tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post7533522946238238333..comments2024-03-28T00:18:19.640-07:00Comments on Dollygrippery: There But For The Grace of God....Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466991423411721535noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-64754273594789804192010-07-06T19:27:25.053-07:002010-07-06T19:27:25.053-07:00Yeah, NYU needs to teach grip safety. I was on a N...Yeah, NYU needs to teach grip safety. I was on a NYU set helping out a neighbor's daughter and they wanted to fly a 12x12' solid. First thing I asked was where the ford axles were. They didn't know what those were, so I asked for sash. They handed me a couple hanks of trickline. After the wind tried to bring it down on a generous amount of HMIs and the picture car, they let me bring it down and secure it. Not a first thought to them, not even a thought at all until it becomes an incident. There's your problem.gettheshotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-48749574856040647962010-06-19T04:25:41.097-07:002010-06-19T04:25:41.097-07:00Like all of you, it seems, this gets to me because...Like all of you, it seems, this gets to me because of D's comment - more often than not, it's not about knowing WHEN to say "no", but feeling that you CAN say "no".<br /><br />This industry is very aspirational. If you're not doing your job, there are a lot of very eager people waiting to jump into your shoes. You want to be known for your Can Do Attitude.<br /><br />One of my mentors once told me that a grip is often looked upon as an on-set Health & Safety advisor, regardless of whether you have any qualifications in that area. If you say it's safe to put the camera there, it must be. And shortly, he said, in mentoring tones, people will start calling you and offering you attractively large amounts of money to do this job. Always remember that you're being paid for that responsibility.<br /><br />Fast forward a year or so, and a student film. <br />"We want to track with a boy on a bicycle. We can't afford a tracking vehicle, but we do have lots of track. Think you'll be okay to run along with the dolly and track him?"<br /><br />"Okay, as long as it's flat ground."<br /><br />"Oh, yeah. Okay. Well. Yeah. It's fairly flat."<br /><br />A few days later, we get to the location, which is on the side of a hill. An Elemack with two people on it. A track laid on grass. I KNEW I should have just said no, this can't be done like this. But I felt under pressure, and instead I said "Okay, we'll try it. I'll need a few people to help me slow the dolly at the end of the track."<br /><br />Luckily I hopped away with only a very sprained ankle. Lesson learned. It doesn't matter how nice - or shouty - they are. If it's not safe, it's not safe.Crazy Eddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14331554406453269505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-1668924147849183282010-06-13T13:47:25.636-07:002010-06-13T13:47:25.636-07:00What's really a shame is everyone seems to wan...What's really a shame is everyone seems to want to lay all the blame on one guy for this accident. Was the Gaffer supposed to say, "No." or "No you can't do this safely in this location or on your budget?" The students would just have gotten someone else. Probably with a similar outcome.<br /> I had heard about this accident a year ago. NYU has done a good job obscuring the facts and insulating themselves from any blame or financial harm. I'll call my friend in the film department tomorrow and see if I can worm the truth out of them.JDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-70974725842233519582010-06-11T22:41:33.458-07:002010-06-11T22:41:33.458-07:00The way I read the Village Voice piece, the so-cal...The way I read the Village Voice piece, the so-called "gaffer" was in the basket of the condor. It was unclear to me whether he was actually at the controls of the rig when it contacted the hot wires, but I assume so. I can't imagine he'd have let a student run the thing from the ground.<br /><br />Then again, no gaffer should ever be up in a condor while the rest of his crew -- very green students, one and all -- ran around setting lights and getting killed. He could have (and should have) put a student in the basket, then used the ground controls to place the 12K. <br /><br />But that's the problem -- he wasn't a real gaffer in any sense of the word. He was just a guy with more experience than the students, which isn't saying much. I too feel bad for that poor bastard, who will have to live with this for the rest of his life. And as D points out, we've all bitten off more than we could chew at one or more times in our respective careers. Most of the time we get away with it, but every now and then the Devil's own serpent comes back around to bite some unlucky SOB on the ass -- and apparently that's just what happened down in Georgia. One simple assumption led to a fatal cascade of errors culminating in disaster.<br /><br />Thirty years ago, that guy could have been me, but I got lucky every time I walked the high-wire of promising more than I could really deliver. There but for fortune -- and maybe that's why this tragedy burrowed so deep under my skin.Michael Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569781786039595929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-6611032906787193552010-06-11T20:11:09.339-07:002010-06-11T20:11:09.339-07:00Are you telling me a student was operating the Con...Are you telling me a student was operating the Condor???The Grip Workshttp://www.thegripworks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-76694539444898241172010-06-11T17:40:32.665-07:002010-06-11T17:40:32.665-07:00Actually, the Village Voice interview with him say...Actually, the Village Voice interview with him says he was in the condor. In any case, if he knew he was hired as the gaffer by a bunch of students, the lift should have been nowhere near the lines. No gaffer I know (or key grip) would have allowed it. I'm not "blaming" him at all though. He was a guy who got offered good money to do a job he wasn't ready for. We've all done it. That's one of the reasons I titled my post the way I did. I actually feel bad for him as he's caught in the middle.