Since returning from Haiti last week, Jon Bougher and Roman Safiullin have been making their rounds on the media circuit.
Bougher and Safiullin are UF graduate film students who were shooting a documentary in Haiti when the earthquake hit.
Bougher arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 14, and Safiullin came back Jan. 16.
NBC’s “Today Show” interviewed Bougher and Safiullin Jan. 17 and aired excerpts of the footage they captured in the moments after the earthquake.
“Being on TV was nerve-wrecking, but the set-up [on the ‘Today Show’] was intimate which I really liked,” Bougher said.
The film students have also been featured on Fox News, MSNBC and interviewed by local news stations.
Bougher said he was happy with the news coverage, but admitted at times he felt the media was using his story to fill empty space on news programs.
“You feel bad because it cheats the message,” Bougher said. “You want to keep the focus on the Haitian people.”
Safiullin agreed, adding the tragedy in Haiti couldn’t be captured in a 50-second segment.
He said being in the spotlight can be stressful and physically taxing but bears no comparison to the struggles of the Haitian people.
Yet Safiullin said it will take time for him to adjust to everyday life.
He is trying to return to a normal sleeping schedule, and his life still feels rushed.
“I’m still trying to figure out what’s happening,” he said.
In the meantime, Bougher and Safiullin also need to decide what to do with their documentary and the 40 minutes of footage they shot during the aftermath of the earthquake.
Bougher said he may return to Haiti in about a month to continue filming, but he will consult with Safiullin and those involved with the project before deciding.
He said he doesn’t want to to go to Haiti while it’s overrun with the media.
Bougher said the focus of the project would likely change, possibly zeroing in on the spirit of rebuilding.
