Exactly a year ago, I was thrown into a reality TV pilot titled Crash Test, which aired on Spike TV on April 27th, 2010. On Crash Test, we used top-notch stuntmen and stuntwomen to recreate accidents and crime scenes to see who was really guilty or innocent.
I was the “biomedical scientist” of the bunch, and took measurements to determine if the real-life accidents would have really occurred in our simulations had we not been using professional stuntmen and women.
For reasons I’d rather not get into, the show is not moving forward with a whole season, despite its rave reviews from both sexes and all age groups (further despite the bad rating on IMDB… who’s the clown that gave us a 1/10?!). So at this point, I’d like to add my perspective.
I was thrown into the project at the absolute last minute, and even missed a day of filming. I had one full day to prepare, which included finding sensors, programming my hardware and software, doing the research on the accidents we were about to recreate and how I should take measurements.
Being on set was absolute chaos, and probably the coolest experience of my life up to this point — and I’d like to thank Reveille Studios, Tim Prokop, and Spike TV for giving me this incredible opportunity. So here is what I learned from being the geek on the set of a Reality TV show:
Come Prepared (Gear) If you’re doing anything technical, you better make sure your stuff works PERFECTLY before getting there, and is completely self-contained. When your gear is needed, there is absolutely no time to make last-minute changes or fix a programming issue.
Your devices need to be self-contained. You are not guaranteed how far away it will be or if there will be power nearby. You need to be able to flip a switch and have it ready to go.
There might also be a lot of time between turning it on and when the film is actually rolling (see the “Hurry up and Wait” section), so make sure you have a lot of memory and battery life.
At this point, I must give a shout-out and thank NI Systems Engineering* for their assistance, specifically David Harding. Also Otmar, Caroline, and Simon in NI DIAdem and LabVIEW Marketing, and my good buddy Paul Mandeltort for being all-around smart as hell. Thanks guys!
*(side note: If you’re an NI customer working on a very large project and are not leveraging these resources, you’re crazy NOT to contact your local rep and make sure you’re doing things right!)
You are the expert on whatever the hell you’re doing. Or so the country believes. One of the directors is going to be asking you questions from your perspective. You need to know what’s going on, and how to compare it to real world stuff so that the audience has a clue what you’re talking about?
There was 40g of force? Guess what, geek – that means nothing to 99.5% of the country. But “it’s the same impact force as getting hit by a college lineman off the line of scrimmage”? Cool, now you’re talkin.
This one was tough for me, as I had to worry about programming my gear on top of knowing what amount of force typically breaks a vertebrate, information not always easy to find.
And am I an expert biomedical scientist? Fuck yeah.
Be Aggressive Get your ass in front of the camera! Tell the camera guys that you have something cool to show them. If there’s a critical scene that you pretty much KNOW will make the final cut, make sure your face is visible and you have some decent input (unless told not to). There were a lot of times when I was behind a computer but should have popped my head in to make some comments.
Additionally, don’t let any crew members do any setup stuff that could get you on TV more. Do all things that pertain to your role.
In our show, Casey was operating the high-speed camera. That should have been MY job – because it would be my job to take the video and synchronize it with my data. Another example is the guy who’s hammering in the stake that connected to the chains that held the trailer down. That should have been Casey doing that. Get aggressive.
Research YOURSELF I learned a lot about myself by watching myself on video. Before you go on set, have a friend videotape you doing similar things that you’ll be doing on the show. For me, I would have taped myself walking around, using the computer, hooking stuff up, standing and arguing, etc.
Here’s what I would have improved about myself had I seen myself on camera first (and yes, this will sound horribly lame and egocentric, but it’s the truth):
I didn’t realize how much I hated my beard length until I saw it. I was on setting #3 throughout the show, and will always be at #1 or #2 from now on. I can’t believe I’ve worn #3 that much without noticing!
My eyebrows need trimming. Not waxing or grooming, but trimming – they’re just too damned long. My barber, Daisy, now takes care of this… but I wish I would have done this earlier… like 15 years earlier. Very “gay” of me to say so, but very true.
I hate those jeans. And I wear them ALL THE TIME (note: despite writing this… 1 year later, I still wear those. I really am a lazy POS)
Build up my traps. I’m a swimmer, my shoulders should look better under a polo shirt than that!
A picture is NOT worth a thousand words – a video is.
Get some sleep before filming.
