Funeral for Rejeanne Pelletier-Charette

My assignment on Saturday was to cover a memorial service that was held for Rejeanne Pelletier-Charette - an 82-year old Sherbrooke woman who was murdered mid-August allegedly by a 16-year old run-away boy.  Witnesses say the boy was going door-to-door asking people if he could use their phone.

There were over 400 attendants. She had quite a large extended family and was an active church and community member. Like the rest of the reporters there, I needed to get clips from mourners who knew Pelletier-Charette and wanted to comment on their loss. Of course no one really wanted to comment. It's one of those moments when people despise the media and think all journalists are cold-hearted gossips.

Fortunately I did find some people who were willing to give a few words after the service about their loved one. Many said she was a remarkable, young-at-heart, kind spirit. 
I've covered a few funerals in the past. The hardest was covering two babies that were allegedly murdered by their father one Winter; the man was apparently distraught over his divorce. Some mourners from that funeral swore at reporters and cameramen. I felt like scum.  You could see the heartbreak on people's faces, they were devastated and understandably so. But an assignment's an assignment.

This job can be desensitizing. It's usually at the end of the shift that the effect of the day's unravellings start to sink in...

Reports Went Well!

Working with a newer cameraman wasn't so easy. He forgot to do things at the start of his shift, such as preparing his video kit, that effected how our day unfolded. My first interview of the morning was delayed by 40 minutes because the camera wasn't set up properly.  I had to ask the busy interviewee to come back once we were ready, which was a bit embarrassing. And the delay had a rippling effect on the rest of our appointments.

There were several other glitches through the week-end but I think we both learned from those mistakes.  I covered a story about car-surfing and a South Shore robbery.  Overall, I'm happy with how the reports turned out.

I have a couple more reports scheduled for the end of this week, and possibly the following two as well. Some days I need to pinch myself to realise I'm really doing what I've been wanting to do all along! 

Wild Goose Chase

I reported on basement flooding problems in some Laval homes today. The videojournalist and I were sent out on what our director likes to refer to as a wild goose chase. 

I didn't have the addresses of any of the residents I'd need to talk to but did have the name of one woman, from which I was able to find her telephone number. I called her. She refused to do an interview and was upset that I had found her number. I pushed a conversation with her although she kept attempting to hang up on me.  A few minutes later, she at least gave me some street names I could navigate. That helped! We drove through the areas she suggested, I knocked on some random doors and yes, found some angry residents who readily welcomed us into their homes, just waiting to have their voices heard. Cooperation - what a wonderful thing. My story worked out in the end.

I'm working with a newer cameraman tomorrow. He's asked me to try to get my script ready as early as possible so he'll have sufficient time for editing. I told him I'd try. Let's see what tomorrow brings.  

The local news has been putting me to sleep. I can't stop comparing it to Indian news! But I'm still grateful to be living in a peaceful country.
During my free time I've been working on all things creative. A friend's letting me use his restaurant wall space to showcase some of the photos I took during my trip. I've selected some pretty good ones, but whether their good enough to make money off of, well that's still to be determined. I didn't have a professional camera, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my digicam shots will still turn out nicely after they're blown up (to a larger size).
I've completed a lot of abstract paintings as well. I'll incorporate them in my Exhibition #2. Again, I'm not sure if I'll make anything off of it, but I'll at least give it a try. The pieces are overly colourful. I can't help it. Even on a low day my work comes out all sunshiney.
I've also found the inspiration I needed to work on my creative writing. I think writing in this blog has helped a great deal with that. I may actually share a few excerpts here eventually. If I'm brave enough!