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466991423411721535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-62948412185279624292010-06-11T17:32:05.628-07:002010-06-11T17:32:05.628-07:00Don't necessarily blame the local talent. He ...Don't necessarily blame the local talent. He wasn't in the condor. Was it his "job" to watch out for the inexperienced student operator? I think the original account of the accident said the operator bumped the lines, not once, but twice. The second time was deadly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-21541822873801124012010-06-11T13:50:39.550-07:002010-06-11T13:50:39.550-07:00Nathan- Been saying it for years. Thanks
AJ- The ...Nathan- Been saying it for years. Thanks<br /><br />AJ- The fact that these are students implies that somewhere there's a teacher. Someone was responsible to teach these kids that the things they were dealing with are dangerous and not all part of some fairyland alternate reality. They were funded and taught all manner of nifty film theory and history, just apparantly no practical reality. Anyone can fake a resume. I did it for years. You can't fake a reputation though which they could have easily checked. Hell, they didn't even know the address of the place. I do understand what you are saying though. Thanks.<br /><br />Sanjay- Apparantly no one even at the rental place checked to see if they had an experienced operator. It all is sickening.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466991423411721535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-34637282954788552382010-06-10T21:39:06.235-07:002010-06-10T21:39:06.235-07:00Hi D,
A combination of ignorance and being at the ...Hi D,<br />A combination of ignorance and being at the worst place at the worst time.<br />From what I understand, the condor was lifted into high voltage lines that basically energised the earth line.<br />Who was the operator, and how did he get his hands on the condor?<br />Overhead lines are one of the first things you learn to stay away from with cranes or cherry pickers, condors etc. <br />If you dont know what the line carries, stay away.<br />Dont assume its telephone or cable TV.<br />Cant imagine what the parents of that boy are going through.The Grip Workshttp://www.thegripworks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-23046868010227317312010-06-10T21:30:16.237-07:002010-06-10T21:30:16.237-07:00While this is the first time I've heard of any...While this is the first time I've heard of anyone specifically warning those NYU kids about having experienced professionals on set, for all we know, they could have honestly thought the guy they hired was qualified and competent enough to do the job. During my student film years, if someone with a big budget movie on their resume wanted to work on my project, I'd be ecstatic. I would also assume that if they were working on films of that caliber, they should at least know enough to easily help us out on our modest budgeted student film. Plus, back then, I had no idea who to call for a good crew in my own area, let alone in another state. I'm not trying to make excuses for these kids for a tragic accident that was 100% avoidable, but sadly, I can't honestly say I wouldn't have made the same mistake if I were in their shoes back when I was younger and so naive. <br /><br />You and Nathan are absolutely right though: we have to learn how to say "no" sometimes. Unfortunately, I think most of us don't do so either because we don't know any better, or we're afraid our bosses will replace us with someone who's more "agreeable." Either situation sucks.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience on what happened out in Georgia. I enjoyed hearing your take on it.A.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06280771470428710391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18888640.post-18294567568986854642010-06-08T20:04:02.085-07:002010-06-08T20:04:02.085-07:00I haven't commented on either A.J. or Michael&...I haven't commented on either A.J. or Michael's pieces because, frankly, they speak for themselves. I have nothing to add. (Although, I admit that after reading the Village Voice piece that Michael linked, I'm less sure who will be held culpable in the civil suit the parents have brought.)<br /><br />That being said, you make another valid point about saying "No". And this is a problem I've seen on the most professional of sets. Even though there are any number of people whose jobs it is to say "No" in various situations, the willingness to do so seems lacking sometimes. The fact is that not <em>every</em> whim of a director can be accommodated safely, and if it can, it can't necessarily be accommodated "on the fly" when the idea hadn't been planned for.<br /><br />Being willing to put your ass on the line and emphatically say "No" is one of the most valuable lessons I had beat into my skull when I was a total noob. It's a lesson worth passing on.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.com