Old cars

My latest video now on YouTube is a video about the “Kahlgrund-Classic” rallye, an annual event at which enthusiasts drive their vintage and classic cars around the local countryside. Because it’s fun. The video, by the way, is in the “Reportage” series and so in German; closed captions are available for those who need it.

This video was made at the pre-start meeting, where the participants gathered, had their vehicles and papers inspected and did all the necessary bureaucratic stuff. And it was a rotten day: wet, cold and totally uncharacteristic for the beginning of July. This really made it difficult to film, as I was basically dashing about between showers and trying not to get rain on the lens.

One thing I signally failed to do was to warm up my interviewee, but I didn’t think it would be necessary. Well, I know him personally, and just a moment before we were laughing and joking. I’d talked him through what I wanted to know, and everything was fine, until he was standing in front of a rolling camera and I asked him to explain the rules. Suddenly, he wasn’t the Achim I knew any more.

It wasn’t dreadful. He didn’t seize up totally. He knew what he wanted to say, and perhaps that was part of the problem: he seemed to be trying to remember his lines, rather than just talking to me. It was a snap decision to interview him, though — heck, it was a snap decision to go to the event — and perhaps, on balance, it would be best to do what I did with my last interview: film it a few days before the actual event, in the comfort of the subject’s own home.