Iraq

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CREW COVERS IRAQ WAR FOR NBC

 
iraq1For 80 days, Go To Team Director of Photography Dwaine Scott and Audio Operator Mike Cavell were embedded with the US Army, covering the war in Iraq. 

GTT traveled the entire country with the 3rd Army ID Unit, shooting footage for NBC. The crew’s footage aired on Dateline, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC and the Today Show.

“It was pretty brutal,” says Scott, talking about working around the clock to show the American audience live images of what was happening. The Scott crew got to work each day around 7:00 am Iraqi time, which is eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. By 3:00 pm they were shooting live shots for the Today Show. Live shots for CNBC, MSNBC, and the Nightly News followed. “We worked until 3:30 am Iraqi time each day.”

Scott compares the experience to the war in Afghanistan, “It had a lot of similarities, but in Iraq, the big difference was we were embedded with the American Army. It was much more dangerous. We were targets. It was a unique experience for me. It was more than trying to get the best shot, the best story, getting the good video. It was about 40 percent of that. 60 percent of it was survival. not getting shot.”

Go To Team did capture compelling video for the network, including prisoners of war, raids, hostile fire, mass graves, religious ceremonies, and the daily lives of the Iraqi people. “The Iraqi people are often portrayed in a negative light.” Scott recalls, “There was a lot of bloodshed, but what I remember most are the smiling faces. The children were beautiful. The Iraqis are nice, beautiful people.”