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I met Barry Herd at one of the meetings at the Rural Media Company for BBC Local TV and was soon helping him film one of his submissions, acting as second cameraman. One of the projects I helped him out on was filming a live gig by a local band � The Blast (the drummer of which is also a contributor to Barry�s films for Local TV). It was quite exciting to get to do something which was more down my street, it�s great to go out and film stuff like Caring Kids or The Green Life, but personally I�m a rock music kind of guy � so filming a live rock gig was great fun (even got a few quid for my involvement). To say the venue (a pub in Ashperton) was cramped is perhaps an understatement � with the band, their gear and a bunch of music/pub fans standing/moshing about � it was certainly a �cosy� atmosphere. While Barry filmed the wide shots and some pans etc, I covered the close ups and �that artistic stuff� (as Barry would say). So while he had the relative comfort and safety of a table in the corner, I was perched on a stool amidst a barrage of screaming teenagers buffeting me from behind as I tried not to go face first into the light show blasting away at my feet. Despite the discomfort it was actually really fun � I could certainly see myself filming gigs in the near future � it�s a great atmosphere to be surrounded by, keeping one eye on your image/focus and the other on what else is going on so you can plan where you�re going to point your camera next. All in all it was lots of fun, a chance to do something more aggressive and less sedate � I can do both (and don�t mind either), but personally I prefer being where the action is and filming The Blast offered me that opportunity.
