Cost of Freedom | 9/11

This video is my own personal memorial for those who died on September 11, 2001.
Originally posted in October 2001.

Since the terrorist attacks on the United States, I watched people come together to share their grief and support and solidarity in ways I never would have believed possible on September 10, 2001. The video above is part of my own process of trying to heal and make sense of the events that occurred the next day.

My original intention was to let the Cost of Freedom movie speak for itself, but I have received dozens of inquiries about the images used, even requests for the video itself to be used in presentations around the world. I realized that I needed to say something more, to show you where I have been, what I have seen, hopefully to help you come to terms with your own thoughts and feelings.

Understandably, Cost of Freedom was not an easy project to complete. The concept of the video and the song itself kept buzzing around in my head and refused to let me go. I resisted for days, weeks, but to no avail. I could not rest until I brought it to life. My muse is like that sometimes.

To make this video, I went to web sites all over the world, gathering images, reading stories, and wondering at the numb feeling inside as I gazed at image after image of horror. Mainly I used images from news sites like MSNBC, CNN, The Washington Post, and, of course, the New York Times. The exception to this rule is that the images of memorials and candlelight vigils around the world come almost exclusively from a page originally hosted by Fatwallet (long before it became a coupon site). Unfortunately, the Fatwallet page has long since disappeared. The images, however, remain available through Ars Technica, and through other websites.

All told, I collected several megabytes of images, not all used in the movie. I do not own the rights to these images, so I cannot give you permission to use them. I have used them for “personal” reasons and with no intention of making any profit, which falls under “fair use”. If you wish to use these images for commercial purposes, please contact the appropriate parties in accordance with intellectual property and copyright laws.

Good luck to you all, and God Bless,

B

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