By Al Ward
If you watched TV at all last week you probably saw at least some of the non-stop coverage of Ted Kennedy's wake and funeral. Our HD camera crews were hired for 3 days of 24-hour coverage for ABC. When I arrived before dawn that Friday morning, about 50 people were already lined up in front of the JFK library even though it'd be three more hours before the doors opened.
We were filming live shots for network affiliates, and very quickly I saw the 50 people grow to 500, and then again to almost 5,000 men, women and children of all ages and backgrounds. One FOX cameraman turned to me amazed and noted that unlike the huge crowd in front of us, we were getting paid to be out there.
I couldn't help but think what it would take for someone to stand in line for several hours, waiting only for a 45-second walk past a casket.
Ted Kennedy had been my Senator my entire life. There were things I liked about him and things I didn't like about him. I never had really strong feelings either way for him. This final act in his storied life did finally reach me though. Politics aside, I am blown away by how he touched so many lives in such a positive way.
I could only dream of living a life that affects so many people so profoundly.
Not knowing what it was like to be there on the beach of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina for Orville and Wilbur’s first flight, we can only imagine the work that must have gone into preparing for that historic event. Through the years people have imagined what it would be like to see a flying car, but we never thought we would be there the day that one actually took flight.
From the beginning of the design of the proof of concept vehicle, as the camera crew we’ve been able to be part of the journey to capture the “Transition” becoming a reality. From the test drives to preparing for the first flight we’ve been honored to be there every step of the way. All the work culminated on a cold March morning at the airport in Plattsburgh, NY when we stood alongside the runway as Terrafugia’s “Transition” reached liftoff. One of the challenges of capturing a live event like this is not knowing where or when on the 2 mile stretch of runway the aircraft will actually liftoff. Also, it was much colder than Kittyhawk… dawn in Plattsburgh averaged a balmy 9 degrees! But the flying car’s moment — years in the making — finally came. Through teamwork and experience we were truly thrilled to capture this landmark event in HD.
