Fishy Circumstances and Flawed Timelines Surround American's Beheading, page 2

Originally posted by worldwatcher
The shotty video taping could be questioned, but you also have to consider it being an amateur videographer

There lies my major problem WW. This is meant to be an amateur job, they've got one of their guys to come in and film it. However, it does not go this way. First I want to go into the times that are shown on the camera.

Ok, the video starts and we have a shot of Nick Berg side on. The time starts at 13:26:24 and carries through a few seconds to 13:26:27.

After this it cuts to a complete straight on shot of Nick, seemingly a continuation of the last portion but the time is 2:18:33. That's cut number 1.

This portion carries through until 2:18:43 and then we cut to the main portion of the footage with the terrorists behind Nick. Here the footage time begins at 2:40:32. That's cut number 2.

This is the lengthy part of the footage and it continues until 2:44:42 when he is thrown on the floor and the knife is pulled.

Then we cut to a close up of Nick on the floor and the time begins at 13:45:37. That's cut number 3.

Now this lasts for a few moments as Nick struggles on the floor and the camera man decides to go for an extreme close up which means you can't see anything for a few seconds as the camera shakes like hell. The camera then starts to zoom out but cuts at a strange time at 13:45:52.

It cuts to what looks like the exact same camera and shot but a few moments later at 13:45:59. That's cut number 4.

This shot plays out as they start cutting his throat and lasts until 13:46:33.

It then cuts to what must be a few brief seconds later at 13:47:46 where they lift his head towards the camera. That's cut number 5 and the footage ends after about another thirty seconds.

Do you not see my problem here? In order for it to be done this way it could only have been done really two ways:

First would be that it's one camera. If that is the case then the changes in time are really weird regardless of edits for time or not. To go from 13:00 approx hours to 2:00 hours approx and back again to 13:00 approx would mean that not only were bits filmed many hours apart, they are also out of order.

This doesn't make sense except for the last bit were it's just jumping forward in time by the space of a few seconds, but one has to ask why there are cuts here? It's hardly to save time, not that much passes. It's also conveniently before and after the cutting, but I'm not getting into that. I'm assuming the footage is genuine for now.

Because of these weird jumps in time as well as the sometimes unusual cuts, it was most likely done with 2 cameras.

This would explain the apparent major jumps in time near the beginning because maybe both cameras were set to different times.

However this is what bothers me. If it was as you say one of the terrorists who was an "amateur videographer" filming it for his fellow terrorists, why have they used such a professional set up? They have decided to use a two camera angle set up which means that they've edited it afterwards.

Of course they could do this editing on a computer, they wouldn't need a professional editing system but how would a terrorist thug think of using these techniques? It isn't the usual stop and start on your camera when something interesting isn't going on, they've actually done it afterwards for pacing.

This would have to be people with media experience and know what they're doing. Now, if they're professionals and they know what they're doing by deciding to get multiple angles and use editing techniques, why use such poor quality video camera? It just doesn't make sense to me, you might as well go all out.

One thing is for sure though, the last few shots were definitely the same camera. They've shaved out time between him going to ground, him struggling on the floor as the camera zooms in and out; shaky and unfocused, then between the actual cuttings and finally to them lifting up his head.

What is the need for these cuts? It is definitely the same camera and there is no need to cut for pacing as we're talking a matter of seconds here, there is absolutely no point.

Can anyone explain this to me? For something to be done in such a professional way it makes me wonder what happened in-between those missing spaces in time. The timing of where the cuts occur also concerns me. I'm not saying this is a fake, but what I have to say for the benefit of discussion is that these would be the perfect spots for edits if you were in the special effects business. The beginning, the act, the effect.

Anyway, I hope someone can explain this logically to me.

[Edited for typos]

[Edited on 12-5-2004 by John Nada]