Jump to content

Have you ever been harassed while working? If so, why? How did you handle it?


Harry Weaks

Recommended Posts

While filming for a job, have you ever been heckled, harassed, attacked, or undesirably bothered by bystanders, young people, loud mouths, or awful strangers? Ever been touched inappropriately? Without your permission? Struck? Cursed at? Have a shot blocked? Equipment broken?


Stolen? Mishandled? Anyone make lewd gestures towards you? If so, how did you handle it? What occurred? Why did it occur? Did the person ever stop? What made them stop? Know anyone who has gone through anything mentioned? How did they handle it? Did anyone harassing them ever stop? If so, what made them stop?


I decided to ask this question because while I watch "live shots" on news airings, I see bizarre behavior like the following from time to time:


Example:



and wanted to know if anyone here has experienced similar behavior/if anyone here knows of someone who has experienced similar behavior.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was good natured stuff, I've been attacked on a few occasions and had a camera damaged once in the past. You basicaly keep on working, if it's like the incidents in the video you laugh it off as part of the fun, but other times you have to regard it as coming with the territory. News crews now get training for going into war zones (although some freelancers don't), you really do need to develop street sense.

 

You should check out Rory Peck Trust for this: https://rorypecktrust.org/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dang, Adrian, that sounds pretty bad. Did the bullet actually hit you or where they just shooting in your direction?

 

Not really set harassment, but I know someone who worked on Straight Outta Compton and they said that one of the days they were shooting in Compton a guy came walking right past them dripping in blood who had just got shot next door or down the street.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I got shot at once as we were driving through a neighborhood shooting.

Wow. Glad you're still with us! I had a machine gun put to my head (along with my entire camera crew), by the Mexican military when they forced our van off of a remote road in a rain forest. We had to stand in line with our hands behind our heads while several guns were aimed at us. We had to watch them tear apart our van while they searched (for drugs?) and found nothing. That scared us have to death! Does that count as harassment?

 

G

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Worst I've had was in Amsterdam where we were threatened with all kinds of things when some bouncers decided we'd been shooting the girls in the red light district (we hadn't). I think I've described the incident on the forum before.

Otherwise, harassment by randoms as well as the police and, particularly, commercial security guards is endemic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I had another incident in 1991 in Moscow, USSR when a government coupe occurred in the Kremlin and Marshall Law was enforced, all while we were in lock up in a hotel next to the Kremlin. The Metalica, AC/DC concert I was there to film was delayed for a week or so and when it actually did happen an estimated 10,000 Red Army troops showed up and started to physically beat the crowd in attendance (estimated at 1.5 million people). My international camera crew (American, British, Austrailian and South African) was stuck right in the middle of the chaos and we had trouble getting out. None of us were hurt in the end but we were seriously freaked out! There is nothing like the sound of AK gunfire or the sight of Soviet soldiers holding AK47s and aiming them at their own people or brutally beating them with batons. Some of our footage can be seen on YouTube. Search "The Monsters of Moscow" or "Monsters of Rock in Moscow '91".

 

G

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

They just fired in our direction, and we just floored it on the van and went. I had another run in in Mauritania when i crossed illegally into the country by mistake (unmarked boarder) and got arrested by a military patrol. Not as bad as the shooting incident. It was a pretty bad neighborhood in Philadelphia, though.

I've had a few incidents in LA so far, mostly when shooting in DTLA with some homeless, which normally is nothing too bad, just basic being yelled at, and often I'll just go grab a bunch of water bottles and granola bars from crafty and give them to them.

I find, normally, the best way to deal with it all is keep cool, treat people like humans, and try not to show how frightened you actually are.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I never had you down as the drive by neighborhood shooting type Adrian!

 

Weirdest one was when I was out on the outskirts of East London far away from anything much but a motorway and a distant hotel.

I had hardly set up when some police appeared out of nowhere. This was very impressive as there was nowhere obvious for them to have come from. They came right up to me and asked what I was doing. I explained that I was making a music video and was expecting some talk about terrorism or something but the police seemed a bit bemused. They told me that they had been called out by someone at the hotel in the distance who thought I was making a snuff movie. When I suggested that snuff movies were an urban myth the police insisted that this wasn't true at all and hadn't I seen on youtube?

 

Really wish the camera had been running at the time. I've had some odd experiences while filming but that was the wierdest I think.

 

Freya

Edited by Freya Black
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Bear in mind the police are not above making up any random story they feel like in order to justify their position. They can lie to you, and it won't prejudice any future court case. Naturally, woe betide you if it's later shown you lied to them.

 

I think even the dullest plod is starting to realise that endlessly bleating about terrorism is starting to wear a bit thin - even in current circumstances - so it doesn't particularly surprise me that they're trying for other things.

 

My position has always been that what other people may or may not be doing is their affair.

 

P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bear in mind the police are not above making up any random story they feel like in order to justify their position.

 

P

Only thing is these were quite friendly plods and once I told them I was shooting a music video, they were like "Very good, carry on then..." and left me to it.

 

Freya

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

One time production reversed the call when some bystanders started deliberately making noise during takes. So we'd yell cut when we meant rolling and rolling when we meant cut. It actually worked.

Hah, that's brilliant. I worked on an Uber commercial earlier this year where an angry Lyft driver heckled us take after take from his living room window. Good thing we were MOS...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well this isn't really harassment, but it's kind of funny. I was working on one of the Bob Newhart incarnations set in Chicago, and we were set-up to do a night exterior of what was supposed to be his town home. Had the whole street lit up and everything. Well, the guy that actually lived in said home had not yet received his check from the producers, so he puts up a Pink Floyd poster on the window. That did it, it kept us sitting there until the money issues were worked out. Freezing cold that night, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first 35mm still camera was smashed in a street fight... I did receive a bloody nose, but otherwise fared ok... I became more circumspect in street settings... awareness of one's surroundings...

 

Lately I've feared 'film permit enforcement' more than street thugs... because when a thug hassles you or takes your equipment, every acknowledges a crime has occurred... but 'filming without a permit'... most people aren't aware that in some places like LA 'any' filming could be construed to require a permit. Most people think it's only for big productions that lock off streets or the like...

 

Of course, no one is going to hassle anyone filming their kids' football or other sports... unless they show up with a grip truck's worth of equipment...

Edited by John E Clark
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's never the grip truck-- it's always the Boom-Mic it seems.

 

Not an official 'hassle'... but it was demanded of me to stop filming a girl dancing at Burning Man, because my 'camera' a DVX100 looked 'too professional'... I had the tag authorizing me to use the camera, and the Burning Man agreement is pretty strict about 'commercial' use, etc... but that wasn't enough for the guy...

 

Otherwise I've not been hassled at the event... in fact, people start 'doing things' when they see a camera... in some cases NSFW things... when all I want is the 'fly on the wall' observer look...

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's never the grip truck-- it's always the Boom-Mic it seems.

 

Ha Ha, yes it's always the Boom.

 

I've been thrown out of the observatory area of Griffith Park.

 

I also stole some shots at LAX. Had to time it in-between the police sentry movements. By the time I got back up to the car park to do the wide, cops on segways were buzzing around. L.A is the worst place to shoot without permits, you will get hassled by random people even in the suburban streets.

Edited by Luke Randall
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Ha Ha, yes it's always the Boom.

 

I've been thrown out of the observatory area of Griffith Park.

 

I also stole some shots at LAX. Had to time it in-between the police sentry movements. By the time I got back up to the car park to do the wide, cops on segways were buzzing around. L.A is the worst place to shoot without permits, you will get hassled by random people even in the suburban streets.

 

Guerrilla film making, why Mr. Director?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...