the next week or so, me and my family would not be short of a bowl of gruel. Possibly even, a loaf of bread.

But in my heart of hardened hearts, i knew that half way through the day, after covering one fact and figure story, i would call into the office and be told, "That's it today, there is nothing else. Go home."

Rest stop on the way home... Only half a day is done.

  It happened again today... You see, things ain't what they used to be. Time was i could have worked seven days a week for as many hours as i could handle, and i did just that for many years when i started out. Things have changed. Journalists have their own cameras... and edit software. Money for freelancers is tighter than a gnats chuff. Time and resources are not on our side, i confess that i got a bit down in the dumps.

However, i was reminded today by a Cameraman... Sorry... Photog, in the USA called Rick Portier about why i got into this silly game we call the news in the first place. The blog he wrote can be seen here.

Near the end, one sentence stuck out and slapped me around the face... It is possibly why TV News ratings are down, advertising revenue sucks and we find ourselves chasing our collective arses about the countryside in pursuit of stories that really don't matter to the news watching viewer...

"Producers and news directors may want facts, but viewers care about people."

Just there... in one sentence, lies the whole world of TV News gathering. People who watch our output are the people who drive us on. Yes, they want the facts, and they want to be informed of what's happening around them but mostly, facts and figures take control of any story in TV News. In reality, people want to see the human side of the story, the people just like them. Storytelling is what we should be doing, but facts and figures is what we normally get. Fact is what we do. But get the people bit wrong, over and over again, well...  Get that wrong and we might as well go home...

Oh, hang on... I have.

Paul Martin is @ukcameraman on Twitter.

www.media-attention.co.uk

Sticking It To The Man... Or... Sniggering at Tony Blair's security.

Well the Leveson Enquiry into ethics in the media took a funny turn yesterday when a protester stormed into the courtroom as our former Prime Minister, Anthony Charles Lynton B.. liar... sorry Blair, or Tone, man of the people, took the oath not to lie (Sniggers) and gave his evidence, which he did so using an amazing amount of hand gestures, making him look like a crap magician using an invisible deck of cards.

Dunno about you, but i was transfixed, almost hypnotised by the waving of the hands to distract from the bullshit which flowed forth.

The international sign of indignation... recognised the world over by Tony Blair.

 I made the mistake of following the hands... i could feel myself starting to drift under ...

"Yes Tone, anything you say dear leader...zzz....Another war..? No problem.... zzzzz"

However, the spell was broken when we were rudely interrupted as the protester burst in and accused the Former Prime Minister of being a war criminal. Popcorn went everywhere and coke exited through my nostrils. I watched astounded as the intruder clung on to the desk for dear life as security (Sniggers again) and Tone's bodyguards (Guffaw) wrenched him from his soapbox and dragged him away.

So i guess it was lucky that the protester only entered the building and the courtroom armed only with a righteous sense of indignation and rage against our former war starting, peace loving, middle east roving and extremely highly paid former leader. The mind boggles at the thought of what he could have done with a Marmite sandwich and a mug of cup-a-soup. It could have been one hell of a mess.

I am led to believe that this morning, security at the enquiry have received a re-training module in Security 101 (Revised 28 May 2012) section 2... How to spot a man with no accreditation, as he walks towards the Ex Prime Minister, giving evidence in court. (Sub section 42(a)) as it has been reported that people are now being searched on the way into the building.

Now come on guys, lax security makes for brilliant TV news, we could have a weekly intruder into the enquiry. Don't go and spoil it all eh..? Oh, and look up Section 66 (Sub Section 13) in the Security handbook 101... Stable, Door, Horse and Bolted... When the shit hits the fan.

Here's the video...



Paul Martin is @ukcameraman on Twitter

www.media-attention.co.uk