DOC Editing

December brings so many things to people around the world, and for Immediate Info, that has held true in the form of a very cool project.  Calamari Productions (see Vimeo page)has been creating documentaries in the areas of child welfare and juvenile justice for over 12 years, and have recently been commissioned by the Indiana Department of Correction to create a new training DVD.  Utilizing old content from inside state juvenile facilities, courtrooms, etc., Calamari is creating a video to train new and current staff for better practices in dealing with sexual misconduct at these state facilities.


Immediate Info, a partner with Calamari for three years, is handling the editing of the DVD.  We have also handled shooting some new materials for the DVD, including interviews with case workers, experts in juvenile sexual development, internal affairs officers, and others.  Editing for this type of content can be tricky, and very sensitive, as the impact of such a video is very important.  The correct content and assets must best be used in such a way that they communicate a clear message to viewers in need of training.  Calamari Productions owner Karen Grau is scripting the video, under the guidance of Michael Dempsey, Executive Director of Youth Services for the DOC.


This project should take a couple months to complete, because the information involved needs to be so specific.  Immediate Info is honored to work again with Calamari, and we enjoy knowing that the work we do can have such an impact.

Video Production from Indy to Rushville

This weekend brought about the unavoidable fact that Christmas is upon us.  Be sure to get your lights on the house, tree in the living room, and shopping done as soon as possible.  And, if you have the means, do not forget about local and national charities who can all use the help in this season of giving.


Immediate Info was a part of their first Christmas event of the season, taping the Fraley & Schilling annual Safety and Awards Banquet in Rushville, IN.  Fraley & Schilling is a trucking company, and the show was run by VP Chip West, who managed to get former administrator of the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)John Hill as their keynote speaker.  It was yet another example of how being behind the camera allowed me to see a different side of everyday business, hearing Mr. Hill speak about upcoming regulations in the trucking industry.

After the presentation, which was the focal point of the shoot, Chip invited me to stay for a catered lunch and holiday cheer.  It was a fun day, and the video was captured and put on DVD very quickly so that Chip could have it by Wednesday for a conference he is attending.  This is an example of how Immediate Info is truly capable of handling our video production customers' needs to ensure that we can take care of them with a little extra effort (like working on Sundays... during football!).

Surgery in NYC

The month of November means big things in Indiana sports - the Colts are usually doing well (though a little more worrisome this year), the Pacers get into action, and college basketball begins as well.  Here in Central Indiana, Purdue and IU and Butler reign supreme, and we at Immediate Info always enjoy the season.  So, you can imagine our disappointment when we learned that All-Big Ten forward Robbie Hummel of Purdue went down before the year even started with yet another torn ACL.  This was a huge blow to the Purdue team, as they were ranked in the top-5 nationally in most pre-season polls.  But, with arguably their best player already done before the season even starts, the outlook seems a little less exciting.

After meeting with radio host/writer/journalist Mark Montieth about his vision for a documentary, we quickly shot some game-footage, and interview with Robbie, and booked flights and hotel to New York City to be there to tape his surgery.  Immediate Info has spent many hours inside operating rooms through different surgeries utilizing the Da Vinci robot, but this was a bit different as it was a more "hands-on" procedure.  Needless to say, our time at the Hospital for Special Surgery was very interesting and welcomed by the accommodating staff.  This was a real treat for an Indianapolis based video production crew in a new place.

The surgery involved taking a piece of Robbie's patella tendon, a tendon that is large enough through the middle of the knee to provide a chunk to serve as a new ACL.  When the sample was taken, the main surgeon continued to clean and prep the inside of Robbie's knee with a laparoscope and plenty of sterile water.  The second surgeon took the piece of patella to a sterile table to shave and cut it into the appropriate shape and size before it was reattached into Robbie's knee to serve as his new ACL tendon.

Meanwhile, through all this, I am dodging around the room with a camera in an attempt to get clean shots and interesting angles despite the group of surgeons and assistants crowded around the knee.  The surgery took about 1.5 hours and was made more enjoyable due to some narration from the main surgeon, explaining the different steps and tasks of the process.  It was further interesting to look at this beyond just shooting the surgery, but to follow Robbie all the way from the entrance of the hospital to the check-in, to the OR, and to the recovery room.  In fact, he saw my camera before he saw his own parents when he woke up!

This project has already started out very interestingly, and a feature TV documentary should be a very cool final product.  This project will be ongoing for the next year, so more updates will come about Robbie's recovery and rehab, as well as the development of this story.