For the Record - The Story
The idea for For the Record was born in 2009 after I had a brief conversation with Mark Kislingbury, the fastest court reporter in the world (certified by Guinness). He mentioned to me that he wanted to break his own record and write 370 to 400 words per minute. Would I be interested in promoting his record attempt? I had been working in the court reporting industry for almost 15 years at the time, teaching and promoting my own "stuff." The quick answer - no - just too much on my plate.
A year passed.
I was having a conversation with my father about the court reporting industry. He asked the same questions I'd heard a thousand times before - "Court reporters are still around? Can't a machine do that now?" My own father! And it wasn't just me facing those questions. Reporters everywhere answer those types of question all the time. So I felt it was time to answer those questions on a larger scale.
I knew it wouldn't be enough just to capture the Guinness record attempt. I wanted to capture the steno culture - share its history - its future. There's an irony in the court reporting industry: If a court reporter is doing their job well, they go virtually unnoticed. The goal is to capture the record without becoming a part of it. The irony - that very ability means that court reporting flies under the radar. It's not an industry that naturally self promotes. You can see a teacher teaching - a trash collector collecting - you can easily define what they do. That's not the case with court reporters. For the Record aims to define what they do and introduce the general population to this still-thriving occupation.
Mark holds up one of his trophies.
On the Daytime set - Tampa, Florida
Stan at work on his steno machine.
Marc Greenberg (Director/Producer/Editor) - Although Marc has spent the last 20 years working within the court reporting industry, there was a time before that - long before - when he worked in "Hollywood" and dabbled in screenwriting and directing. For the Record proved to be the perfect marriage between Marc's two passions - court reporting and filmmaking.
Robert Haydon (Editor/Camera) - Robert has been working with film and post-production on and off for over ten years. In 2011 he decided to move back to Portland and make it permanently "on." Although he enjoys working on all aspects of production, he especially loves editing and crafting stories. When not working in film, he is working on motorcycles and vehicles twice his age. www.roberthaydon.com
Jack Saturn (Sound Mixer/Editor) - Operating out of his studio in Portland, OR (Recursive Delete Audio/Visual), Jack has helped facilitate audio projects of all kinds: film, music, podcasts, you name it. His work on For The Record provided an opportunity to assist with both the audio mix as well as the visual edit. Before being asked to work on this film, he didn't know a lot about stenography. Now he knows everything — almost. www.recdel.com
Rob Lindsay (Camera) - Rob juggles careers in still photography and TV/video production. He contributes work to national magazines and newspapers, and shoots portraits on commission. His video work includes directing, producing, and shooting features, commercials, and corporate videos. He's currently flogging a sitcom pilot called "Hellbent" in Hollywood. www.roblindsaypictures.com
Eric Mortinson (Camera/Editor) In the third grade my father asked me if I would help him shoot game film for the basketball team he coached at Rogue River High School. Since then, my passion for media creation has only grown. After attending school in the Portland area I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Cinema and Media Communications and immediately began working in higher education marketing, learning the ins-and-outs of...(read ore) http://www.ericmortinson.com/
Vanessa Mortinson (Camera) I received a BA in Cinema and Media Communication from George Fox University in 2011 and have found my way to Hanna Andersson where I am currently the Creative Asset Manager. On the weekends I act as Director of Music for a local UCC community where I strive to create a musical environment that is accessible to all levels of musicianship.