RC helicopter and pilot needed for film stunt

[superdonal]

Hey - it's my first post here, so: hi!
I'm just writing as am looking to get hold of a top RC helicopter pilot (with his/her own helicopter). I'm doing a project at blagamillion.com, where we're attempting to blag a million pounds in 90 days. The aim is to set up a filmmaking fund for guerrilla filmmakers in Britain.
We've got an idea for a little stunt (don't worry - we'll make sure safety precautions etc are in place), in London sometime soon, and I wondered whether any of you guys might be keen/available for it.
If you could let me know that would be brilliant - my email is donal@blagamillion.com
Thanks!
Donal

[Stuart]

Incase anyone missed this opportunity might be a couple of quid in it for you...

[JeromeF]

Thanks for the email Donal.

Will look forward to speaking more about the plan

[JeromeF]

Incase anyone missed this opportunity might be a couple of quid in it for you...

Don't think they can afford to - but it would be very good fun and a claim to fame...

...so I don't think we'd be able to pay you for your
flying. But we could pay expenses, and the whole thing would be on
Current TV, and it would be stupendous fun...

[Gate88]

I'm in the film industry and I wouldnt touch this with a barge pole!

Guerilla filmakers dont need funds cause they do everything on the fly without permission and no one including their suppliers gets paid!!!

Who's your stunt coordinator Donal?

[unwind-protect]

Don't think they can afford to - but it would be very good fun and a claim to fame...

Well, if they succeed, they have a £1000000...

[Gate88]

Well, if they succeed, they have a £1000000...

If they can make 1m in 90 days I'll eat my hat (& my Raptor).

If it's a film stunt why does he say "Current TV"?

When he uses the phrase "Current TV" that means they haven't got a deal yet, (certainly not a film one or I'd know) else they'd say who the Production Company was.

I get 10 calls a day from people like this, sat around on sofa's eating their way through a pile product placements, saying things like, "think of the exposure", "we'll give you an opening credit", & "we'll always use you in future". It all translates into one thing, "we've got no money cause no one will fund us cause our idea isnt worth a light".

There's films, there's TV, there's commercials, there's pop video's, & then right at the bottom, there's stuff like this!

[JeromeF]

If they can make 1m in 90 days I'll eat my hat (& my Raptor).

If it's a film stunt why does he say "Current TV"?

When he uses the phrase "Current TV" that means they haven't got a deal yet, (certainly not a film one or I'd know) else they'd say who the Production Company was.

I get 10 calls a day from people like this, sat around on sofa's eating their way through a pile product placements, saying things like, "think of the exposure", "we'll give you an opening credit", & "we'll always use you in future". It all translates into one thing, "we've got no money cause no one will fund us cause our idea isnt worth a light".

There's films, there's TV, there's commercials, there's pop video's, & then right at the bottom, there's stuff like this!

The stunt in question is just something to add toward making a million. If you bothered to contact him you would acctually find out some more information on the matter, and what the plan with the helicopter is - a crumb of the whole 'plan to blag a million'.

[electricsceadu]

if he was worth bothering with he would post what he/they wanted the pilot to do with the heli
and the pilot should get the cash not them

[Gate88]

The stunt in question is just something to add toward making a million. If you bothered to contact him you would acctually find out some more information on the matter, and what the plan with the helicopter is - a crumb of the whole 'plan to blag a million'.

Yea I realise that!
But as someone who's been in the film & TV industry for over 30 years, that runs a company that supplies most of the British (and a good many US productions) as well as owning my own production company I think I'm well qualified to offer my two penni'worth.

These people and these ideas are what make it so hard for the legit production companies to get funding, licences, permissions, clearences, supplies etc. Cause they don't do things properly, they cut corners, they knock suppliers and they bring the whole industry into question.

If they've got a good idea fine! Pitch it, get the proper funding & make it, but don't start begging, borrowing & stealing from the likes of me.

Lets say you do your small bit, "for the fame", and they don't pay you. Then they have a load of stuff off me & they don't pay me, if they ever sell that show on to a major network that network gets the show on the cheap cause no one's been paid properly. That means when my company or others like mine next pitch an idea and the execs look at the budget they say "cant we get it done cheaper cause Blagamillion only cost £13.75 and a case of Special Brew" and all of a sudden I've got to start asking people to work for nothing. And that aint fair!

[Mark_T]

All I'd say is make 100% sure that what you are being asked to do is safe and that you are covered by insurance, standard BMFA may not cover this depending on what you are doing and where. Ask who is covering damage to your model should it occur , especially as there seems to be no fee involved (also important re insurance question above).

The stunt coordination question is a good one, you should know what is planned 100% before you do anything and there should be no sudden last minute changes.

I've seen a good few similar requests over the years on model forums and in clubs and they often turn out to be ill-conceived and dangerous usually due to a lack of knowledge as to the limitations and risks inherent to our models.

They are also typified by the lack of payment and they rely on people wanting to 'help out' at their own cost instead of paying the going rate for professionals in the industry.

Just make sure you don't have problems through trying to be helpful.

[Gate88]

Bang on the money Mark T!

There's a few companies that fly RC helis for the industry, they're fully insured, fully paid up members of equity, why arent they doing it? Cause it's either too dangerous or they want to get paid.

I've been there, seen it, done it, got the T shirt, the mug and the key ring, if I hadnt learned to smell a rat a long time ago I'd be broke.

I guarantee whatever they say they're going to do won't be what thay actually want you to do, and if they want you to fly a heli in London without H & S risk assesments, and a stunt coordinator then I'd make sure you've got some kind of cast iron commercial insurance, cause if anything goes wrong and all you've got is an email address and a mobile phone number it's you who carries the can.

[squeaky pete]

and more than likely your need a B cert aswell!

[electricsceadu]

and more than likely your need a B cert aswell!

no its up to the flight line director to say that you are safe enough to fly
no b needed for a public display
but you will need to comply to the ano and cap658 and any reqirements by the insurer
and i would say the std bmfa insurance won't cover you

[Gate88]

Put it this way, I've got to shell out £1609.00 next week just to insure a fully qualified motor cross rider to amble a quad at 50mph through a "closed to the public" Limehouse Link tunnel!