Because I was pulled in at the last minute, I was spending all-nighters coding up my experiments. And boy, did that take its toll. I was a zombie by the end of the filming days, messing things up, and had huge bags under my eyes. This may conflict with rule #1, but we all have a minimal number of hours of sleep in order to function properly and you need to get that much. For me, it’s 4 hours.
Being on the set is nothing short of pure chaos. You will be sitting around, waiting for your part, and then when it’s time, you better be in the vicinity and ready to rock and roll. Not out back flirting with that cutie Kelia or the stunt girls (heh). And then you’ll be called over for your part… just in time to get yelled at and probably wait another 10 minutes for no logical reason whatsoever.
Hurry up and wait – Be prepared but chill out. It’ll take time as the other ongoing chaos unfolds.
You will get a “Call Sheet” that has everyone’s jobs and names. Understand what their roles are and try to remember their names. If you have time, research what is a “Line Producer” vs. an “Assistant Director”, what the Grips are, and so on. This will pay MASSIVE dividends. Treat them all incredibly well. Also note that if it’s a pilot, defined roles are not clearly set and everyone wears a zillion hats, so if you need something, just keep asking for it (or keep asking who to ask) until you get the right person.
Also, the director is KING. Do whatever he says, with little argument unless you know it’s awfully wrong. Otherwise, guess what… you will get cut out of that scene! Don’t try to “write” over what they want you to say, you’ll just get yelled at. Right Casey?
Day Before Shooting Chaos!
The day before filming will be the most chaotic day you’ve ever lived through. Nothing will be ready. You’ll have to go to Home Depot and Radio Shack 35 times. There will be studio employees driving all over the city trying to get stuff for this project to work. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. And somehow, you’ll get through it with flying colors. And get some sleep!
Acting!
There is definitely a component of acting. You will be asked to say and do certain things multiple times, even if they already caught your natural reaction. Do your best – you’re a shitty actor and everyone knows it, so there’s not a ton of pressure, but they might be able to get a few seconds of better crap out of you.
As an engineer using tools on the set, you’ll get a ton of companies wanting to give you free stuff for product placement. It’s really cool. However, those placements will be FAST and the company needs to decide if it’s really worth it for them to waste a whole day getting it in the show. I personally think it’s worth it, but don’t expect your product to be slowly called out and for us to pop your website onto the screen. Action is too fast.
As the rep for National Instruments at the time, I had access and know-how to use NI gear. I put it freaking everywhere. I finally got PXI on TV. I put DIAdem and LabVIEW logos in my software for the screenshots (see image). Get aggressive but don’t go over the top. Note: NDAs and other contracts will need to be signed between the studio and the vendors.
It was stressful at times on that set, but things started slowing down by the final couple of days. Remember you’re on there to make good TV! Have fun and be yourself! It’s an experience you might never get again, so enjoy it, make friends, and smile.
As I finish writing this, I am kind of bummed out. Working with Tim Prokop, Casey, TJ, Jack, and the Stunts Unlimited guys was such a cool experience. John Schneider is a total pimp. This show was fucking awesome, and I really wish we could have received a full season.
I have to admit that it PISSES me off to see such garbage that is on TV nowadays, and when we try to put something out with some semblance of intelligence, we get one episode. But money talks, and as you can imagine, it cost a lot of money. It was simply too risky, and I understand that business decision. But it doesn’t mean I can’t be jealous or mad at society for watching nothing but slop when our show doesn’t work out!
As I become fully self-employed next month, I am going to throw my hat in the ring and audition for a few other geeky reality shows. I would be happy to be the geek on or off the set. It’s fun and a great challenge.
This concludes part 1, on the set. Coming next up next: Post-filming.
Last fall, I filmed a reality TV pilot for Spike TV called Crash Test. On Tuesday, April 27th, Spike TV is going to air the pilot at 11PM EST (check your local listings – DirecTV and other satellite networks will be off of the east coast feed!).
In Crash Test, Hollywood stunt expert Jack Gill leads an elite team of stuntmen, scientists, and investigators as they recreate full scale accidents to prove who is guilty or innocent.
Here are two YouTube videos to check out:
Spike TV Commercial – Look who’s talking at the end!
Stunt Teaser videos
If Spike TV sees enough viewership and DVR recordings, it will may get greenlit for a full season.
So please pass this e-mail on, post the videos and DVR times to your Facebook and Twitter feeds, and spread the good word!
