Weston Productions

Production Experienced

This blog represents the time period Tim Boese was actively producing for Weston Productions.
While my main responsibility was audio the duties of "Soundman" range much further.
Though rarely credited for the many hats we wear on productions, Alaskan Media Professionals have to be ready to do it all.
This is just a glimpse of activities performed through Weston Productions.
My time there was enriching and educational.  I am a better shooter and producer due to it.
Thank you.

Welcome to Alaska!

We'll show you why they call it "The Great Land." Contents Copyright © 2005 Weston Productions.  All Rights Reserved.

New Addition to the Team!

Sound technician Tim Boese holds his new son Gabriel Alexander. Gabriel was born August 18th at 1:45PM while Tim was still on assignment with FOX News.

Mother Beatriz is doing fine and resting at home. Baby Gabriel weighed 8.2 pounds and was 20 inches long at birth.

Tim returned home the following day from Glacier Bay.

Congratulations on the new addition to the Boese family!

FOX News to Air Global Warming Special: "The Heat is On!"

With its expanding news coverage, FOX News tackles the tough issues surrounding Global Warming. FOX News correspondent Rick Folbaum traveled to Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier and the John Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park for an upcoming special to air sometime in October 2005.

During the week long assignment, crews from Weston Productions coordinated work with North Star Trekking for support while on the Herbert and Mendenhall Glaciers. Along with accomplishing stand-ups, teases and bumps, a two-ship formation of A-Star helicopters was flown with a Tyler mount for aerial photography.

Connections, Inc. of Anchorage provided Tyler mount support along with KTOO-TV of Juneau, Alaska.

Production crews then moved north to Glacier Bay National Park for a nearly 4-hour cruise to the Johns Hopkins Glacier with Jan Kunat of Wild Alaska. Scientific support for the expedition was provide by Bruce Molnia of the USGS. Molnia has made nearly 100 trips over the last 30 years studying Alaska's glaciers and the effects that global warming has had on them.

Also along on the assignment was FOX News executive producer Pam Browne, FOX News producer Greg Johnson, DP cameraman Russ Weston, 2nd camera Craig Baumann and audio technician Tim Boese.

WGN Returns to Alaska for their 7th Year!

WGN's Tom Skilling returned to Alaska for another in a series of “Skillings Alaska.” Sponsored in part by the Alaska Travel Industry Association, the National Park Service and the Alaska Railroad, the week long projects are designed to showcase the unparallel beauty, unique cultures and historic events that have taken place in the last frontier throughout its history.

The 2005 edition of Skilling’s Alaska tour started in the Southeastern community of Sitka interviewing tsunami survivor, Howard Ulrich. In 1958 Ulrich and his son survived the worlds largest tsunami in Lituya Bay while fishing. Crews then traveled north by floatplane to the extremely remote location of the wave within Lituya Bay.

Other locations visited during the 2005 tour were Glacier Bay National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Katmai's Valley of 10,000 Smokes, site of what is still the worlds largest volcanic eruption and finally Wrangell St. Elias National Park. A live remote uplink was performed from the Alaska Sealife Center during the 9 PM WGN News Cast on July 12th. Each day’s activities were also highlighted with video and stills on a Blog site (http://wgntv.com/alaska) created by WGN's parent company, the Tribune Corporation.

Weston Productions provided technical management, production support and historical footage for this years project. The Anchorage based public relations firm of Bernholz & Graham provided production coordination and management.

NOAA Research Vessel Oscar Dyson

Kodiak, Alaska - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration commissioned a new fisheries research vessel, the Oscar Dyson.

The first new vessel commissioned in over 30 years by NOAA the Dyson is the first of four planned new ships. Its primary mission will be to monitor the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska eco-systems, concentrating on Alaska pollock, the nations largest fishery.

The 206- foot ship was built with quiet in mind, so it can study marine life without altering their behavior.

"This ship is pretty much built like a submarine," said Frank Wood, the Dyson's commander. "Any equipment or machinery that moves or makes noise is on isolation mounts. So that causes the noise to be dampened and that noise doesn't transfer out through the ship's hull into the water and scare marine life."

Weston Productions was contracted by NOAA to provide broadcast and media services for the commissioning of the Oscar Dyson.

