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The making of
POLITICAL EYEWITNESS
a Mark Adams film
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Mark Adams filming
Andrew Gobeil's interview with Barak Obama
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Mark wanted to make a video chronicling his experiences as an ETV camera
operator covering the 2008 Presidential election. Shooting for ETV’s THE BIG
PICTURE, he saw every major Republican and Democratic candidate. Mark recalled,
“When we started covering the Presidential candidates visiting the important
early primary state of South Carolina, I realized something. Before this I had never seen in person a former,
current, or future President. By the time the South Carolina
primaries were over at the end of January 2008, I had seen and videotaped the
man or woman who would become the next President of the
United States.”
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Mark in Myrtle Beach
for the Republican Presidential Debate
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The video Mark make became the documentary POLITICAL EYEWITNESS (2008), a
60 minute long look at what he saw, and who he met, on the 2008 Presidential
campaign trail.
Senator
Sam Brownback
visit
to Columbia,
South Carolina
February
2, 2007
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Mark (in the blue cap) filming Sam
Brownback in Columbia, South Carolina
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“Since
I’m originally from
Kansas, I thought it was appropriate that the first Presidential candidate I met was
the Senator from Kansas; Sam Brownback. I wore my Jayhawk hat hoping he would see it and come talk to
us first…it didn’t work. His handlers sent him to the bigger newspapers and
TV stations before us. Did I ever think he would win the nomination or the
election itself? No…but it was still nice to see him. Oh, and he did like my
Jayhawk hat, by the way.” – Mark Adams
Republican
Presidential Debate
Columbia, South Carolina
May
15, 2007
John
McCain arrives to the debate in Columbia, South Carolina (Mark
is filming just off to the left of the frame) |
Cameras
on the Fox News Spin Room set in the Koger Center (Mark
is filming just off to the right of the frame) |
“Filming
the Republican Debate was a really interesting inside look at such a big event
in the political process. I found the Spin Room after the debate a really
insightful look at the surreal political dance everyone performs to establish
dominance…both the candidates and the journalists.” – Mark Adams
Stephen
Colbert at the
University
of
South Carolina
Columbia,
South Carolina
October
28, 2007
Stephen
Colbert begins his short-lived Presidential campaign in Columbia, South
Carolina |
Mark
Adams (in the tan cap) with the crowd of supporters and camera crews
waiting for Stephen Colbert |
“Stephen
Colbert was never allowed in either South Carolina Presidential primaries, so
his campaign never went beyond that day I filmed him in Columbia. The fact that he wasn’t serious about the whole thing, as well as the
crippling
Hollywood
writers strike, probably doomed his efforts from the start. For me, thought, it
was still fun to hear a famous TV personality make a funny speech.” – Mark
Adams
Former
President Bill Clinton
at
the former SC Governor Dick Riley Tribute Dinner
Columbia,
South Carolina
December
17, 2007
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President Bill Clinton
speaking at the tribute dinner for Dick Riley in Columbia, South
Carolina
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“Bill
Clinton was the first President I had seen in person. My impression of him: He
seemed older and more frail, yet had no problem talking for a long time – he
spoke for nearly an hour. Ultimately seeing him in person made me realize he was
just another person with no extraordinary powers or presence.
He was just a fellow human being with unique charisma and history.” – Mark
Adams
Republican
Presidential Debate
Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina
January
10, 2008
Mark
filming an interview in front of the sand sculpture depicting the
Republican candidates |
The
fog rolls in as ETV covers the Republican debate in Myrtle Beach |
SC
Governor Mark Sanford interviewed by ETV's Andrew Gobeil |
Candidate
Ron Paul visits the ETV set |
“ETV
and THE BIG PICTURE decided to cover the Republican Debate in Myrtle Beach. I was Crew Chief, only running camera for an interview earlier in the day.
