Canada Day at Citytv: the good, the bad and the ugly (hey that's me!)

I volunteered with Citytv on Canada Day.  I met with Jeff at Citytv last Wednesday to get a quick run down of the show, meet the crew, and to get a grey Citytv “Crew” T-shirt (that’s important later).  Our meeting went smoothly. I biked over to the Citytv at the Forks during my lunch break.  I have a summer gig doing corporate communications so I was dressed in business-casual attire.  Very respectable looking.

Fast forward to Canada Day. I woke up late and was due at Citytv at 12:30 pm.   I had to book it to the Forks on my bike and made it in fifteen minutes flat, arriving at 12:30pm on the nose. Fhew! 

But it was over 30 C out and when I arrived and I took off my backpack I realized I had sweat through my T-shirt.  I looked like I was wearing a sweat-backpack, complete with shoulder straps!  I went to the men’s room and threw some cool water on my face and neck.  That was when I looked in the mirror.  Did I forget to mention that I had played a rugby game the night before and I had a fresh black eye and scab on my nose?  Oh and my eyes were bloodshot from some allergy issues I have been struggling with (Allergy to beer? you ask. No! Honest to goodness allergies, thank you very much! And I resent your tone!) 

Staring across the bathroom sink into the face of this madman I suddenly understood the horrified looks I got when I arrived on set.  I am sure they all wondered who the hell this sweaty, beat-up and red-eyed mess was, and what had he done with the respectable young man they met on Wednesday? 

Standing there in the bathroom I panicked slightly.  For a moment I considered just saying goodbye to any future professional relationship with Citytv, and wandering off set never to return again.  But no, I couldn’t shirk my volunteer responsibilities.  And what of Forde Oliver’s good name? Would I sully it, just like I sullied my Citytv T-shirt? No!

So I swung into action.  First I dug through my back-pack and found my allergy eye-drops.  A few drops and the redness had diminished to something resembling the eyes of a human. Next I slipped out the back door of the studio and maneuvered through the crowds of Canada Day celebrators until I found a kiosk selling souvenir T-shirts.  I grabbed a white “I am Canadian” T-shirt, paid the inflated price and headed for the nearest men’s room.  After changing and cleaning myself up a little bit I returned to the studio looking like a new man.  Well OK, looking like a guy that got the crap beat out of him in a clean T-shirt.

When I got back on set someone offered me a Citytv baseball cap for "sun protection."  I accepted it quickly.  It was the last piece of the puzzle: a perfect way to throw some shadow on my beat-up face. 

Now having completed my emergency make-over I was free to get back to work.  The day was spent prepping the set and doing dress rehearsals until the live broadcast began at 5pm. The weather stayed very warm and the entire show was shot outside. On the main outdoor set  there were two cameras mounted on pedestals, one handheld camera, and one camera on a huge jib that got all kinds of extreme angles and dynamic shots. Co-hosts Pay Chen and Jeremy John worked the crowd and gave away prizes, while two remote hosts broadcast from various locations  around the Forks.

All of the Citytv crew, staff and hosts were a pleasure to work with. My main duties consisted of pulling cable for Justin, the handheld camera operator.  He was responsible for getting interesting crowd shots, and I was responsible for making sure he did not trip on his cables. A simple, yet important role.  Or so I was told.  Here is a short video of my view from the set.

It was a valuable experience despite a rocky start to the day.  It was really interesting to see how a professional, live TV show is made.  It reminded me of a bigger, fancier version of some of the TV productions we have made in CreComm.  I guess Dean and Forde are doing a good job of preparing us for careers in television. Although they never taught us what to do when we arrive on set a sweaty, black and blue mess...I guess that will be in second year.

Soupy out.

Everything I need to know for my IPP I learned from MacGyver

My independent professional project (IPP) is in full swing.    I know, I know, it's not due until March 2012, but my schedule is fast tracked due to my subject matter.  I am making a video documentary about local ultra-marathoner Dwayne Sandall.  Dwayne is running in the Big Horn 100 mile Run in Wyoming in the middle of June and yours truly is going with him to try and capture it on video.  So I have just over a month to organize equipment, crew, and do pre-race shooting.

