Made over 15 years by club founders Vaughan Smith and Richard Parry the film is an intimate journey with war photographer Robert King, following his ambition to win the Pullitzer Prize for photography in the most dangerous warzones of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
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Made over 15 years by club founders Vaughan Smith and Richard Parry the film is an intimate journey with war photographer Robert King, following his ambition to win the Pullitzer Prize for photography in the most dangerous warzones of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
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‘Completely blown away by it. It’s beautifully put together, and by far the best war doc I have seen … It’s beautifully constructed with the reveal of his wife and son at the end, and his development as a character works so well. I dread to think of the work and time that went into it but it is a brilliant film…’
Nick Broomfield, Filmmaker.
‘Following the progress of photographer Robert King from hapless hopeful to hardened hack, this gripping chronicle of the wars of the last two decades manages to be funny, shocking and an uncomfortable insight into the lives of war correspondents. I loved it!’
Christina Lamb, Author and war reporter
‘The innocent, the naive, the kind, the clumsy – none of these people live long in war. Which makes Robert King’s survival all the more surprising, and this film all the more remarkable. Listen carefully to the story of this dirty faced angel from Tennessee. Then have him shot at dawn. The world is too ugly to allow such honesty to live.’
Anthony Loyd, Author and war reporter
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Filmed over 15 years by director Richard Parry and Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith, “Shooting Robert King” has been referred to as “the best war doc I have ever seen,” by Nick Broomfield.
After an incredible festival run that took the film from Toronto to Washington, and London to Texas, the film has also been screened on BBC 4. Now with 90 minutes of special features, including the “Making Of” and further adventures with Robert King, the DVD offers an even greater look at the life of a war correspondent.
The official synopsis reads: “At times war photographer Robert King resembles a heroic misfit straight out of the pages of Scoop, thrown into the heart of battle, struggling to adapt to the brutal environment he finds himself in. Occasionally comic, often touching, more often dark, Shooting Robert King, the tale of Robert King, is a unique and personal journey, a film which follows him over 15 years and through three wars.
His journey starts in Sarajevo in 1993, a 23-year-old fresh out of Art College and prepared to dodge bullets on the front line dreaming of a Pulitzer Prize. His dream proves elusive. Fired by his photo agency and struggling to make ends meet, any swashbuckling allusions Robert holds for the career he has chosen quickly evaporate: as he realises this is one of the toughest professions in the world. Despite himself, Robert stays in the game, over time establishing himself as a respected professional, his work making the front covers of global media titles.
Over 15 years Shooting Robert King records Robert’s life from boy to man, to husband and father. It is a biography, which leads from reckless naivety to maturity hardened by war and softened by family. It is a story, which forces Robert to inevitably question why he chose a profession, which involves an endless trail of death and destruction.”
The documentary is now available on Amazon, Play.com, and LoveFilm, or by clicking on the links below.
Written by Paige Gresty
]]>The Foundation course offers a thorough introduction designed for people with little or no previous hands-on experience with professional video cameras. Through daily practical exercises and regular feedback, course members learn:
* Camera setup and skills overview – aperture, gain, shutter and white balance
* Understanding the lens
* Composition and aesthetics
* Introduction to sound basics
* Introduction to lighting principles
* Understanding editing concepts
* Shooting for the edit
* Daily practical exercises
* Regular feedback and critique of exercises
Duration: One week
Who it’s for: People with little or no previous hands-on experience with pro video cameras.
Trainer: Richard Parry
Aims: This course will equip you with all the practical skills and theoretical knowledge to film and direct a story.
A previous participant says… “The trainer’s passion, knowledge and teaching methods have really inspired me to develop my camera skills a lot further than i had originally thought I would do.”
Blood Trail, the documentary film produced by club member Richard Parry along with club founder Vaughan Smith, is showing at the True/False film festival in Columbia, Missouri until March 1. The film documents 15 years in the life of war photographer Robert King – from naive beginner to accomplished professional. Robert and Richard are in Missouri promoting the film and talked about it to an audience at the festival recently. Robert had some advice for one wannabe reporter,
]]>“Everybody wants to rewrite history,” King said. “If we have proof, they’re not going to get away with it. … We’re not anti-government. We just want to hold people accountable.”
One audience member asked the panelists for advice. Dan Parris, a 24-year-old from St. Louis, is heading to hostile areas in Africa this summer to work on his own documentary project.
“Don’t go,” King joked, but only half-heartedly. He’s had friends die covering combat in Africa.
Parris said the warning didn’t faze him. “I see the footage and hear what they have to say, but it’s not real to me yet,” he said. “He mentioned being young and idealistic. That’s me. I want to make a difference in the world.” link