Originally Posted by
PLovett
In 2007 I was tasked with taking a production team, a vet and his assistant to Bathurst Island where they were filming an episode for "Outback Vet". I thought this is going to be an easy day - quick trip then a restful day followed by a quick trip back to Darwin. Ha!
We had to walk out to the aircraft 3 times being filled from behind, in front and from the side. Then we were filmed boarding the aircraft, then of course I had to get out again to get the bloody production crew in as well. At Bathurst Island the vet and his assistant had to be filmed getting out of the aircraft. Then I had to do a circuit so the aircraft could be filmed landing. Then they all departed for the community for the day.
Bathurst Island at the time didn't have lights and last light was starting to get close and I didn't have the number for the director's assistant. So ring Darwin, they only had the production house number in Sydney. Ring them. Get the assistant's number. Ring her - get one very peed off lady who wants to do serious damage to the director as he is being totally pretentious about filming his magnum opus. Advise her that if they aren't back in 30 minutes were on the island for the night. Some serious swearing followed followed by..."we'll be there".
I thought, great - it will work out well. Oh no, when director arrives he wants to film more scenes of boarding etc. I give him a time limit at which the look on his face can only be described as one who has been told that his favourite cafe is out of coffee and has been served tea instead.
Thankfully, the 402 is tightly cowled and temps come up quickly. We got airborne with only a minute or two to spare. The episode never went to air. It wound up on Channel 7 web site only. So much for the 15 minutes of fame.
Those film crews used to really irritate me. If only they knew how close they came to getting a very large Avgas nozzle shoved up their rear ends!
Also remember one day standing out of sight of the camera crew behind another aircraft & making the pilot of the mail run plane laugh by making obscene hand gestures which conveyed what I thought of them, which resulted in them having to shoot the scene a few more times. Revenge is sweet sometimes!
DF.