Physics has completely changed the way historians study. A while back
if you mentioned being a historian people would assume you were knee
deep in papers and interviewing anyone that knew something about the
subject. Today, we just look at the exact events as they went. A true
historian today has to show what happened but also make the viewer feel
like they are enjoying the subject. So I get to be a movie director or
something of a subject that may have only lasted a few minutes.
Watching the bullet as it leaves Lee Harvey Oswalds gun and enters in Kennedy is by far one of the greatest moments in history. How Gregory MacBruce was able to show that kind of finesse inspires me every time I watch that. Then he is able to show why Oswald was shot. Keep in mind that there were constant conspiracy theories out there. The Mob had the hit out on Oswald the second they realized their friend Jack was dead. They weren’t covering up, they were getting revenge. Oh that was amazing.
Sorry, I get caught up in that sort of stuff. The first big video was done by a production team that could barely get their room to look good enough for the director to tell the cameras where to aim. Yet every hand motion, every command, every movement was the precursor to the work I now do. I doubt anyone could have gotten a greater break. I mean, they had the access to the machines needed, and the knowledge of camera work and post production skills to make it look right. “Behold your King” sold out at every theater it was in. There was no movie that has ever made as much money as that one. It’s true, there have been several production teams with better equipment and skills that have filmed the life of Christ, but this was the first time anyone had ever shown the actual Chosen One.
I don’t really get how they do it either. From what the techs tell me, they know the majority of matter on earth, and if there is a record they can follow a formation of atoms and molecules as far back as it was formed, and then it gets tricky. Following subatomic particles and what they were connected to for thousands of years back to the point needed, and then scanning sounds incredibly boring to me. A bunch of equations and brain cells just figuring out if this brick is old enough to show the time of Rome requires help from historians, but also a willingness to just sit and watch it for hours just to make sure. Day in and Day out you are watching it rewind back to the time needed, and then someone shows up and lays it down where it is now right after the time you needed, so you need a different brick.
I don’t do the quiet stuff. I prefer sports. In fact I tend to go at it without as much precaution as I should and get injured. I could set it up so that the players pass straight through me, and sometimes I do. I want to feel their breath so then I can get a close up of their faces and show the insanity in their eyes.
The other day I got knocked down pretty hard. I was filming a boxing match between George Foreman and Ron Lyle. Oh sorry, back in the day they would make a ring or box and tell two guys to get in there and beat the snot out of each other. The game ended when one of them died. This game wasn’t so bad, they had pads on their hands, and a knock out simply meant they couldn’t get back up during a count of ten. Boxing during that time meant only punches and it had to be above the beltline. It was still intense though. I like to show close up of the skull cracking and maybe the brain moving back and forth from the impact.
So this fight was between two guys that just hated each other. The first couple rounds was intense, but that third round seemed impossible. They stopped all pretense and just went at it.
I was trying to dodge around them, but Lyle got knocked back right where I was standing. He was sent to the ropes and was trying to just back up enough to get his head straight. The problem was I was right behind him. His head knocked back and planted straight into my poor shoulders. I ducked and rolled way, but Foreman’s foot smashed right into my head. I knew there was no way for me to stop them, but I screamed anyway.
You can imagine my thoughts as Lyle fell right on top of me as I tried
to run out of the ring. I knew that this game had already happened, Lyle
was going to hit the mat exactly as he did in real life. He would crush
me since in this room I wasn’t actually there. Just a ghost of some
time yet to come, and yet about to die from it.
I don’t know where the power came from, but I threw myself out of the ring as Lyle landed. He struggled to get back up, and I knew this was the end for him. He wouldn’t get back up. I tried to lift my hands up to cue the camera, but instead saw everything go hazy. I had forgotten about the men standing outside the ring. They were kicking me in the head as I tried to hide from them. My body ached all over as I crawled under the ring for safety unable to get the shots I wanted. I kept cursing that my hands couldn’t make the cue sign. My fingers wouldn’t bend correctly.
It sort of went hazy and then a tech appeared in the nice white room above me. They had turned off everything, and I had probably been out or something for a few minutes. In my mind he just showed up and everything was off. They apologized a lot, but I knew, they had a recording of the entire thing ready to show off my own stupidity.
I lay down and let the doctors take care of me, putting my bones back in place and reforming parts of my face. I guess my hands were stepped on a lot because they were almost mush. Modern medicine at its finest, in my opinion, is taking a beat up idiot like me, and making him whole again. I thanked them as best I could and asked if I could go back to the game. I wanted those final shots, I wanted back in.
My proff appeared next to me. I knew it was something big. I knew I was in trouble, I just didn’t know what kind. He stared at me for a long moment and then chuckled.
“You’ll make a fine PhD candidate in my mind, I give my full support for that. Just never teach, ever,” He said at last.
I stared at him for a moment and then tried to laugh. Thats about when we realized I had some broken ribs as well. Modern medicine again to the rescue on this fool of an idiot. I was given leave for the next day to regain my senses and permission to refilm. So yes, I love history, I love it dearly, I just have no idea how anybody got anything like this from all those papers.
My name is Thomas McRobie and I am a historian.
