Dyeing for your applause. Death in the Film Industry.

When I came to BC from Texas I found that it seemed EVERYTHING had a certification.  You have to be certified for Arial Boom and scissor lifts to even be a grip in the union here. You have to have an FFE
( entertainment specific electronics license) to run generators.

When I was starting out  in Texas you were expected to get it done with minimal training . That included tying into electrical panels. If you were the gaffer you had been taught by another the "proper" tie in procedure.  You didn't need a special FFE  electricians license to tie in or operate the large diesel generators. You learned it on the job and didn't think twice. They looked at you and said" your doing condor duty , there it is the controls are labeled " and up you went.
At first I felt like certification was just an money scam. To be honest I still think the renewal rules ARE an money thing.   The renewal of training to operate machines that we use so regularly seems a bit excessive

Yesterday my love pointed out this headline on Yahoo news:

'G.I. Joe 2' crew member killed during filming

http://news.yahoo.com/g-joe-2-crew-member-killed-during-filming-211244502.html

After looking into several other news reports it is unclear if he was using a scisor lift

or an arial boom arm "condor" lift. Both of these are subject to certification standards in BC.
The accident happened in New Orleans and I am uncertain of the certification requirements there. It is unclear if the accident was caused by mechanical failure or operator error and I am not going to speculate.   What is clear is that he died in a profession and enviroment I share.

 We in the film industry do what is necessary to get the shot, the scene, the film "in the can". We use high powered machines, work with high voltage  , rig explosives and fire to create exciting visuals for the show. Even in shows without  guns or chase scenes or explosions the technicals require risk. 

Rigging requires going into a sound stage or other shooting area and ,using these types of lifts,  hanging the necessary Green screens, transmats, chains cable and pipe for the over set lighting grids, electrical cable and distribution, and many other items needed to make a sound stage function. 

We take an empty space like this... and turn it into this .... then back again.

It is a massive undertaking and just another day in the film industry. after all we make dreams into reality. 

Time to Eat the Lama

I have spent many 12 hr days either up in a lift rigging or doing the ground work putting in or taking out stages. It is just part of the job I do. There have been many occasions that I have had to look at the job to be done and the limits of the lifts we use and thinking "it should be fine". Other times I have been up in a lift and had to "gut check" when the basket sways a bit more than expected. I have been hurt on set from accidents, none so severe as this thank god. I have had heavy equipment fall on me, had unannounced gunfire ring my ears and had to remain in the "danger zone" during a car explosion.  My part in it all? I chose to be there in those situation doing the job I love.  

Hearing about this tragic death has me both empathizing with the man who died and thinking about how little the general public knows what actually goes into making a movie. Next time you go to a theater wait for the credits and see how many of us worked on it .