I am the biomedical engineering expert on the show, wearing red. It is my job to measure and determine whether or not these accidents would have created the injuries that the defendants claimed… had we not been using stunt pros.
I was brought into the show at the last minute after filming had begun. I had no clue what was going on (which often shows), but it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. The guys on the show all rule.
The show stars four of us, not including the stuntmen: Jack Gill – Stunt Expert / Leader Casey Noel – Stunt Rigger / Safety TJ Josefy – Investigator / Crime-Scene Recreator Mike Roberto – Biomedical Engineer
This show was excellent! It was perfectly set up for suspense and has a realistic feel since the results of the re-enactments are used to determine real situations. The results were very extrordinary in nature and prove things that seem impossible to perception, in fact, possible. This is a must watch show and I hope that it gains enough interest in order to keep rolling for years to come. Watch out Myth Busters, this stuff is much more relavent than determining if JAWS could be blown up with a gun. I talked my wife in to sitting down with me to watch it (my second time) and she was glued to the TV and I found her tensing up at times.
The show had three different senarios (cases) to prove. Thet were each different in nature but I could have watched each of them for an entire show. I thought for sure that the water slide would never reach the speed needed to recreate the senario. And I never thought that a Chevy Tahoe could fly 100ft. in the air at 50mph. Incredible footage in HD and high-speed photography.
Two thumbs and two big toes up from me on this one and I am craving more.
Tonight, NBC aired the first episode of its new family drama-comedy, Parenthood. Inspired by the hit 1989 movie that starred Steve Martin and shared its name, Parenthood brings a modern edge to a genre that was in dire need of a spark.
It is now clear why NBC decided to unshamedly promote the living hell out of Parenthood: The show and its star-studded cast delivers big.
Parenthood revolves around four siblings and their spouses, and focuses on their various battles towards raising their children. The age of these siblings range from the mid-thirties to early forties, but Parenthood also gives plenty of screen time to their children and parents. The show begins with Sara Braverman (Lauren Graham), who moves her two teenage children back home to Berkeley due to financial trouble. Her parents (Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson) welcome them back into the house, thus beginning the show and its amazingly complete introduction to the characters.
Lauren Graham... wow
While Lauren Graham may be the “star” of the show, the oldest brother Adam (Peter Krause) is the one who all paths cross through. He is the sage of the family that is constantly called upon to give advice and provide help to the rest of the family. Adam and his wife, Kristina (Monica Potter), however, have problems of their own when they learn that their son Max may have Asperger’s Syndrome.
In the meantime, their little brother Crosby (Dax Shepard) is hit with a bomb at the end of the episode, and the other sister Julia (Erika Christensen) is such a successful lawyer that her daughter prefers the company of her father (Sam Jaeger) due to her mother’s inexistent rearing.
The Parenthood Cast
Much of Parenthood’s initial issues are taken from the 1989 movie. Steve Martin wanted his kid to do well in little league baseball, as does Adam. Dianne Wiest had challenges as a single mom with two teenage kids – same for Sara. The “bomb” dropped on Crosby is also the same. However, these “thefts” are fine because it was a good story in 89, and with modern adaptations, it’s even better today.
My amazement with this show is how well so many characters are introduced without the loss of any plot development. Nearly a dozen characters are successfully brought in, but it is done in such a way that it supports the story. There is still plenty of drama, conflict, and resolution to give the show a proper storyline. I’ve seen shows with a third of the characters fail miserably at this. Consider this a true testament to the writers.
Father and Son
A great aspect about having this breadth of characters is that you will almost certainly find someone to identify with. Maybe you’re old-school and side with Dad in learning that parenting is a much different game these days. Maybe you’re a career woman who doesn’t/didn’t see your children enough. Or you’re single and frustrated. Personally, I empathize with Alan, who seemingly has it together and is the lightning rod for everyone else’s problems, but can’t seem to get a grasp on his own situation.
Parenthood has many funny moments (ever go to your girlfriend’s house and find a stainless steel thermos of another man’s sperm?), touching moments (Adam and Kristina’s realization that their son is different – thousands of mothers across the country cried at this part), and a few ridiculous moments (finding your single mother half naked with another man, after she had found her father’s condoms… are single mothers this desperate? Hmmm maybe so..) It kept me on my toes and thoroughly entertained – more so than most of the regurgitated slop I’ve witnessed on TV lately.