Watching the bullet as it leaves Lee Harvey Oswalds gun and enters in Kennedy is by far one of the greatest moments in history. How Gregory MacBruce was able to show that kind of finesse inspires me every time I watch that. Then he is able to show why Oswald was shot. Keep in mind that there were constant conspiracy theories out there. The Mob had the hit out on Oswald the second they realized their friend Jack was dead. They weren’t covering up, they were getting revenge. Oh that was amazing.
Sorry, I get caught up in that sort of stuff. The first big video was done by a production team that could barely get their room to look good enough for the director to tell the cameras where to aim. Yet every hand motion, every command, every movement was the precursor to the work I now do. I doubt anyone could have gotten a greater break. I mean, they had the access to the machines needed, and the knowledge of camera work and post production skills to make it look right. “Behold your King” sold out at every theater it was in. There was no movie that has ever made as much money as that one. It’s true, there have been several production teams with better equipment and skills that have filmed the life of Christ, but this was the first time anyone had ever shown the actual Chosen One.
I don’t really get how they do it either. From what the techs tell me, they know the majority of matter on earth, and if there is a record they can follow a formation of atoms and molecules as far back as it was formed, and then it gets tricky. Following subatomic particles and what they were connected to for thousands of years back to the point needed, and then scanning sounds incredibly boring to me. A bunch of equations and brain cells just figuring out if this brick is old enough to show the time of Rome requires help from historians, but also a willingness to just sit and watch it for hours just to make sure. Day in and Day out you are watching it rewind back to the time needed, and then someone shows up and lays it down where it is now right after the time you needed, so you need a different brick.
I don’t do the quiet stuff. I prefer sports. In fact I tend to go at it without as much precaution as I should and get injured. I could set it up so that the players pass straight through me, and sometimes I do. I want to feel their breath so then I can get a close up of their faces and show the insanity in their eyes.
The other day I got knocked down pretty hard. I was filming a boxing match between George Foreman and Ron Lyle. Oh sorry, back in the day they would make a ring or box and tell two guys to get in there and beat the snot out of each other. The game ended when one of them died. This game wasn’t so bad, they had pads on their hands, and a knock out simply meant they couldn’t get back up during a count of ten. Boxing during that time meant only punches and it had to be above the beltline. It was still intense though. I like to show close up of the skull cracking and maybe the brain moving back and forth from the impact.
So this fight was between two guys that just hated each other. The first couple rounds was intense, but that third round seemed impossible. They stopped all pretense and just went at it.
I was trying to dodge around them, but Lyle got knocked back right where I was standing. He was sent to the ropes and was trying to just back up enough to get his head straight. The problem was I was right behind him. His head knocked back and planted straight into my poor shoulders. I ducked and rolled way, but Foreman’s foot smashed right into my head. I knew there was no way for me to stop them, but I screamed anyway.
The
tech’s should have stopped it all right then, but they were off
somewhere. Instead, I was rolling on the ground trying to figure out
where to move. I knew Lyle was going to fall soon when I looked up. A
perfect shot of Foreman throwing a punch right into Lyle’s jaw. I heard
the crack and saw his face go slack. Instead of trying to dodge, I got
the camera cues up and got the shots as these two giants gave up all
ideas of maneuvering and just threw punches.
Lyle
got Foreman nearer to me and I moved back staring at a wonderful set of
shorts. I forgot to stand back up, and then Foreman moved forward to
land a blow. I felt the sweat falling off of them as I tried to get away
and get good shots at the same time.
I don’t know where the power came from, but I threw myself out of the ring as Lyle landed. He struggled to get back up, and I knew this was the end for him. He wouldn’t get back up. I tried to lift my hands up to cue the camera, but instead saw everything go hazy. I had forgotten about the men standing outside the ring. They were kicking me in the head as I tried to hide from them. My body ached all over as I crawled under the ring for safety unable to get the shots I wanted. I kept cursing that my hands couldn’t make the cue sign. My fingers wouldn’t bend correctly.
It sort of went hazy and then a tech appeared in the nice white room above me. They had turned off everything, and I had probably been out or something for a few minutes. In my mind he just showed up and everything was off. They apologized a lot, but I knew, they had a recording of the entire thing ready to show off my own stupidity.
I lay down and let the doctors take care of me, putting my bones back in place and reforming parts of my face. I guess my hands were stepped on a lot because they were almost mush. Modern medicine at its finest, in my opinion, is taking a beat up idiot like me, and making him whole again. I thanked them as best I could and asked if I could go back to the game. I wanted those final shots, I wanted back in.
My proff appeared next to me. I knew it was something big. I knew I was in trouble, I just didn’t know what kind. He stared at me for a long moment and then chuckled.
“You’ll make a fine PhD candidate in my mind, I give my full support for that. Just never teach, ever,” He said at last.
I stared at him for a moment and then tried to laugh. Thats about when we realized I had some broken ribs as well. Modern medicine again to the rescue on this fool of an idiot. I was given leave for the next day to regain my senses and permission to refilm. So yes, I love history, I love it dearly, I just have no idea how anybody got anything like this from all those papers.
My name is Thomas McRobie and I am a historian.
No comments:
Post a Comment