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Monday, April 18, 2011

Be careful, be safe

When you turn that camera on, and look through the viewfinder, what you see on that screen becomes your world. You can't see - and often forget about - what's around you and behind you. You focus on that small moving world...

And then you trip over something.  Or walk into something or someone. I've done it lots of times, fortunately, never with any serious consequences.

But the tragic death this weekend of an Emerson College Film Student who, it's believed, fell while walking backwards on a roof shooting a film project, is a warning to us all:

  • Be aware of your surroundings
  • If you're moving backwards rapidly, or working in situations that are high-risk, have an assistant (or if you can't afford that, get a friend!) to act as a guide/warning for you
  • Similarly, have an assistant to act as your eyes in situations where other people or things are moving around you at high-speed
  • In dangerous situations, consider leaving the camera locked-down on a tripod

And before you press record, re-evaluate the safety conditions; what was safe ten minutes ago can change.

TheBostonChannelEmerson College Student Falls To His Death

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