News Release: Top Cop Murder

15 April 2005

A Current Affair, in its exciting new format, has returned to Alaska! This time the spotlight is on the August 2002 murder of Alaska's top law enforcement officer, Glen Godfrey, and the attempted murder of his wife Patti Godfrey.

Upon returning home from a day trip to Seward, the Godfreys were unaware that an armed stalker was waiting for them in a downstairs closet. Glen Godfrey, 53, was the first to encounter the alleged stalker, Karen Brand, 33. Brand shot Godfrey numerous times, killing him.

Brand then went upstairs and shot Patti Godfrey 4 times with the .44 calibar handgun before turning the weapon on herself. Critically wounded, Patti Godfrey made a desperate 911 call. She described Brand and confirmed the address: 22953 Eagle River Road, at Mile 4.6. The address Godfrey gave did not appear in the database. The computer gave similar but incorrect addresses and officers could not find the right house. She also gave dispatchers the name and phone number of her daughter and repeatedly begged them to call her. They didn't make that call, nor did they ask Godfrey for specific directions to her house until about 40 minutes into the call.

It would be 48 minutes before help finally arrived at the Godfrey home. Patti admits that by all medical standards she should not be alive today. She credits her faith and relationship with God as the force that saved her life. Weston Productions brought this compelling, real-life drama to A Current Affair in January 2005. Producer Richard Gold worked four months to secure the powerful interviews that will tell this story in an upcoming segment.

33rd Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Anchorage hosted the start of the 33rd running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This year the 1,149 mile journey through the Alaskan wilderness saw a record number of entries from around the world.

Among the 79 entrants to this year's race was the first legally blind musher, 20-year-old Rachael Scdoris from Bend, Oregon. She petitioned race officials in 2003 for the opportunity to run in this years race.

After much debate, Scdoris was allowed to enter with the assistance of a visual interpretor who would run a second dog team ahead and alert Rachael to any hazardous situations.

Veteran NBC journalist Bob Dotson, producer Laurie Singer, cameraman Russ Weston and sound technician Tim Boese followed Rachael on her adventure in a segment airing on the Today Show March 17th.

Rachael's inspiring story and history as a musher can be found at www.gorachaelgo.com

For information and logistical planning of coverage on the 2006 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race please contact Weston Productions as early as possible for advance booking information.

Press Coverage: Anchorage Daily News, Alaska, Inside Alaska Business column

Link: Anchorage Daily News, Alaska, Inside Alaska Business column.

Mar 02, 2005 (Anchorage Daily News - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via COMTEX) --

[...]

WESTON PRODUCTIONS WINS HONORS: Weston Productions of Chugiak has won the top award, a Silver Telly, for its one-hour documentary "Seward: The First 100 Years." The national Telly Awards are affiliated with the Center for Creativity and recognize the best local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs. Weston is owned by Russ Weston.

To see more of the Anchorage Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.adn.com.

"Seward: The First 100 Years" Wins Silver Telly Award

Seward: The First 100 Years is a Silver Telly Winner in the 2005 26th Annual Telly Awards competition in the broadcast documentary category.

Founded in 1979, the Telly Award is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and broadcast programs  work worldwide, as well as the finest video and film productions. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

This year more than 10,000 entries were received from all 50 states and several nations worldwide. Less than 10% are chosen as winners of the Silver Telly, the highest honor.

Below is an excerpt from the official fact sheet that explains how the Telly is awarded, which is also available here.

25th Annual Telly Awards

FACT SHEET

Continue reading ""Seward: The First 100 Years" Wins Silver Telly Award"

February 19, 2005 Assignment: "TODAY" Show Travels North

The TODAY Show's Cure for Cabin Fever sent Weekend Anchor Lester Holt and NBC Producer Brian Balthaser to Girdwood, Alaska for a segment on Dog Mushing. Dario Martinez, owner of Chugach Express Dog Sled Tours provided the training, dogs and sled for Lester's first experience at handling a dog team.

The dogs are accustomed to extreme conditions with temperatures running well below zero. The balmy temperature of 30 degrees and nearly 10 inches of freshly accumulated snow made for slow going on Lester's adventure.