I have been shooting Dwayne training on the trails of Birds Hill Park for the last couple of weekends and trying to get comfortable enough with the video and audio equipment to be able to chase after Dwayne in the hills of Wyoming.  I have also met with Forde, my advisor, to review some of my shots and make sure I am on the right track.

Getting still shots of Dwayne training has not been too difficult.  I even ran along side him and behind him holding the camera and may have got some usable footage.  But this past weekend I decided I wanted to attach the camera to a bike and ride ahead of Dwayne getting shots of him running toward the camera.  But with limited time and budget I knew I would have to make some kind of camera holder myself.  So I went to my parents house and ventured into my father's garage, where I knew I would find the tools and materials I needed to build the contraption I imagined. 

And all it took was a couple of hours, two pencils, an old bike helmet, and some old strips of wood, my trusty swiss army knife, and a wack load of tape. 

I have to admit that I felt a little like MacGyver while I was making this thing.  With my impending shoot the next moring I was racing the clock, and using my wits to fight the forces of evil. All I was missing was  a mullet and a brown leather jacket....and some forces of evil.





So here is the final product.  And I am happy to announce that the camera did not fall off the back of my bike (thanks to some trusty bungy chords) and the shooting was a success.  Thank you MacGyver.

Soupy out.

WPS Half was Hypothermic Half Part Deux

In my April 18th blog, with the Winnipeg Police Service Half Marathon (WPS Half) less than two weeks away, I started my Canadian Cancer Society fundraisign campaign.  I proposed a double challenge: 1) challenging my potential donators to raise $300 for a worthy cause ,and 2) challenging myself to run the half in under under 1:40. I was pretty certain my generous friends and family could make the first goal a reality.  My more personal half marathon challenge was up to me, so I gave myself financial motivation. You see if a runner fundraises a certain minimum amount for the Candian Cancer Society (I think it's double your registration fee) they get their registration fee reimbursed. I decided that even if I raised that money but did not achieve my timing goal I would forfeit my registration fee reimbersement.
 

Well Sunday May 1st was race day, and it was a doozy.  Many people cursed the snow that covered our city on Sunday morning, but none were as confused and upset about it as the people who had signed up to run the WPS Half.

As you may or may not know I blogged about running the Hypothermic Half Marathon in February.  Well Sunday morning felt like the second half of that frigid February race.  The WPS Half is supposed to be the kick off of the summer running season in Winnipeg.  Instead, the blowing snow and -5 C temperature (which felt like -14 C with the 44 km/h winds) made it seem like it was November, with another 5 months of winter to go. In fact, looking back on the temperature records for the morning I ran the Hyporthermic Half on Feb 28th, the low was -17 C with winds of only 7km/h.  And with the sun shining that morning it felt like +17 C compared to Sunday morning at Assiniboine Park. 

Just under 1800 brave souls, plus hundreds of volunteers and supporters made Sunday's event a huge success despite Mother Nature's best efforts to ruin it. 

I had run outside all winter and was not afraid of a little snow, but in February in Winnipeg you know what to expect so you can dress for it confidently.  However, on this May morning I did not know if this snow was going to turn into freezing rain, or if it was suddenly going to jump up to +5 C. So it was difficult to decide what to wear.  I ended up wearing the same clothes I ran in all winter, except I also wore a rain coat.  Unfortunately my rain coat doesn't breath, so about 15 minutes into the race I took it off and tied it around my waist.  Really it was an extra layer that I did not need, however if it had started to rain I would have been glad to have it.  I also wore my snow/ice running spikes - sort of rubber slippers with some small steel studs, that you pull over your runners to get extra traction on ice.  These were helpful but about twenty minutes in a strap snapped on one so I took them both off and looped them around my wrists.

Depsite these "wardrobe malfunctions" (a close friend said I look like a homeless man running down Portage in this photo) I actually had a great time.  The weather just added an extra challenge to the race.  I was not only pushing my body to it's physical limits and racing the clock.  I was also battling Mother Nature. 

Going into the last couple of miles I was confident I was going to make my timing goal.  Little did I know how close it was going to be.  As I pushed up Portage to the Assiniboine Park footbridge my lungs were on fire, and I was scaring fellow runners with my heavy breathing.  I pushed it into top gear a little too early and I could not hold that pace and had to slow down 40 m or so before the finish line. As soon as I crossed the finish line I stopped running and doubled over putting my hands on my knees, gasping for air - my apologies to the volunteer that I almost headbutted as she tried to put the finishing medal around my neck.  After catching my breath and convincing a couple of volunteers that I was not having a heart attack, I checked my watch.  I had made it in just under 1:40. Official time:1:38:56.
   

