Durango Herald Multimedia » Video

Bomb threats shake Durango

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:55:06 +0000

During Wednesday’s bomb threat, we updated the article dozens of times as new information was available. A brief article and story came first, followed by photographs, then video and finally a map of locations affected. One element I feel was missing was a time line with a concise way to see when the evacuations were called, when students were transferred, response times for authorities and finally when various buildings were cleared and the threat reduced. If you have any other suggestions on how we can provide better coverage in these instances, please comment below or contact me at jstephenson@durangoherald.com.

Video by Shaun Stanley and Josh Stephenson. Post and map by Josh Stephenson

View Bomb threat locations in a larger map

Huntin’ for a chicken

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:30:09 +0000

When one of our reporters returned from a recent City Council meetingwith talk about the chicken that walked in and sat down in the closing minutes of the night, I chided him for a picture. A cell phone photo, anything. Why wasn’t a photographer called? With a description in the story, we had to have a photo of this mysterious chicken.
The following day, Marc Snider with Exposure Productions, who produces the City Span 10 programming, dropped off the DVD. Sweet, we were able to grab video.
Our curiosity blossomed, with the story topping our most read list later that day and a number of television stations clambering for the footage. All calls were forwarded to Snider.
Eventually, it ended up on television stations in Denver and Albuquerque as well as the Huffington Post and websites as far away as Tamba Bay.

In case you didn’t catch it the first time around…

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Soccer, soccer and more soccer

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:50:56 +0000

With the Fort Lewis men’s soccer team doing so well, the Durango Herald has been covering their advancement in the NCAA Division II championships with regular updates on the website shortly after games, following up with slideshows and videos as soon as we have them ready. Veteran still photographer Jerry McBride has provided most of the photos, while I produced an audio slideshow and video. The last week of visual coverage is shown here. Keep an eye out for more as the Skyhawks (21-1) will host Cal State-Dominguez Hills (17-5-1) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II tournament at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Post by Josh Stephenson. Slideshows by Jerry McBride. Video and audio slideshow by Josh Stephenson

35mm and a handi-cam

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:23:39 +0000

With more staff shooting video at the Herald these days, I’ve been doing more work with a camcorder the size of a Red Bull can, leaving the pro gear for others to use. With roots in the still photography world, I miss having a limited depth of field. As a Canon 5d Mark II isn’t in the cards, I researched a way to use my 35 mm lenses on my Red Bull can. Here is the result with some how-to below.

Depth of field adapters from Letus and others run near the one thousand dollar range, twice what my Canon HF100 cost. I was impressed with the TwoNeil Adapter, but even that seemed costly, so with a leftover focusing screen, a thirty dollar macro lens, a 9 dollar set of extension tubes and some designs downloaded from this site, I have my very own do-it-yourself 35mm adapter.

Video and post by Josh Stephenson

Elk, research, hunting and file video

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:55:20 +0000

Reporter Garrett Andrews has been investigating the uncertain future of land once occupied by the old Fort Lewis College. This 2008 footage is from a relatively feel-good visit to the Elk Research Institute, a current tenant of the land. At the time, youth were darting the herd with tranquilizers and cutting off antlers for what was said to be research related to chronic wasting disease. Institute staff said removing antlers from young elk would keep them from challenging mature males. The staff maintained that the fittest animals would naturally possess a resistance to the disease. While this theory has yet to be proven, critics point out that what has been proven is that the fittest elk bring in more money from hunters.

video and post by Josh Stephenson

The weekender

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:59:45 +0000

Eric Drummond has charged forward with a new weekly video podcast called “The Weekender.” Arts and Entertainment editor Ted Holteen brings his radio experience into the fold, voicing the piece, while Eric handles the visuals and production. It wraps up the weeks top stories and highlights sports and art events taking place over the weekend, wrapping up with a quick weather forecast. When we get a few more in the system, it will be offered as a podcast for download, so check back soon.

Weekender by Eric Drummond and Ted Holteen, post by Josh Stephenson

Single Speed World’s invade Durango

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:35:01 +0000

The Single Speed World Championships were in town and while I didn’t have enough time to cover all the events I would have liked, I was able to piece together a video of the main race Saturday. Local Travis Brown was way out front but fell, opening the door to Ross Schnell, who threw his leg over a home-built single speed for the first time the previous day. Schnell, from Grand Junction went on to win it with a plastic guard supporting his mending broken hand. Heather Irmiger hadn’t pushed the pedals on a single speed for over half a decade, but while drinking “way too much wine” on a motorcycle trip, her sponsor Gary Fisher gave her a new fixed gear ride, so off she went for the win. While she did not accept any beverage from the many people along the course offering beer and jello shots to riders, Irmiger said she woke up with enough of a hangover that she didn’t feel like she was cheating. Part race, mostly party, the SSWC was fun for at least a couple thousand in Durango. Bringing smiles to many faces on the final ascent to the finish line were four Fort Lewis students, part of the group Waiting on Trial, that played some solid bluegrass overlooking Horse Gulch. For more of the shenanigans, check out the race blog.

Also, while I wish I could have had this done earlier, below is a map of all registered entrants. You can grab the center bar to slide the name tab over for a better look. Sort by name, city or state and zoom in for more detailed locations. Also go around the globe to see who came from as far away as Spain, Norway and the Philippines.

video and post by Josh Stephenson

City council approves emergency ordinance

joshlstep — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:00:24 +0000

Durango city councilors on Tuesday voted to approve a 60-day moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries. Two more dispensaries were issued only hours before the meeting, bringing the number of providers operating in the city to four. The emergency ordinance was voted in 4 to 1 despite City Manager Ron LeBlanc acknowledging that no more applications had been filed.

post and video by Josh Stephenson

Feds seize couple’s artifacts

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:52:08 +0000

Federal authorities confiscated thousands of ancient artifacts from the house of a Durango couple in a sweeping investigation of possible grave-robbing on public lands.
Antiquities dealer Vern Crites, 74, and his wife, Marie, have been indicted for trafficking, theft and grave desecration. The couple voluntarily surrendered their vast collection, which includes numerous items of potentially high archeological significance, including antler flutes and Navajo prayer sticks.

post by Josh Stephenson – video by Eric Drummond

This is not a fun run

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:35:29 +0000

Endurance runners register for the Hard Rock 100 in Silverton with a variety of goals in mind, but winning is not usually one of them. One thing that amazed me about the winning woman was the interview after her 3rd place overall finish.
While a number of male competitors had spoken of the importance to stay mentally focused with eyes trained on the obstacles ahead, Diana Finkel conceded she looks around at wild flowers and wildlife to the point that she has become lost after running off the trail.

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post and content by Josh Stephenson