Alex Cameron: Behind The Scenes Inside The Cannon Rotunda

The majority of my days working the DC Bureau involve at least a brief amount of time at the Capitol. Frequently, I’ll spend the entire day there, shooting interviews, attending press conferences, dropping in on hearings, and just generally trying to stay on top of things. But, whether it’s one of these days or a quiet day when perhaps Congress is out of session, I will almost always shoot a standup for whatever my story is at the Capitol.

And more often than not, I shoot it here in the Cannon Rotunda.

Image Provided By: Griffin Media

For those unsure about the terminology, the ‘standup’ is the part of a packaged news report where the reporter is himself or herself on camera, speaking directly to the viewer. My stories typically start and end with a standup. I use them to help set up and wrap up my stories, and also to show you that I am actually at the Capitol.

Image Provided By: Griffin Media

The Cannon House Office Building is the oldest of the six congressional office buildings (three for the House and three for the Senate). It opened in 1908, one year before the Russell Senate Office Building was completed. Prior to the opening of these buildings, according to the Architect of the Capitol, members would either rent office space or just work at their actual desks in the House or Senate chamber! Members of the 60th Congress were the first to enjoy the privilege of having their own offices.

The third floor of the Cannon Rotunda is one of a few select indoor locations within the Capitol complex where credentialed media can set up cameras, tripods and lights. You have probably seen video of reporters chasing down certain members in the hallways outside hearing rooms, but note that in those scrums everyone’s gear is portable. Unless special provision has been made ahead of time, broadcast TV crews cannot set up lights or tripods in those areas. This is why Cannon Rotunda is where you’ll see the cable and broadcast networks do many of their interviews and where their talent do many of their reports. And, again, it’s where I most frequently shoot my standups. There is an almost identical rotunda in Russell Senate Office Building and it also filled most days with TV crews.

Image Provided By: Griffin Media

Image Provided By: Griffin Media

I took a few pictures in the Cannon Rotunda today (Friday, January 12) to hopefully give you a sense of what it’s like. Today was a relatively ‘slow’ day. On days when there’s a particularly newsworthy hearing or vote, or like last fall when Republicans were trying to choose a new Speaker, every space between the 18 Corinthian columns is taken by a different news organization. Generally, it’s first come, first serve, although for major events like State of the Union, the spaces are reserved for legacy news companies and/or assigned through a lottery.

Image Provided By: Griffin Media

Image Provided By: Griffin Media

Anyway, Cannon and all the office buildings are cool to see — and they’re open to the public!

Next time you’re in Washington, pop in, visit your representative, and wave to me up here in the rotunda.