As much as I loved Parenthood’s pilot episode, the show may not be for you. Don’t bother watching if you can’t give it your full attention. If you can’t pause the TV and can’t hold your bladder, you’re out of luck – you’re gonna miss something during that bathroom break, and it will definitely come back to confuse you later on. Parenthood has no downtime; no filler. If you can’t keep 12 characters semi-straight, you will be lost. I imagine my Dad asking my Mom “Wait, which one is that?” about 10 times, at which point their arguments over whose kid is whose have made them miss half of the action on the show, ruining everything except a frustrated trip to bed.
Son and Father
There is also a lot of conflict. Feel-gooders need not apply. The best comparison to be made would be Friday Night Lights. This makes sense because the writer and director, Jason Katims, comes from FNL. Parenthood’s pilot follows a conflict-conflict-conflict-conflict-conflict-quasi_resolution-conflict-conflict-conflict-conflict-conflict-resolution formula. The best feeling you’ll get from the show is the feeling that things aren’t so bad after all, and you’ve just spent an hour watching something that was vastly more entertaining than everything else Hollywood has to offer (that is, until April 27th, at least).
All in all, Parenthood is the best TV I’ve seen in a long time, besides perhaps the Season 4 Finale of Dexter (and you can’t even compare the two). We needed this. Thank you to a wonderful group of writers, actors, and the team at NBC.
And the best thing of all? Rumors from the set are that “it only gets better”. We’ll be there ready to take you up on that offer.
Great review – have it on tape – can’t wait to watch it. So glad that I made the Berto rants as the smarter of the 2 parents. Ya know, I hate talking/comments/questions during “my shows”……
Early this morning, I participated in an event I never would have imagined myself taking part in: I went on strike with a labor union.
Specifically, I was a guest picketer for the Writers Guild of America (WGA), joining my dear friend Sarah Watson, writer on NBC’s forthcoming primetime show, Lipstick Jungle.
For those of you unaware, the WGA is a union which represents TV, film, and radio writers. The WGA is striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which is an industry trade group consisting of U.S. film production companies and studios (ie. GE/NBC/Universal, Disney, Time Warner, etc). Every three years, these organizations negotiate a basic contract. However, in 2007, negotiations failed, and a strike began on November 2, 2007.
The way I understand it (heavily dumbed down — explaining it is neither my jurisdiction nor purpose), there are two major sticking points to the WGA’s strike:
DVD Residuals The writers want 8 cents for every DVD sold, double their current 4 cents. That is 0.4% of the revenue from a $20.00 DVD.
“New Media” Residuals Writers currently get no money when their work is viewed through Internet downloads, streaming feeds, IPTV, or phone downloads. They want to receive the 2.5% for these (which is what they’re paid on traditional television).
The funniest thing about this strike is what a social event it seems to be for the writers. Everyone I talked to was in optimistic spirits, and was very friendly to Sarah and myself. After all, being out of work for many months at a time is nothing new to a writer. Among those that I met were
Craig Williams, writer of Underdog (and some really cool upcoming ideas),
Zach Estrin, Co-executive Producer of Prison Break,
The Writers are not dumb, nor are the studios. As Internet and TV are quickly merging (take, for instance, AppleTV, Verizon FIOS, and even the growing popularity of streaming protocols such as Sopcast), each side must stand their ground and try to gain as much leverage over new media as soon as possible. This is especially true since the lines between TV and Internet are blurring and all forecasts of new media are vastly underestimated.
As a Libertarian, I find the entire situation to be a slap in the face to our country’s economic system, which resembles more and more of a joke every day. While I’ve never been pro-Union, I find it absolutely ridiculous that 6 of the largest corporations in the world can unite and dominate an industry with basically no competition between each other.
Our supposed ‘free market economy’ is dominated by corporate interests which have contributed to the disappearance of the middle class — a middle class that is vitally important to the survival of any democratic government.
I fully support the writers’ power to unionize and convene, but I also fully support the corporations power to fire their employees and do things their own way. That’s business.
Although this strike has very little impact on my life and that of my family, I feel that it is indicative of the bigger picture — the pendulum has swung too far, and the time for mass corporate backlash is near.
My question to you writers is this: What next? Let’s say you get everything (or almost everything) you bargain for. You are still pawns in the system, stuck in a traditional business which does not fully understand the future of technology and no longer appreciates the people it serves.
Isn’t it time for something new? Why settle for this, when you can take a risk to do better — to compete with the system by starting your own production organization. After all, if you’re not willing to take this risk, then you’ve already lost.