So I achieved both my fundraising goal and my running goal. So thank you to everyone who donated money to this worthy cause.  A special shout out to my sister Angela who met me at the finish line and drove me home.  And the Sanders's who bought me brunch after I had recovered enough to eat.

And a big thanks to the organizers and volunteers of this great event.  We fought Mother Nature and won. And we will continue to fight against cancer.

Even though I made my timing goal I have decided to donate my registration fee to the Canadian Cancer Society - so that should bring the Team Campbell fundraising total to $400.  Go Team!

If anyone else would like to donate just click here. 

Soupy out.

My thougths on The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz

When Obrum Kehler, a Mennonite farmer, gets poison ivy between his legs, rather than take a day-off from working the field, he wears one of his wife’s skirts.  When the wool skirt is too rough on his sensitive bits he ends up wearing her wedding underskirt too.  As he first puts it on he wonders aloud: “How come only women can wear such smooth things?”

This early scene in Armin Wiebe’s play, The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz, sets the stage (pardon the pun) for the rest of the story in two important ways.  First we are introduced to the comedic tone of the play.  And secondly we learn a lot about Obrum’s character. Namely that he will go to any length to fulfill his manly duties.

The basic plot of the play is that Obrum and Susch Kehler are a Mennonite couple living just outside a small town in rural Manitoba.  They have been married for two years but are still without  a child.  Obrum fears that a case of the mumps in his past has made him infertile and Susch is beginning to wonder the same thing.

When Obrum brings an old broken piano into the house, he asks Beethoven Blatz, an eccentric Russian immigrant and gifted musician, to fix the piano and teach Susch to play.  Blatz ends up working on the piano day and night and even lives in their small farm house.  But he spends more time composing his own music than teaching Susch. 

Inspired by Blatz’s imaginings that Susch is his dead Russian lover, Obrum develops a plan.  He wants Blatz to tune more than his piano.  He asks him to impregnate his wife.  However, he does not tell his wife of his plan and there in lies the comedy. 

Obrum gets a carpentry job in town to give Blatz and his wife more time to themselves.  Soon Susch figures out what her husband is up to.  And what is her response you ask?  Does she confront him about it? Does she tear a strip off him for offering her up to this gangly Russian musician?  No.  She has sex with the gangly Russian musician on the piano stool while her husband is away. 

A key part of the plot is uncertainty if the piano stool scene reaches it full climax (if you know what I mean).  Because, midway through Blatz is distracted by the music in his head and he must return to composing.  The next day Obrum returns and the couple make passionate love.  When Susch ends up becoming pregnant soon after it is uncertain who the father is.  After the show during a question and answer period Wiebe said that he particularly like that ambiguity of the story.

It’s a complicated, entertaining comedy that is filled with sexual innuendo and hilarious misunderstandings.  It was also educational for a person like me who knows little of Mennonite culture.  The story also delves deep into the lengths a couple will go to start a family.

The chemistry among the actors was strong and the accents and dialogue rang true.  Wiebe tends to pepper his writing with low-German terms common to early 20^th century rural Manitoba Mennonites.  I have no experience with low-German, however I was able to follow along quite easily most of the time.  It was usually just one German word in a sentence and I could usually infer what was meant.   For example, in Besides God Made Poison Ivy, Wiebe’s original short story that inspired the play there are phrases like:

"it was so schendlich hot that night"

or

"But every few minutes the itch got so gruelich strong he
shrugged himself and schulpsed water all over the floor."

As you can see it does not take too much mental gymnastics to imagine what some of those words might mean.  However, in reading the short story it was easier to make sure that I was not misunderstanding anything because I could go back and review a sentence or two.   But in the play when words are flying by at the speed of speech and the odd German word is thrown in you can get a sense that you may have missed something.  Once or twice the entire crowd was laughing and I was left scratching my head wishing I had studied up on my low-German before the play.  But if I did miss something I just trusted that Wiebe was not going to put too many German words in, for fear of losing his audience.  