Jan. 25, 2005 Assignment: "A Current Affair"

Crews from Weston Productions were busy this week for A Current Affair in the remote Southeastern community of Craig, Alaska. A Current Affair will return this March after a long hiatus and selected the high profile story surrounding 16-year-old Rachelle Waterman as one of its premier segments.

Waterman has been accused of conspiring with two others in the murder of her mother, 48-year-old Lauri Waterman.  The story gained national interest because of the lengthy internet diary that Waterman maintained for the world to read.

The trial date is set to begin in Craig on February 3rd unless a change in venue can be obtained by the defense team.

Craig is a small community of approximately 1500 people located on Prince of Wales Island in Southeastern Alaska.   Accessible only by float plane or ferry,  it's just one of the many remote regions Weston has worked in.  Accompanying Weston on this assignment were second camera/sound technician Tim Boese and producer Richard Gold from A Current Affair.

Rich is overwhelmed by the scenery as cameraman Russ Weston films High above Craig in the Tongess National Forest.

News Release: "Seward: The First 100 Years" wins 2004 Crystal Award of Excellence

15 January 2005

"Seward:  The First 100 Years," a one-hour documentary created by Weston Productions is the winner of a 2004 Communicator Award of Excellence in the broadcast documentary category.

The Communicator Awards (also known as the Crystal Award of Excellence) is an international awards program founded by communications professionals to recognize excellence in the communication field.

The Communicator Awards give winners and their clients the recognition that the work they are producing is outstanding and highly regarded by their peers. The Communicator Awards provide an equal chance of winning to all entrants, regardless of size and budget. Since there are no lengthy essays to accompany the entry; all work is judged solely on its own quality, creativity and resourcefulness.

The Crystal Award of Excellence is given to those entries whose ability to communicate puts them among the best in the field. The Award of Distinction is presented for projects that exceed industry standards in quality and excellence.   There were 2,937 entries from 48 states, the District of Columbia and 7 other countries in the Communicator Awards 2004 Competition.

Weston Productions also received the Communicator Award of Distinction for the U. S. Department of Agriculture documentary on the Natural Resources Conservation Services in Alaska.

Clients

NBC News	Dateline NBC
The Today Show	CBS Evening News
ABC News	ABC Good Morning America
Discovery Channel	National Geographic
A & E Channel	The History Channel
Inside Edition	"EXTRA"
Sony Television	Paramount Pictures
Late Night w/David Letterman	Travel Channel
Smithsonian Institute	NASA
BBC	Greenpeace
Fox TV	CNN
National Science Foundation	Museum of Natural History
U.S.D.A.	Department of Defense
New Zealand Television	NHK Japan
Animal Planet	Motorola
WGN Chicago	Microsoft
GMTV London	TV Asahi

"National references are available upon request"

Represented by Crews Control worldwide.

Services

Field Crews

You travel thousands of miles and cannot afford to have anything go wrong.  That's why you want the most experienced person you can find.  When it comes to news and documentary content, there is no more experienced individual than Russ Weston.  With more than 30 years of field work in every corner of the world, your project will have the attention to detail that you expect from the very best Alaska has to offer  with an Emmy-award winning producer, photographer and editor.

Our field work is done with the highest broadcast standards and using only the very best equipment to capture your images and audio.

Broadcast ENG Package includes:

Sony BVW BetaCam SP
Ikegami Digicam
Sony PD-170 & PD-150
O'Conner & Sachtler Fluid Head Tripods
PSC AlphaMix field audio mixer
Lectrosonic Wireless Kits
Sennheiser 416 w/carbon pole & Rycote
Sony 16:9/4:3 field monitor
Lowell & ARRI light kits
Portable Edit packages available on request

Satellite Uplink

If a remote live shoot is what you are looking for, then look no further.  We have pioneered some of the most remote location uplinks in the history of Alaska for organizations such as Good Morning America, FOX-TV, BBC-London and NASA, to name just a few.  Our locations range from the summit of mountain peaks to the face of the largest glaciers in the world.  From the most northern city on the continent, Barrow, Alaska,  to the remote panhandle of southeastern Alaska, no one has achieved the success rate we have.  Whether you are looking for earth station C-Band or portable Ku-Band, we can bring Alaska LIVE to your viewers.