Monday, February 4, 2013

Celebrating the Super Bowl in Baltimore

Tonight I drove to the office confident that there would be a Ravens victory and that I would be filming the reactions of jubilant fans. Both of these expectations were realized, but both in totally unexpected ways.

If you watched the Super Bowl XLVII, you'll know what I mean. The Ravens dominated the first half, but a power outage in the Superdome gave the 49ers an opportunity to chase after the lead. The final score was close but the Ravens were clearly victorious.

At the end of the halftime show I was ready to head out to Federal Hill, set up a tripod on the roof of Mother's, and film a live stream of hundreds of fans celebrating the big win. But after driving all over Baltimore for nearly an hour, my hopes of parking anywhere near Federal Hill were dashed. I returned to the office with a new assignment: to shoot a live stream on Centre Street.

I headed out again but the streets were dead quiet and barely anyone was around. After exploring a few streets, I walked into a bar packed with fans watching the final seconds of the game. I set up my tripod outside and hit record on the UStream app. Before I knew it, fans were jumping out of the bar, proclaiming their Ravens pride and filling the quiet night with the first celebratory cheers.

College students and locals started to walk around the city, cheering and screaming, meeting and embracing despite the chilly weather. I filmed at the bar and at Baltimore's Washington Monument. Some fans banged on pots and pans as they crossed the street, and drivers blared their car horns triumphantly. Everyone seemed to be filled with a renewed excitement and pride for their city and their football team.

As the crowds started to dissipate, I made my way back to the office, where I started to edit, ironically, footage of crowds at Federal Hill. Even though I couldn't make it out there myself, it was fun to see how packed the street became and the camaraderie a victory inspired.

Here's the video I edited from Federal Hill:


So now I'm going to make my way back to College Park, being especially cautious of drunk drivers and a few stray fans who are still walking home. I can say with certainty that being in Baltimore tonight was an incomparable experience and one that makes me excited to be here as an intern.

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