Cameraman Scoops Award For African Mine Action Documentary

Army cameraman Kevin Capon has won a prestigious award in the tri-Service Defence Video Competition for his two-part news documentary on an international mine action project in Africa.
Capon, 49, is a civilian member of the Army news team which operates out of Erskine Barracks, Headquarter Land Command. He won the award for his film showing the devastation caused by hidden mines and the Army’s involvement in helping to clean up sites across Africa.
An experienced cameraman last year, Kevin received an ITV award for his filming of operations in Iraq. He has also won the Army Photographer of Year and Defence Photographer of the Year Competitions.
He spent ten days in Uganda and Kenya filming his latest award-winning clips.
Capon said: "We wanted to tell the story about mines in general and show the expertise the British Army is sharing about de-mining. First, we flew to Uganda and filmed the problem that unexploded mines pose in the area. Kids come along, they pick them up.
"The mother we spoke to lost three children when one mine exploded. The hidden mines and trip wires are leftovers and reminders of battles past, but they continue to impact on the lives and futures of people in the African communities."
Part two of the documentary shows qualified army teams teaching local people to de-mine and make a contaminated area safe. These trained individuals are taught how to detect and remove unexploded devices and become experts in their own right.
Capon described the filming as both challenging and rewarding: "You tend to be detached when you’re filming and when you sit down at the end of the day and look though what you’ve taken, it starts to sink in. There is a lot of gratification in doing this kind of job, not just making nice pictures but on a personal level."
This year, for the first time, a competition was launched by the MOD to select the best from the three services.
The competition’s panel of three independent judges from the television industry said Capon’s winning film was chosen for its "quality of pictures and strength of story in highlighting the plight of mine victims" as well as for showing the role of the British Army.
(SP)