Wiebe, who was an instructor in the Creative Communications program, spoke about the play to current Red River College students last week. Wiebe said that he enjoyed the experience of writing, work-shopping, rewriting and rehearsing the play with the actors and director.  “I felt like my play was a trampoline and all these people were jumping on it to see if the springs would hold,” said Wiebe.

The fact that The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz began as the short story, written in 1996, grew into a novel and finally morphed into a play offers some real insight into the length and unexpected route of the creative process.  From a story about a man wearing a skirt while working in the field, to this complex, comedic love triangle. It just goes to show you that you never know where an idea may take you, and you should not be afraid to follow it. 

Soupy out.

My half marathon challenge

I am participating in the Winnipeg Police Service Half Marathon (WPS Half) in just under two weeks - on Sunday May 1.  The WPS Half raises money for the Manitoba Division of the Canadian Cancer Society.  I am hoping to raise $300 for this worthy cause. 

This is my second time running in this event, and to make things a little more interesting I am challenging myself to run the half in under 1:40.  To put it in context, I ran a Hypothermic Half Marathon in February in about 1:47 -read my blog about that race) 

You see, if I fundraise enough money the race organizers will refund my registration fee.  But I have decided that even if I reach my goal of $300, but don't run the 13.1 miles in under 1:40, I will donate that refunded registration fee as well.  Simple right.  Whether you are rooting for me or for the Canadian Cancer Society, everybody wins.

If you are interested in showing your support I will be glad to accept it.  No, I don't need you to run a couple of miles for me.  Nor do I need you to drive the car that will pick me up at an undisclosed location and drive me to the finish line (that is all taken care of).  But if you want to support me and donate to the Canadian Cancer Society just CLICK HERE.

I will update my race and fundraising results with a post-race blog.  Wish me luck.

Soupy out.

The End of a Delicious Love Affair

Well it's official, Tim Hortons and I are officially no longer speaking. Everything was going fine until Wednesday morning when my usually vibrant and lovely coffee looked more drab than usual and was quite stand-offish. Bitter even. I thought at first maybe she just needed some space. So I decided we should spend a little time apart. I spent all of Thursday without even a whiff of her sweet aroma and I purposely stayed away from the Red Rriver College cafeteria in case I somehow found myself standing in line at Tims waiting to see her. But I felt lost without my constant companion.  Without her warm touch on my lips.  Without the excitement I feel after spending just a few minutes with her. Thursday was a long day.

When Friday arrived I could stand it no longer and I tried to make up with her over lunch.   But she still gave me the same blank stare she had given me on Wednesday. I tried to get to the bottom of what was wrong, but nothing. She wouldn't say anything, not even a "sorry try again." I guess our all too short affair is over once again. Until next year my dear, when you will dress yourself in red and yellow, and when I tickle your rim, you will once more offer me promises of sweet fortune, or at least a wish of "better luck next time."  Not just utter silence and a cold, empty stare. 

I guess there is nothing left to say. Goodbye.

Soupy out.

Rick Mercer Trying to Improve Voter Turnout

The federal election is coming up and in jounalism class Crystal, Erica presented our research the lack of political engagement of young adults (18-24 years old) and some things that people like Ricker Mercer are doing to increase voter turnout. 


According to Statistics Canada, General Social Survey from 2008 young adults represent the lowest rate of voter turnout. In the 2008 federal election only 44% of voters aged 18 to 24 cast a ballot. Compared to 70% of voters aged 25 to 54, and 87% of voters over 55. Reasons why young adults are not as likely to go to the polls include lack of motivation, marginalization from mainstream politics and a lack of relevance.


In their 2011 report Youth Electoral Engagement in Canada, Elections Canada looks closely at various youth demographic goups and discusses the likelyhood of voting based on household income, marital status, level of education, religious beliefs and birth country.  For example, based on the results of the study, people aged 18-24 who live in a house that makes over $40,000 per year are 6% more likely to vote than people in a poorer household.  And if an 18-24 year old has some post secondary education they are 9% more likely to vote than someone without.  However, even with post secondary education the voter turnout is still abysmally low.


To improve student voter turnout Canadian Alliance of Student Associations partnered with Rick Mercer.   See his rant below.

Soupy out.