Cinema Canada (Aug 1979)

have the time and money to approach people in a responsible way, then you shouldn’t do it — for your own well-being and for the well-being of others who are trying to be responsible. “The event with Hugh confirmed my conviction that community participation is essential to a good documentary. The National Film Board has been very lucky. It has had only one serious accident in 40 years, an aerial mishap involving a glider. Hugh O’Connor was not working for the NEB at the time he was killed,” Low stated. “lve seen cameramen use cameras as if they were some kind of protection from the world. They are under the illusion that once they are looking through a camera that it is not the real world out there.” 1971. A Canadian production. A fur coat storage factory. An electrician places some big lights under a sprinkler system. The lights get hot, and the heat from the lamps is too close to the sprinkler system. Reaction: melt down — the electrical syndrome. The sprinklers go off. Damage to the fur coats — about $80,000. The insurance company pays. No one is very happy. Apparently the electrician had been cautioned ahead of time, but he had disregarded the warning, thus an accident occurs due to negligence. 1976. A Canadian production. Low budget feature. Someone ties into the electrical system. Every light in the house goes out. Every light within 6 square blocks goes out. No one in the neighborhood is very happy. J. J. Parent, head of the electrical department of The National Film Board explains, “People who have no notion of electricity shouldn’t be playing with it. A film electrician uses a lot of power not normally used in a house. The wiring in old houses is not arranged for heavy use.” A licensed electrician is one who has a certificate from the province. He has attended a technical school and has spent a minimum of 4 years working as an apprentice in the field., He has also passed an exam. Then the electrician who wants to work in cinema has to learn about the film industry — which is completely different from working on construction, for example. A film electrician will spend a year just learning lighting. Someone can go out and buy a light meter and tell you they are qualified to light a set, but when you try them on location, you may have problems,” J. J. warns. Fire is a definite consideration. “It’s important to know if you have enough power to work with — without damaging the location or burning the house down.” Today there are new lights “HMI” — high intensity which save on power and give a better quality of light. But not all accidents occur from misjudgment. Some are purely mechanical — something breaks down while in use. “No schools will teach you experience. You will learn more by working with the equipment itself. One needs a practical school of cinema.” Since filming often requires considerable power an electrician needs to tie-into. the electrical system to provide electricity for the lights. Tying-in can be very dangerous if, 28/Cinema Canada For the inexperienced, “tying-in can be very dangerous” for example, an inexperienced person tries his hand at it. Concordia University’s Cinema Program at Sir George Williams Campus hires unionized electricians to tie-in on student productions. Other schools that do not maintain this same policy might be wise to do the same. Filmmakers often slip into the delusion that they are somehow protected by some intangible force. The Hollywood glow of “lights, camera, action” may stimulate the feeling of omnipotence, but man is not infallible nor is his equipment. In filmmaking, as in other activities, nothing is guaranteed. Inattention, poor communication, excessive worries, unpredictable circumstances and carelessness all constitute inherent danger. Hubris befell Sisyphus. One can never be too careful. Whether a professional filmmaker or an amateur, the rules are the same, if you make the wrong connection — something is going to explode. One wonders about the bullfighter who risks his life for glory. One should consider that filmmaking can also be a very lethal sport. O photo: Lois Siegel