FIRST TIMER'S PRESS GUIDE
You are about to embark on one of the most unique experiences of your life: the ability to see a fully functioning city be created, enjoyed, and destroyed in the course of a week -- the chance to try something new; maybe fulfill a dream or stretch your boundaries. It is the chance to be a citizen of Black Rock City. Welcome!Before you register with the Media Mecca staff, you should read the list of Frequently Asked Questions and become familiar with what is expected of a member of the press at Burning Man.
Below, find a short piece relating one media member's experiences -- and revelations -- covering Burning Man for the first time.
"I vividly
remember that, as I packed my bag to cover Burning Man, I felt in control
and prepared for my first trip to the desert. I had seen pictures and
film footage and had joined several discussion lists to know more about
this modern-day enigma, but as I stood at the gates of Black Rock City
and was questioned by the Greeters, I realized that nothing can quite
prepare you for the Burning Man experience.
"One person told me that he had been on duty at the gate for several
hours and had drunk six liters of water. I thought this wasn't too bad
-- we had lots of water. It was when he mentioned that he hadn't been
to the toilet once that I looked up at the blazing sun and began to worry.
"I walked through the gates, looked around, and asked myself, 'What
is this place? Is it real?' The pictures, the film, the chat on the Internet
paled into nothingness when compared to what I witnessed -- and later
participated in.
"The more I interacted with the Black Rock City populace, the greater
the sense of unease I experienced with regard to the impact of my intrusive
camera. Was I capturing a unique moment in the cultural life of an abstract
lifestyle, or was I part of what I almost came to despise -- media intrusion?
"I made a bold editorial decision and tried to explain the unexplainable.
I would make a film of the culture, the art, the community -- not the
people of the city. Over the week, I became one of those people. I learned
how not to let my camera spoil a fellow citizen's experience. I learned
how to leave no trace. I learned to love the playa. Above all, I learned
that the world would never be the same ever again. I had walked through
the fire, and I hadn't been burnt.
"I will return this year -- but this time without my camera."