Otherwise I stood by supervising the rest of the camera crew as an eerie fog
rolled in creating a scene the lighting director describes as, ‘like something
out of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.’ I began to realize how much time and money was spent
on a local, state-wide, and national level in a Presidential election by the
candidates as well as the media.” – Mark Adams
Dan
Rather Interview
Columbia,
South Carolina
January
14, 2008
Dan
Rather, HD Net Anchor |
Dan
Rather & Mark Adams |
“At
the last minute we had the opportunity to interview a legendary journalist…and
frankly there aren’t a lot of journalists you can describe as legendary these
days. I was surprised that Dan Rather was a really nice guy, giving us in-depth
answers during the interview and allowing us to take photos with him
afterwards.” – Mark Adams
South Carolina
Republican Presidential Primary
Mike
Huckabee Headquarters
Columbia,
South Carolina
January
19, 2008
Mark
Adams prepares to film Mike Huckabee |
The
press converge at Huckabee's HQ in the Columbia Convention Center |
Mark
Quinn reporting from the Huckabee Headquarters |
Mike
Huckabee's concession speech as seen from Mark's position |
“For
the Saturday of the Republican Presidential Primary I was assigned to run camera
at the Mike Huckabee Headquarters in the Columbia
Convention Center. I found myself in the middle of a crowded forest of camera tripods, light
stands and eager reporters. I was now one of the many eyewitnesses with the
power to control what the public saw, and didn’t see, on their TV’s.” –
Mark Adams
Senators
Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barak Obama
attending
the King Day At The Dome Rally
on
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Columbia,
South Carolina
January
21, 2008
Mark
filming the MLK Day Rally |
Hillary
Clinton speaking...as seen from the back of the crowd |
“The
‘King Day At The Dome’ Rally was the first time I saw the Democratic
candidates, although it was a challenge to do so in the sea of battling camera
crews and star-struck Obama supporters trying to surge forward for a better
view…and I was stuck in the very back of the crowd. But I was there, watching
Obama, Clinton and Edwards turn an annual rally honoring a fallen visionary into
another political speech for the cameras.” – Mark Adams
Barak
Obama
Town Hall
Meeting
Lexington, South Carolina
January
22, 2008
Mark
waiting with the media for Obama to arrive |
Barak
Obama speaking at the Lexington, SC town hall meeting |
Mark's
view of the town hall meeting |
Mark
filming Obama signing autographs |
Mark
filming Andrew Gobeil's interview with Barak Obama |
ETV's
Xavier Blake with Barak Obama |
“The
most memorable day of covering the Presidential candidates was when I filmed an Obama
Town Hall
Meeting. After his speech we were given the opportunity to interview him, and
afterwards he shook each one of our hands thanking us. It was a pleasant
surprise after being around politicians, their staff, and the national media
trying to control what they did and what we saw.” – Mark Adams
South Carolina
Democratic Presidential Primary
THE
BIG PICTURE set – SCETV Studios
Columbia,
South Carolina
January
26, 2008
ETV's
Andrew Gobeil on the set of THE BIG PICTURE for election night coverage |
Mark
running camera on the set of THE BIG PICTURE |
“For
a relatively short time, South Carolina was the center of the 2008 Presidential
campaign, and I found myself in the middle of the political and media storm that
hit the state like a hurricane. But I felt like this was an election to be
remembered not only because of my personal involvement, but because of the
historic implications.” – Mark Adams
POLITICAL
EYEWITNESS
Directed
& Edited by
Mark
Adams
ETV
EFP Videographer
Mark
Adams
ETV
EFP Audio
Xavier
Blake, Mike Miller, Matt Burrows
ETV
footage courtesy
THE
BIG PICTURE
Special
Thanks to
Tom
Posey
Andrew
Gobeil
Mark
Quinn
Aimee
Crouch
Vania
Redd
Amanda
Alpert
Craig
Ness
Don
Godish
Kevin
Jordan
Keith
Galloway
For
more information on ETV's THE BIG PICTURE visit their website:
http://www.scetv.org/index.php/the_big_picture/
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