The Stories of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
From: Scott Gurian
Length: 00:54:57
A few months after September 11, 2001, I covered a DC-NY "Walk for Healing and Peace" by several people whose family members were killed in the attacks. I also had the opportunity to sit down with several of them and conduct a series of in-depth, hour-long interviews about their experiences and motivations. What came out of that was undoubtedly the most powerful and emotional material I've ever recorded that, frankly, makes me regret that I've held on to it for so long before having the time to work with it and put something substantial like this together.
What I've produced is a 2-part, hour-long documentary that aired on Pacifica radio on the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks. It features the voices of four people whose relatives were killed on that day. Their stories are woven together with a bit of music, as they describe what happened to them on that morning and how they came to commit their lives to working for peace.
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Piece Description
A few months after September 11, 2001, I covered a DC-NY "Walk for Healing and Peace" by several people whose family members were killed in the attacks. I also had the opportunity to sit down with several of them and conduct a series of in-depth, hour-long interviews about their experiences and motivations. What came out of that was undoubtedly the most powerful and emotional material I've ever recorded that, frankly, makes me regret that I've held on to it for so long before having the time to work with it and put something substantial like this together. What I've produced is a 2-part, hour-long documentary that aired on Pacifica radio on the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks. It features the voices of four people whose relatives were killed on that day. Their stories are woven together with a bit of music, as they describe what happened to them on that morning and how they came to commit their lives to working for peace.
2 Comments
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Review of The Stories of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Captivating. Very appropriate application (and removal of) scoring, brilliant editing of the documentary interviews. Most: the overall flow describes a sweep, an arc of emotion and thoughtfulness that can only be described as absolutely human. Too often, shorter news holes cause a preemption of how feelings progress over time. In "Stories of September Eleventh", Scott Gurian is patient, and brings out something deeper. Well worth the wait. Bravo.
[This review refers to the first of two 27-minute segments.] |
Broadcast History
Pacifica Radio Ntwk- 09/11/03, 09/12/03
WMBR (Cambridge, MA)- 09/03
WNPR/Connecticut Public Radio- 12/21/03
KPFA (Berkeley, CA) Radio Chronicles
Transcript
original lead
(you'll probably want to replace the beginning with a more timely news hook, perhaps about the progress of the 9/11 Commission, plans for rebuilding the WTC site or recent developments in the "War on Terror"):
As President Bush used the anniversary of September 11th to claim progress in fighting the war on terror and possibly expand it beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, we're going to listen today to the stories of people for whom the terrorist attacks not only provided a life-altering experience but determined their roles as lifelong peacemakers. They're the mothers, wives, sisters and brothers of people who were killed in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and they've formed themselves into a group called September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.
In the months following the attacks, independent radio producer Scott Gurian followed several members of this...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
The Stories of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
length: 54:57
rundown:
00:00 first half (26:45)
26:46 break with music (1:11)
-------------
27:58 second half (26:11)
54:09 music bed for anouncer back-announce (:48)
54:57 end
Musical Works
"Tea Merchants" by Rachel's
length used- 7:10
"To Rest Near You" by Rachel's
length used- 2:50
"Lloyd's Register" by Rachel's
length used- 2:37
"The Blue-Skinned Whales" by Rachel's
length used- 2:07
all from album- "The Sea and the Bells"
(Quarterstick, 1996)
"3?me Gnossienne" by Eric Satie
length used- 2:45
album- Satie: Piano Works (performed by Daniel Varsano and Philippe Entremont)
(Sony Classical)
(as well as two other songs I haven't yet been able to identify. I believe one may be by Moby and the other may be "Sunday Evening" by John Jarvis.)
Additional Files
- transcript (911transcript.doc)
- transcript (911transcript.doc)
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Kerry Seed
Posted on December 02, 2003 at 07:36 AM | Permalink
Review of The Stories of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
I'm really impressed with how you were able to piece together such a long program with no narration whatsoever. The spare use of music served you well.
I especially loved the first half. The second half hour was also well done, and very, very important. I've been thinking about why it didn't hold my attention as well as the first, and I think it is because the second leans more towards exposition and less towards anecdotal storytelling. In my opinion, if the piece was shorter, the lessons learned in the aftermath would stand out more prominently in the mix.