An internet television network! Down with the terrestrial television networks! It is the only next logical step. Newspapers are sinking because of the internet, why not the networks? They put out nothing but crap these days anyway.
Everyone is a pawn in the system except the CEOs, so I don’t think it’s a matter of branching out and creating a writer studio. Then the actors would create an actor studio and the producers a producer studio, and television/movies would swirl further down the toilet.
If the 2.5% you mentioned is what has been the working pay-paradigm for television writers, I cannot understand how that same figure does not directly translate to “new media.” Even if the money in new media is less than that of old media, it’s still the same slice size of simply a smaller pie.
I think the way that things work now is the way they have to work, but it might take a protracted strike for these uber-wealthy studio executives to realize that Jim Morrison was right: They’ve got the guns, but we’ve got the numbers.
There’s no profit to be had in running a studio without the creative engine of writers. A new slate of reality programming might be headed our way, but I imagine while some will catch, the majority will pass by in utter failure. Writers might seem like creepy crybabies, but it takes creepy crybabies who’ve been shit on their whole lives and who were forced to develop a keen wit and wild imagination in order to overcome the bleak reality of their shituation in order to develop the bittersweet creativity necessary to create worlds and people and situations that go beyond the limits of your common yokel’s imagination.
All it takes is five minutes of YouTubing to see just why the deep pockets of major corporations are necessary to create a full season of quality programming. For ever “I like turtles” gem you find, there are literally 10,000 videos of disturbingly low-quality production and creativity. A full season of a major production like a show like Friday Night Lights, 22 episodes at 43 minutes per episode, is something like, if my multiplication is correct, and it’s probably not (I’m a writer), 946 minutes of production. “I like turtles” was 30 seconds.
So, sadly, the current system of deep-pocketed megacorps is a necessary evil.
But I agree: more competition is more than necessary.
The Trix Rabbit has a malicious look on his face. He is setting a trap.
TRIX RABBIT (TO HIMSELF)
Those kids are gonna wish they never messed with me this time… I can’t wait to get me some delicous and nutritious fruit-flavored TRIX!Raspberry red, lemmony yellow, and orangedy orange, YEAH!
(Cut to next scene)
SAME SUNNY DAY IN THE PARK
Two kids are skipping down the path, box of Trix in hand. Trix Rabbit is hiding behind a tree on the right side but is purposefully sticking his ears out.
5 YEAR OLD KID 1
Is it that goofy rabbit again?
5 YEAR OLD KID 2
Yeah… look at those ears – he’s just getting lazy now!
The kids run across to the left side of the path.
5 YEAR OLD KID 1 (TO TRIX RABBIT)
Silly Rabbit, Trix are for –
The kids fall into the Trix Rabbit’s trap. They are caught in a net up in the branches of the tree. The box of Trix falls onto the ground.
TRIX RABBIT
HAHAHAAHA! Now the delicious Trix are MINE! Who’s lazy now?!
The Trix Rabbit pours a bowl of cereal. Orgasmic orchestral music plays in the background, rainbow colors are flashing in the background. The Trix Rabbit begins taking enormous bites of Trix.
(PAUSE)
The Trix Rabbit gets a disappointing look on his face, quickly realizing that the Fruity Pebbles he had been eating since his last bowl of Trix (in 1991) are, in fact, a far superior breakfast cereal.
(Fade to next scene)
IN THE STALLS
The screen flashes “12 Hours Later.” The Trix Rabbit is in a public restroom, smoking a cigarette on the shitter. 5 Year Old Kids finally come in to clean themselves off from the trap.
TRIX RABBIT
What the hell man?!?!! I got GREEN SHITS!
5 YEAR OLD KID 2
That’s right, asshole! Now you see what we have to deal with every time we eat that garbage!
5 YEAR OLD KID 1
Yeah you bastard! Green shits aren’t just for kids you know!
@VMAngel Hmm, I'm in the US (CDMA) and realized that the BB Torch is only coming to Canada since it's GSM. True? Might just do the Curve2.. 2010/08/25
@VMAngel Hi Lisa, I need a new plan 9/1 (quit job) but want to wait for the BB Torch before spending big $. Any recs? Buy Loft then upgrade? 2010/08/25
The Writers are not dumb, nor are the studios. As Internet and TV are quickly merging (take, for instance, 
Rapideo said,
08.19.10 at 1:32 am
Keep Posting, Thumbs Up