Things I wish I hadn't said

[Nick Flowers]

A regular insert in a BBC early evening programme featured the presenter spending a night in an unusual location, for instance a lighthouse or a stately home, or a haunted room. On this occasion it was Sigmund Freud's house in London, now a museum.We rolled up the following morning having had a comfortable night in a nearby hotel and found the presenter rather bleary eyed, but ready to go. The Head Honcho of the museum appeared and asked the presenter what sort of night he had had, and the reply was: "I slept like a baby". I heard myself saying: "What, you cried all night and soiled* yourself?" One of many occasions upon which I wish that I could select rewind and erase; the comment went down like a cup of cold sick, as we say in the Garrick Club. And I wonder why the work dried up.

*I didn't say 'soiled', but another word beginning with S. I am really quite coarse.

[John Blankenship]

If you get points for humor, you came out ahead.

NOTE:  In this case I agree that "soiled" actually works better as the subtlety adds impact.

[davidbrown]

It is very nice to read your feeling. At whatever age a person will reach, child is always present inside him. 

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

23 hours ago, Nick Flowers said:

And I wonder why the work dried up.

I certainly would have laughed, Nick. Perhaps that is why I would never be able to become a BBC presenter. And my last interview several years ago for (internal) BBC work was similarly po-faced: they didn't like my questions regarding the contract (he obviously doesn't WANT to work at the BBC ... )

J

(Actually, a disclaimer - I'd say most of the several presenters / talent I've worked with would have laughed at that one. You obviously had an unlucky crapshoot that morning).

[mikewest]

My faux pas this year was when an agency producer phoned me about a commercial shoot.

"We've got 4 people sitting round a small table so we need to book you with 4 radio mikes"

Having serviced a similar job recently where 7 lavs were asked for and a boom covered I replied

"I can do that with simple a boom!"

The reply "Oh we'll get our in-house guy to do it then - thanks"

Lesson was how to lose a job with your own honesty!

mike

[Nate C]

I once asked a DOP "how are we covering this scene?" Before she could answer I followed up with "the usual coverage." Oh the look of injury. And this is with a DP who referred me for the job, I enjoy working with and have a huge amount of respect.

Sometimes the tongue is quicker then the brain to our detriment. 

[Olle Sjostrom]

I once asked a DOP "how are we covering this scene?" Before she could answer I followed up with "the usual coverage." Oh the look of injury. And this is with a DP who referred me for the job, I enjoy working with and have a huge amount of respect.

Sometimes the tongue is quicker then the brain to our detriment. 

I've also asked that question a couple of times, but my followup question was "you gonna pan along with that actor?" (because if he would then that would make things a lot harder for us ", and his answer was "yeah sure i could do that! That's a great idea!"

Palm in face

[Nick Flowers]

Things I wish I hadn't done.

On Joseph Andrews we were shooting in an old mansion on a Woodfall production of Henry Fielding's book. I had amused myself by putting together a lead that took the off tape output of the Nagra IV-S, and fed back into the mixer to give an echo effect which Peter Handford, my boss, would fade in when the clapper went on to make life interesting for the editor. He and I loved little japes like that - on one scene he ask me to lay out a microphone to a flock of hens in the courtyard of a scene and he fed that into the dialogue (on a separate track) to produce wonderful background atmos. ANYWAY, after the board had gone on (with appropriate echoes on the clap) the dialogue began and to our horror (I was monitoring off tape from the Nagra) we heard a little of the echo remaining there even though it was faded down. We regarded each other with expressions of incredulity, horror and amusement. Quietly I removed the link after that and as there were further takes of that scene, it was not a disaster; but that particular take was printed. At rushes Tony Richardson the director complimented Peter on the echo saying that it brought the atmosphere of the old house to life. Phew!