The Man on the Ledge: Suicide on the High Level Bridge in Edmonton

Bruno Mercier and Brent Wittmeier discuss being on the High Level Bridge with a suicidal man for more than 45 minutes.
For this segment of the video I wanted to try something a little different. Rather than interviewing them looking into the camera I decided to put wireless mics on them and just have them stand on the bridge and have a conversation about what it was like to be on the bridge with the jumper.
I was inspired by this short film http://mediastorm.com/publication/new-york-reacts with real people having real conversations about 9/11. I just love the style and how even though the situation is staged, the conversation feels real.

Here’s all the people it took to film the Brent and Bruno segment.
Left to right. Bruno Mercier, Brent Wittmeier, Sam Brooks, Cailynn Klingbeil, Otiena Ellwand, and Ryan Jackson.
Sam videoed the whole bridge from the North side of the river valley and had the opening shot of the bridge in the video.
The girls videoed Brent and Bruno from the train bridge below the High Level.

Here you can see how far away I was from Brent and Bruno.
If I could do this shoot again I wouldn’t have used my GH4 for this video angle. I would have used a video camera with image stabilization like my Canon XF300.
The bridge had too many vibrations and since I was zoomed in all the way the vibrations were exaggerated in the video.
Luckily Final Cut Pro X has some fantastic image stabilization filters but it’s always better to get it right the first time.

I made Brent carry A LOT of wireless mics and backup audio devices. You can only record it once!

Dr. Michael Trew, chief addition and mental health officer with Alberta Health says height and accessibility make the High Level Bridge a magnet for suicidal people. Trew poses for a photo at the High Level Bridge in Edmonton on August 6, 2014. The High Level Bridge is considered by some to be a magnet for suicide in Edmonton and the city is investigating measures to reduce the number of people who jump to their deaths.
(Photo by Ryan Jackson / Edmonton Journal)
Believe it or not this is an actual frame grab from the 4K video of the Panasonic GH4. It’s nearly indistinguishable from a still image from a DSLR.
What really helps is the lighting and also the camera is still.

Otiena Ellwand interviewing Dr. Michael Trew about the suicide statistics in Alberta.
It was a rainy morning and I wanted Dr. Trew to look as good as possible so I lit him with two LEDGo 1200 LED video lights with battery packs.
The lights made a HUGE difference to help him pop out from the background.
I wrapped everything in clear bags and used an umbrella for the camera.

Journal reporter Cailynn Klingbeil interviewing Kris Andreychuck about barriers for the bridge.

Kris Andreychuk, supervisor of community safety with the City of Edmonton, is working on a report about suicide prevention on the High Level Bridge for city council. He poses for a photo in Edmonton on June 12, 2014. The High Level Bridge is considered by some to be a magnet for suicide in Edmonton and the city is investigating measures to reduce the number of people who jump to their deaths.
(Photo by Ryan Jackson / Edmonton Journal)

Journal reporter Otiena Ellwand interviewing Dan Klemke about his wife who jumped off the High Level Bridge.

Dan Klemke lost his wife Marilyn Klemke to suicide off the High Level Bridge on Jan. 2, 2013. Since then, Klemke has urged city council to examine suicide prevention barriers on the bridge. Klemke poses for a photo at his office in Edmonton on June 10, 2014. The High Level Bridge is considered by some to be a magnet for suicide in Edmonton and the city is investigating measures to reduce the number of people who jump to their deaths.
(Photo by Ryan Jackson / Edmonton Journal)

Here is my Panasonic GH3 shooting the time lapse photos of the bridge from my friend Patrick’s apartment.
You can’t see it in this photo but I covered the camera with black tinfoil and taped it to the window so that there weren’t any reflections on the glass.
You can also see a small fan under the camera to keep it cool in the sunlight.
Although I shot a couple weeks of photos I only used photos from the day that Brent and Bruno were on the bridge as they actually looked the most interesting.

Cailynn Klingbeil and Mack Lamoureux helping setup gear for the interview with Sgt. Chris Hunter.

Journal reporter Cailynn Klingbeil interviews Sgt. Chris Hunter with the Edmonton Police Service about suicides off the High Level Bridge in Edmonton.
I really wanted this important interview to be outside with the bridge but Sgt. Hunter was only available in the afternoon to talk so we were forced to do it in bright sunlight.
This provides heat, brightness, shadows and squinting issues when filming a long interview.
I decided to setup the interview under a tree as that would give us shade so that it wasn’t too hot. The shade also meant I could control the light easier.
I used four LEDGo 1200 LED video lights with battery packs to give fill light on him so he stuck out from the background.
Those lights are very very bright and yet I could have used twice as many to really light him properly. LED lights are fantastic for indoors but anything outside needs really big power or reflectors.

Acting Sgt. Chris Hunter started studying ways to improve safety after responding to numerous calls on the High Level Bridge related to suicide. Hunter poses for a photo in Kinsmen Park in Edmonton on July 28, 2014. The High Level Bridge is considered by some to be a magnet for suicide in Edmonton and the city is investigating measures to reduce the number of people who jump to their deaths.
(Photo by Ryan Jackson / Edmonton Journal)

Doug Boyer who is involved with the North Saskatchewan River Keeper was kind enough to take me out on the North Saskatchewan River one night to get some establishing shots of the High Level Bridge.
Shooting the bridge from the water and river banks far from roads really helped to get different perspectives of the bridge for the video.

I had to haul a lot of gear around for this project but it was worth it.
I used the Panasonic GH4 in 4K video with Canon 24mm f1.4L and 50mm f1.2L lenses for all the interviews which looked beautiful.
I carried almost everything I needed in two Thinktank Logistics Managers.
I absolutely love these cases as they can fit the Kessler Slider, Kessler Pocket Jib and two tripods in once case!

Journal reporter Cailynn Klingbeil interviews Melanie Lintott about her partner Louise Veillard who jumped off the High Level Bridge.
I only needed to use one 4’x6′ reflector to light Melanie. I placed her with the sun behind her as a hair light.
This also allowed us to conduct the interview mostly in the shade so it didn’t get too hot.

Melanie Lintott lost her partner Louise Veillard to suicide off the High Level Bridge on May 2, 2014. Lintott poses for a photo at her home in Edmonton on July 30, 2014. The High Level Bridge is considered by some to be a magnet for suicide in Edmonton and the city is investigating measures to reduce the number of people who jump to their deaths.
(Photo by Ryan Jackson / Edmonton Journal)