TV Filming

[jamesobjective]

Hey,

My name's James- I work for a TV company in London and at the moment we're planning a second series of the Channel 4 show 'Balls of Steel'.

I'm looking into the possibilities of using aircraft in some of the sketches for the show and was hoping you guys (and gals) might be able to give me some advice...

One sketch involves dropping a load of water from an aircraft onto a group of sunbathers in a park.. I have a PPL so know that there's a lot of issues sourrounding this but this could be rigged with some tricky camera work. The main problem, I think, would be getting hold of an aircraft capable of dropping water- does anyone know of any crop-spraying or firefighting aircraft in the UK that would be suitable for this?

Another sketch is filming a car travelling slowly on what initially appears to be a road- when the camera pans out the car is actually in at the head of a queue of aircraft.. Having spoken to some friends who own aircraft I know this would be not too too expensive with small aircraft e.g. pa28s but does anyone know of any airfields that regularly move larger aircraft and might let us quickly set this shot up with them?? (Unlikely I know!!)

Finally another idea is to use a helicopter to disrupt an outdoor dinner party with its downwash. The shot would be set up so that the party goers are actually extras but do you guys think the CAA would shoot this idea down straight away??

Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks, James

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I'd lay a very sizeable bet that I know what's going through the mind of professional aviators who read this..............

[AlphaWhiskyRomeo]

I'm not going to bother watching the 2nd series now, as I know what all the gags are going to be.

[oldlag53]

"Hey,
My name's James and I am a complete moron who can think of nothing better to do with my life than invent dumb TV pranks to amuse the proles..."

Here's my advice, James:
GET A LIFE!!

[FlyUK]

oldlag53, easy tiger. I get up every morning at 04:00 in order to get in a metal tube which makes a loud noise and 150 people sit behind me whilst I take them for a ride. Its my job. We all need jobs. :ok:

James, can't help i'm affraid. Sounds like a lot of work, not to organise, but to do the paperwork!? :hmm:

[Mogget]

oldlag53,

Was there any need for such a scathing remark ? What this guy does for a living is entirely up to him. Who are you to judge him so harshly ?

[oldlag53]

Ok, let's look at this objectively. This guy is working hard on the following:

1. Dropping water onto sunbathers.
2. Er, putting a car at the head of a queue of aircraft (um, this one I don't even understand!)
3. Positioning a helicopter so that its downwash "disrupts" a dinner party.

Come on, this is student prank stuff! You and I are paying (via ads) for a major national TV broadcasting network to air this garbage!!

TV used to be about entertainment/education by talented people who had a special skill. Any idiot after a few beers in the pub could come up with this...

[chevvron]

Well said Mogget; some people even spend their lives kicking a leather ball around and getting paid excessive wages; more than I earn in a year per week!

[Mac the Knife]

Yup, it's official! PPRuNE in the blogosphere - fame at last for Danny!

See http://boingboing.net/ about 1/3 down the (long) page.

" UK prank show will use airplanes/choppers in insane stunts?"

"A poster identifying himself as working for "Balls of Steel," a prank-show on the UK's Channel 4, has posted an unbelievably weird set of questions to a pilots' message board.

The questions ask what steps he will need to take to get airplanes and helicopters for use in a series of incredibly dangerous pranks, apparently for the show's next season. The pilots respond with a general air of incredulity and anger: "

Boing-Boing is one of the TOP collective blogs, billed as "A Directory of Wonderful Things", it is a whimsical, whacky and often very sharp collection of oddities and observations from our world.

WWell worth a read (I'm a regular) and oddly addictive.

:ok:

[jayteeto]

Great show!! Love the pain guys and Nej. All 3 should be certified. I think you would struggle to get permission to do these stunts (the flying ones at least). The CAA website is not the most user friendly, but I would start there and get in touch with someone directly. It might save you a lot of work.
PS. Can we please have a repeat of the security tag chases in the shopping centre, quality TV.....

[Octave]

I hate that show. Shows like Jackass are at least occasionally witty, but all yours is is just pissing people off and trying to get people to laugh at it. No different from "happyslapping".