METRONEWS: Field Camera Operator (Cole Yeoman)

We provided the most in-depth coverage of this rally, where over 500 people marched through central Christchurch in solidarity with Palestine. Matching the speed and movement of the crowd and the constantly changing lighting conditions made it a challenging shoot, but I really enjoyed it and I'm very proud of the result.

With the return of the soft plastics recycling scheme to Christchurch we followed the process from a Countdown Supermarket to Kilmarnock Industries. I was proud of this story because I managed to create a visually engaging story about plastic waste (not an aesthetic topic) and capture the enthusiasm of the team at Kilmarnock.

This was the first story I filmed for MetroNews 2021. I enjoyed gathering a range of interesting shots and crafting sequences to share the excitement of the project and the passion of the volunteers behind it.

I took the initiative to grab B-roll and interviews after Mandeville residents had to evacuate their homes late at night due to flooding risk posed by the Eyre River, and also shot dramatic footage of the swollen Waimakariri river - both coverage Jess Dermody found incredibly helpful for her story about the devastating weather.

For this story I basically just got to film a bunch of surfers shredding big waves at Taylors Mistake (as well as a few interviews on the beach and a live cross which is linked below). However, it took a lot of patience and speedy camerawork adjusting the exposure and focus to nail a shot of someone on the waves, so I was pretty stoked with some of the footage I got.

For this story we filmed at the TVNZ newsroom in Christchurch, as well as visiting Te Waka Unua School to hear from teachers and students about how Aotearoa's media landscape might better represent the diversity of our everyone in our nation.

I joined Pierre Nixon for a late-night shoot at Hagley Park to film Tri Rugby. This was a great experience working in the cold and the dark to get good coverage, particularly learning how best to film with low-light conditions. 

I filmed this story at South Christchurch Library with Jess Swan. The highlight of this story was learning how best to film in a quiet location, gathering sufficient footage whilst respecting the privacy and peace expected by the public who use the space.

This story was done in two separate shoots due to availability of interviewees and location, so I enjoyed visually linking the two individual days into what could look like a one-shoot story.

I was responsible for Jen Black's live cross from Sumner Beach in this episode of MetroNews 2021. The live cross and story is at 3:40 - I really enjoyed setting up the LiveU and adapting to match the harsh outdoor lighting and changing weather conditions.

Overall I really enjoyed my role as Field Camera Operator and received plenty of incredibly positive feedback from the journalists, editors, tutors and other camera operators. In fact, the tutors commented that I was (on the downlow) the favorite for the editors and preference for the journos - as a result I was asked to do pick-up shoots for over 7 other stories not linked here.