seth Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 I'm remembering the whale wars for hire post and saw this on fb from the producer. http://i-was-waving-not-drowning.tumblr.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSound Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 A great read and why I won't do shows in places like the Amazon and jungles of wherever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmassey Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Well I have done shows in the Amazon and jungles of wherever, and if things are done right, as this article points out, they weren't, it can be an interesting, exciting kind of production. But I always triple checked that all was in order before I left the country. Only once were things not in order, and at the airport in NYC, I asked one more time, got no response, so never checked my bags and re-issued my ticket and went home. The rest of the crew did get to S. America and when they saw firsthand how screwed up things were, all but one fellow went right back to the airport and flew home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 +1 as Cleve stated. I have been in some very hairy situations and I have never felt like I was in danger of being left in the lurch by the production company. Quite the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robo Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-et-ct-reality-tv-accidents-20130106,0,4857781.story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldmixer Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thanks for posting this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tirrell Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Well I have done shows in the Amazon and jungles of wherever, and if things are done right, as this article points out, they weren't, it can be an interesting, exciting kind of production. But I always triple checked that all was in order before I left the country. Only once were things not in order, and at the airport in NYC, I asked one more time, got no response, so never checked my bags and re-issued my ticket and went home. The rest of the crew did get to S. America and when they saw firsthand how screwed up things were, all but one fellow went right back to the airport and flew home. I think that this is the key when dealing with any job that requires travel to odd places or "adventure" situations. I have worked with a few over the years who had very weird opinions of what constituted safe. And this is coming from a guy who used to run camera for local tv stations chancing blizzards tornadoes and the like. Me personally I would always double check the info knowing that mistakes do happen but fabrications are easy to spot. I would also make a backup list if the job was not too shoddy but I feel that there is an aspect or too lacking from the safety plan, (note these things do get faked from time to time). I used to shoot promotional video for some summer camps that did adventure travel and the like and you would not believe what the one place considered safe in so far as rigging and safety... There was a reason I never used their equipment and typically bring my own for these types of situations. Point is you can not count on others for your safety you need to be aware at all times and always take a 2nd look at these things. That said she got a pretty raw deal from what I can read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 She hgot promoted by the LA Times: " the 41-year-old co-executive producer " and who was this alleged "star / production manager/out-of-work Alabama construction worker" ?? " History and the production company, Red Line Films, declined to comment. " " Discovery and the show's producers declined to comment. " well, of course the History & Discovery Channels are pretty insulated, they are buying (licensing) the shows from the producers (Red Line, probably soon out of business ... " tight budgets, lack of trained safety personnel and pressure to capture dramatic footage has caused serious and in some cases fatal incidents, " IOW: cheap producers with unreasonable expectations. " Lars Andrews, a Vancouver, Canada, safety consultant and producer who has worked on such shows as "Eco Challenge," "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." He said the problem is more prevalent on low-budget cable shows, not network shows such as "Survivor." " big surprise. of course... " "It all stems from the race to cut budgets to the bone," said Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East. "We understand the desire of networks to buy programming at as low a price as possible ... but you have people getting hurt in the field. You need to have safety protections and rational production schedules." " oh, yeah, and producers being greedy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldmixer Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 Yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth Posted January 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 So this story isn't abnormal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattinSTL Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I shot a documentary in Haiti for a charity... then years later for the earthquake was asked to go back. I agreed... then while loading up gear for the next morning's flight... the producer started giving me the REAL details. The agenda grew progressively crazy until I finally asked why on earth they didn't tell me this BEFORE buying my ticket? The LEAST crazy aspect of the trip was a 10 hour cab ride from the top of Haiti to the bottom... at which point I could find my own hotel(?) I ended up saying that I just wasn't comfortable with the situation (for deferred pay, as usual... possibly none, written off as charity)... and I left as the producer had tears in her eyes. I've always had a gut feeling of regret about the whole deal... but yeah... "reality production" is a weird deal if it's not "legitimate"... so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Gilbert Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 A great read and why I won't do shows in places like the Amazon and jungles of wherever It was a good read, but shouldn't stop you travelling to the harder to get to parts of the world, I do a lot of filming in remote locations, and war zones, and I only ever go when I know I have the back up to get me out of there if things go wrong. I've had some incredible experiences and look forward to plenty more. A couple of times, the incredible experiences have been as a result of things going wrong..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
André Boisvert Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 It was a good read, but shouldn't stop you travelling to the harder to get to parts of the world, I do a lot of filming in remote locations, and war zones, and I only ever go when I know I have the back up to get me out of there if things go wrong. I've had some incredible experiences and look forward to plenty more. A couple of times, the incredible experiences have been as a result of things going wrong..... I wholeheartedly agree. I haven't done war zones, but the very few experiences I've had in remote places in the world have enriched my life way more than any paycheck ever will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpiegari Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 That's the beauty of it; the more you travel and experience difficult and exotic locals, the more comfortable you may become with the challenges they entail. This should not imply complacency. It's through experience that you learn what questions to ask, who to trust, how to verify. Glen It was a good read, but shouldn't stop you travelling to the harder to get to parts of the world, I do a lot of filming in remote locations, and war zones, and I only ever go when I know I have the back up to get me out of there if things go wrong. I've had some incredible experiences and look forward to plenty more. A couple of times, the incredible experiences have been as a result of things going wrong..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tirrell Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 That's the beauty of it; the more you travel and experience difficult and exotic locals, the more comfortable you may become with the challenges they entail. This should not imply complacency. It's through experience that you learn what questions to ask, who to trust, how to verify. Glen True and while I find this article telling like you it will not stop me traveling. I shot a documentary in Haiti for a charity... then years later for the earthquake was asked to go back. I agreed... then while loading up gear for the next morning's flight... the producer started giving me the REAL details. The agenda grew progressively crazy until I finally asked why on earth they didn't tell me this BEFORE buying my ticket? The LEAST crazy aspect of the trip was a 10 hour cab ride from the top of Haiti to the bottom... at which point I could find my own hotel(?) I ended up saying that I just wasn't comfortable with the situation (for deferred pay, as usual... possibly none, written off as charity)... and I left as the producer had tears in her eyes. I've always had a gut feeling of regret about the whole deal... but yeah... "reality production" is a weird deal if it's not "legitimate"... so to speak. probably the best decision you could have made, while I could stomach the trip by cab and the finding of a hotel on location It does not bode well for the other stuff. Now the fact that she waited until she thought you were too committed to back out says volumes. As I said I would have no problem with the extra hassles given the situation at the time, but only for the right client and If I knew they had a plan for when things all went to pieces and were going to pay me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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